What Have I Learned?

Educational blogging is blogging, or written text entries, created and written for educational purposes. Educational blogs can be written by teachers, students, parents, and more. These blogs can be used for group discussion, collaborative projects, peer review, or for simply sharing information and opinions. Educational blogging can have many benefits inside and outside of the classroom. Some benefits of this form of blogging can include, the promotion and encouragement of self-expression, further development of analytical thinking and creativity, improved writing skills, and communication and collaboration between students, teachers, and parents. Overall, educational blogging helps to facilitate learning, engagement, and collaboration between all people involved in the learning environment. 

I was able to learn a lot of different information from reading my peers' blogs. I learned from Olivia Phillips' blog that there are a wide variety of opportunities for students who choose to pursue careers in agriculture. I learned from Grace Lamonica's blog that flipped classrooms can correlate to active learning, in which students are engaged in learning new information. I learned from Cat Dillard's blog that in Tennessee, if third grade students do not score proficient in reading, they will be held back from the fourth grade. First and second grade students are now taking practice standardized tests to account for this change. Learning about various content areas, different from my own, is interesting and opens my eyes to other people's interests and experiences. 

illustration of four people
collaborating through electronic
devices

Blogging has been a fun and engaging experience that has allowed me to learn more, further develop my own thoughts and opinions, and to learn more about other perspective teachers' content areas and interests. I enjoyed designing the overall platform for the blog and for each individual post. I feel as though this form of sharing information could be beneficial as a teacher, but also for my future students.I think blogging could help students and myself to develop a more involved and engaging classroom environment and community. A blog from each student could help them to develop their own ideas about art, as well as connect with other students' ideas. Having this collection of writings would also help them to track their progress and to be able to see their development throughout the year. Overall, I enjoyed learning about how to set up and use a blog, and I intend to work to incorporate this form of communication in my future classroom!

Technology in the Art Class

A black-and-white, artistic depiction of
a man wearing a VR headset with a colorful
background.

Technology can play a crucial role in the art classroom and in the overall art community. Technology can allow for further opportunities for creation, sharing, and communication in art and art making. In art, there are many different types of technology that can be used as tools for various types of art production. Some examples of types of art that use technology are digital painting and drawing, three-dimensional modeling, photography, general forms of editing and photoshop, video art, and more. These art processes rely on technology for their processes and usually for the presentation of the work. Technology has also allowed for the development of further communication between artists, art historians, and the general community. For example, many forums and discussion platforms have been created and maintained in the art community to discuss processes and various art topics. Technology has been used in art history to use analytical tools to shed light on the creative processes from idea to artwork throughout the years. Technology has also been used in art history in more fun and engaging ways for the general community through the creation of interactive, online art museums and art exhibits. This has allowed for people all over the world to explore, experience, and learn about art from museums around the world. Overall, technology in art has created a multitude of new opportunities for creative processes, discussion, and sharing of art, art-making, art history, and more.

In my future classroom, I plan to utilize and teach the numerous ways that technology can be used as a tool and as a form of communication in art. I plan to teach lessons using technology and exploring the various art-making and communication processes that require technology. Technology is always improving and consistently becoming more involved in everyday life, even for children. Working to teach and incorporate technology into art and art-making will help to better prepare children for their lives after school, no matter what path they choose to pursue.

Whole Child Approach in Art Education

A child with clip art elements

representing areas such as math,

creativity, socials, books,

sports, emotions, history,

and science.

The whole child approach in education is a philosophy of learning that supports, not only academic assessment to define a successful learner, but also encourages and fosters growth in areas such as physical and emotional health, the arts, self-sufficiency, and more. This method of teaching and learning acknowledges that students are their own unique individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and varying needs. In art education, the whole child approach is crucial as it focuses on the exploration and experimentation of processes, materials, and creative ideas. Art-making provides children with a safe and effective outlet and the direct space to express themselves in a way that is not explored in other content areas. Art also allows children to build upon their social and emotional learning by expressing their own feelings, as well as engaging with their peers about their art. This method of engagement provides children the space through individual and collaborative projects to learn to better understand and collaborate with their peers and to develop empathy and perspective-taking skills that can help them to build positive relationships with others.

The whole child approach can be achieved through art education and art-making through the instructor creating and prioritizing a safe, engaging, and supportive environment that promotes creativity, exploration, and most importantly, self-exploration. Teachers can help to create this space by providing students with ample choice of content, materials, and processes for each project, in addition to individualized support and guided instruction that encourages exploration, experimentation, and risk-taking. Overall, the whole-child approach is vital to art education as it recognizes the importance and necessity of nurturing and supporting the whole child, rather than simply focusing on academic success and achievement. By supporting the development of children's cognitive, emotional, physical, and social growth, art educators can help students to build and develop their creativity, self-expression, interests, and overall appreciation of learning, while also preparing them for success in all areas throughout their lives.

The Importance of The Arts in Schools

Young students with a teacher working
with art materials around a table

The arts play a fundamental role in education and in the development of children. The arts can help children to build skills that are not only important, but necessary to life inside and outside of the classroom. Working with art-related materials, such as pencils, scissors, clay, etc. can help students to develop and improve their fine motor skills. The arts also have many social components that allow students to share about themselves and their work through speech and through written assignments. These aspects of art can enable students to build language skills, social skills, and emotional compassion and regulation toward themselves and others. Using creativity to complete projects can allow students to develop skills such as decision-making, risk-taking, and inventiveness. These skills can be used all throughout their life in many facets and can make them more productive citizens as they will be well-equipped to develop creative solutions to perpetuating problems throughout society. The arts and art production can also function as a healthy and effective outlet for students. This outlet can function as a simple form of relief from day-to-day life or it can work towards addressing more substantial emotional traumas. 

In my experience, art has played a fundamental and necessary role in my development as an individual. Throughout my K-12 schooling and into college, my art classes have been the place where I have felt most able to express myself and to safely express my feelings and emotions. I was and am able to share my life, beliefs, and emotions in my work in a healthy manner that helps me and others to learn more about who I am. In addition to my art production, I have now been able to see from a teacher's perspective how art positively affects students through working in art classrooms with children. When given ample choice, students are given the opportunity to share their experiences and their feelings with the class through their art. Some students are extremely excited by certain projects as they create work about their pets, family, personal interests, and more. Some students are sad while creating and choose to make work regarding grief, depression, etc. Both forms of expression are important to the development and healthy expression for children as it allows them to articulate their feelings, to share their experiences, and to learn from others in a safe, positive, and supportive environment.