Week 2 Thing 5---Flickr App

   I started exploring some of the Apps for Flickr.  I used the link from D 20/20 Things to create a trading card.  Since my dog Scribble has been the inspiration for the name of my blog and is part of my avatar I decided to use him for my trading card.  I also created a Flickr account so that I could experiment further with the Flickr Apps.  I am really excited about the trading card App though because we have made artist trading cards in my classroom in the past but they take so much time to create that I have not decided whether or not we should do them again.  With the trading card App though I can have students take pictures of examples they find for assignments(like the elements of art) and make trading cards using those instead of drawing everything out.   This is my trial run example of the Trading Card App.  Cannot wait to further explore the Apps.

Week 2 Thing 4 Discovery Exercise A---Flickr

    When I got on to Flickr to experiment I was not sure about creating an account yet.  I took the tour that they offer on the main page and it really helped me to see all the different options that are available with Flickr, and there are quite a lot of options!  There are lots of different groups one type of group is classrooms.  I found a page that has teachers share their classroom setup with photos.  I really like this because I have a small shared classroom and art has A LOT of supplies so it is nice to see other teacher's rooms and get some ideas for my own.  Here is the link if anyone is interested in that classroom group: Classroom Design.

    Being the art teacher that I am the gallery link also interested me so I investigated that futher.  There are many many different galleries on flickr one gallery I found featured photos of Rust Squares.  There are 16 different rust pictures in a  square format.  I think this is an interesting gallery because rust is something that is commonly overlooked.  Rust is also seen as an annoyance typically because it can destroy things that we use such as shop tools, cars, bikes, locks, etc.  The photos in this gallery do not look at rust as an annoyance but instead something artful.  The picture that really drew me into this gallery was one that had three small square nuts and paint that was cracking away from its surface.  To view the picture please click Rust and Cracked Paint.  The composition is interesting because there is not really a spot in the picture that is not interesting.  I found the picture to be quite beautiful because I love pumpkin orange.  This picture just really pulled me in and held my attention.  Hope you enjoy it as well!

Week 1 Thing 3-Copyrights

   Copyright Law was a little bit intimidating to me.  After reviewing all these resources I do not feel that it is as scary as it was originally though.  I did not know there was an option to search on google for images and other resources that give you the right to copy them or reuse them.  This will come in great when I am making powerpoints.  I feel so much better using this search feature for images for my power points because now I will know that I am using resources that I have the right to use.  I also feel that it is so easy to modify the search on google that this could be used with students.  A great way to teach students about copyright law would be using the different search options.  I am a very visual and tactile learner and I think things are much easier to understand after seeing and trying them.  I think doing a search with students and explaining the consequences of using resources that they do not have permission to use versus the advantages of searching for resources they have the right to use would be beneficial in helping them understand copyright law.
   The you tube explanation of copyright law was so easy to understand.  Often times things like that are written out in language that is just so hard to comprehend.  Their description was so straight forward and clearly written.

Week 1 Thing 1

   I am very excited about this opportunity.  I am really excited to incorporate all these new things we are going to learn into my art classroom.  I did not have a great experience learning about how to integrate technology into lessons when I was in college, so I am very excited to get another chance!  I am especially excited about google earth.  I have already been playing with it a bit and I think it will be great for when I explain to kids where the things we are learning about originated.  I am very happy to have all these new ways to incorporate technology into my classroom and I think students will be excited too.

    Creating an avatar was a lot of fun.  There were so many options to go through.  Everything we have done so far has been so easy to access.  The experience has been really good so far and very easy to navigate.  I cannot wait to learn more!