Using Technology in Art on Digital Learning Day #DLDay

On February 23rd, our school took part in Digital Learning Day #DLDay.  Digital learning is any instructional practice that uses technology to strengthen  students' learning experiences.  This can include laptops, tablets, digital cameras, digital projectors, websites, and more.

Here's a video that explains a bit about Digital Learning Day.

This year, I was excited to get my hands on chrome books within the art room!  With the chrome books, students were able to enter their own artist statements, use Google classroom, and visit the many art website I saved on my Symbaloo.

I would like to share a few technology items we used within my art room for #DLDay!

The Art Institute of Chicago's Curious Corner Website

With my kindergarten students starting their Henri Rousseau-inspired jungle pictures, we had fun creating masks on the Curious Corner website.  Students chose different animal parts to build their own mask design!

1st grade students also took part in designing their own masks as their extra activity when they finished their contour pictures.

QueekyPaint Website

In my 4th grade class, students were creating portraits using the Queekypaint app.  It's a very simple version of a "photoshop" program that helps students create a drawing using digital tools.  I felt it was an important site to assist them in understanding how to create drawings digitally instead of with a pencil. 

Artsonia Artist Statements

Our school has been wish Artsonia for over three years and this is the first year our students are entering their statements into their portfolios with the use of the chrome books.  I've written how Artsonia has made a huge difference with my art classes as a teacher as well as a parent in the past, and I highly encourage all schools with an art program to have a gallery of their own.

Since the beginning of the school year, the chrome books have been used with grades 4-6, but starting on #DLDay, 3rd graders can now visit their online Artsonia portfolios!

Google Slides

Do you have a ton of Powerpoints created over time for multiple projects and unit lessons?  You can easily transfer them over to Google slides in your Google drive, which has made life 100% easier for traveling art teachers.  Never again do you need to worry about leaving your thumb drive at one school as you travel to another.  

In my 6th grade class, I was able to share my slideshow of the history of Stained Glass for their tissue paper stained glass project.  The slideshow is refined over time, and students engage is active discussions about what they learned over time.

And we have finishers for the project already!

How did you participate in Digital Learning Day?

How Artsonia Became a Resource for our Child with Special Needs

I have been using Artsonia as an educator for the past four years.  I enjoy having students excited to see their artwork in our school's online gallery and seeing the smiles on their faces when parents and family members comment on their artwork.  I could not wait until my child had her own account at school!

When my older daughter entered 1st grade, her art teacher created her account and posted all of her artworks for my family and I to see and comment.  She would ask us all the time if Nana or G.G. had something to say about her artwork.  I even been using Artsonia to upload her personal artwork from summer classes and home, and I kick myself for not starting one sooner with all her little drawings she created at home or in Preschool.  I have raved about how Artsonia helped improve my classroom and even how parents can benefit from the online gallery as well.  With our recent family developments, we have discovered another benefit that helps me as a parent and educator.

A year and a half ago, our younger daughter was diagnosed developmentally delayed with sensory issues.  We received therapy for her through Early Intervention, where therapists would come to the house each week to assist her with her speech, motor, and sensory development.  I was noticing her therapists were creating projects with my daughter to help her with fine motor, and a lightbulb went off in my head: creating an Artsonia profile for my younger daughter to document her artworks throughout her therapy.

For the past year, I have been taking photos of my daughter's artworks to document her growth in fine motor development (and because I'm a proud mommy).  I've even added her therapists as fan club members so they can see her progress as well.  Now that my daughter has aged out of Early Intervention, she will be attending school at a Special Education Center, which also uses Artsonia!  It was very easy for me to contact the online gallery and have her account added to the school.  Now having previous documentation of her progress, her new art teacher will see how far she's come along and can continue her artistic skills and motor development.

It means a lot to my family and I that a program like Artsonia is available, especially for monitoring our child's growth in creativity and motor skills.  The online art portfolio became another tool for our therapists, social workers, and educators to use to document our daughter's progress and we plan on continuing our use of the online gallery for many years to come.

10 Reasons Why Artsonia Benefits Parents!

Two years ago, I posted 10 reasons why Artsonia.com improved my classroom, which you can view here.  I started using Artsonia a few years back to help improve my classroom, curriculum, and parent communication.  I was so amazed with the results and feedback received, I don't know how I would run my program with out it!

Last year, my daughter entered 1st grade and received her own Artsonia account.  Fro a parent perspective, I loved everything about the website.  I looked forward to receiving emails with new artwork posted, plus I could share my daughter's work with family and friends!

I wanted to share 10 reasons why Artsonia benefits parents as well.  If your school does not have Artsonia's online art gallery set up, I highly recommend sharing this with your school's administration and arts program.  You will love what Artsonia can do for you as a parent!

1. You see your child's art before it comes home.  Many students (especially older children) to not bring their artwork home.   I like to think that Artsonia helps hold them accountable for their progress since parents can now see their work instantly.  Many times I have also heard that parents never see their child's artwork because the art teachers never give it back.  From the teacher perspective, many times we have to display work and show our student's accomplishments within the school with displays and shows, so it may take some time to send artwork home.  With Artsonia, the moment the teacher uploads the artwork, parents receive an email with a digital image of the art!

2. Some projects get tossed over the years, but you keep a digital image for life.  As your child grows, the artwork you keep may fade or ruin over time.  Artsonia keeps all the digital images archived for you, plus you can copy and save in your own documents.  This way in case an artwork gets torn or tossed, you still have a digital copy for yourself saved!  EXTRA BONUS!  Did you know you can upload artwork into Artsonia from the parent's account?  If your child makes art at home, snap a photo and upload it for family to see!

3. You keep your account for-ev-er! If your child starts with an account at an early age (ex. kindergarten), that account will last through high school and still be accessible for you even after.  Even if you transfer schools, as long as the next school has Artsonia set up, all you need to do is send an email to Artsonia and they will move the account to your child's next school.  If you're in a district with K-8 with multiple schools, you can easily have all the elementary moved to intermediate, then to jr. high!  This way, you don't need to restart a new account and lose all the archived images of your child's artwork.

4. Your child's identity is protected.  In Artsonia, no last names are ever used publicly, so your child's identity is always protected.  You, as the parent, also have control over your child's account.  The art teacher uploads the artwork, then you can share it with whoever you wish.  Also, if anyone comments on your child's artwork, you approve the comments before they're shown publicly.

5. You can share your child's work with family and friends.  As I mentioned above, you have control over your child's account, which means you can also share the artwork with family and friends!  Every family member you add on is called a "fan club" member.  When you add them to the account, they also receive an email with your child's art.  If family lives out of state, this is a way to say, "Hey, look what my kid made!" and grandma, auntie, or cousins can share their pride as well.  When I shared Artsonia with our district board members, attendees shared positive comments about this feature and were thankful to have a way to share their child's progress with family.

6. Easier communication with the art teacher.  In many cases, the art teacher is so busy taking care of multiple grade levels, activities, shows, etc., they are unable to contact parents regarding their child's progress.  Through Artsonia, the art teacher can send their own newsletters, and emails your way to update on any progress.  On your end, you can also comment on your child's artwork, which helps with communication flow, and you can boast about your child's amazing art skills!   Also, the art teacher also adds the project description to the exhibits, which helps explain projects and standards to the viewers!

7. Emails are not annoying spam in your folder.  Yes, you will be receiving emails, but it's not as bad as  many other stores or companies that send daily spammy emails.  When you receive an email, it's either because a) your child's artwork has just been posted, b) a family member just made a comment for your approval, or c) there's a holiday sale in their shop.  The art teacher's newsletter also comes through as an email, so it's less paperwork your child's bringing home.

8. Your child's artwork receives comments!  As a teacher, I like to share comments and galleries with my students.  They love to see not only their artwork posted, but the comments that family and friends make about their work.  The smiles on students' faces are precious and gives them a boost of confidence in their artistic abilities!  As a parent, I also share comments made by family members with our daughter.  She loves to see what's written by her nanas and fan club members.  Kids love feedback from all ends!

9. Instant holiday gifts! As a teacher and a parent, I understand the need for fundraisers. They are hard work, and can be challenging to organize.  Artsonia is an instant fundraiser that's extremely easy to use.  Did you like to recent painting your child made in class?  You can instantly buy a magnet or a t-shirt of it through Artsonia.  You can do this any time of year (even during the summer), and artwork is always available for you to choose (remember, archived forever!).  20% of your money spent goes directly back to the school, which is always a bonus!  Many art teachers who use Artsonia use funds for materials in the classroom and updating resources for the students, so your contributions always help!

10. You're supporting the art program at your child's school.  The arts are a valuable part of your child's development.  Art helps bridge the gaps between all core subject matters, plus helps your child build imagination, craftsmanship, and creative thinking skills, which are all needed in your child's development!  Artsonia is also a huge benefit for the art teacher.  The online art gallery is a great way for the teacher to assess and provide evidence of student progress.  Other reasons are posted in my previous post, 10 reasons Artsonia Improved my Classroom.

If your school does not have Artsonia, consider contacting your school's art teacher and discussing the possibility in starting an account for your school.  This website is a HUGE benefit for you, your school, and your art teacher all around!

10 Reasons Artsonia Improved My Classroom

After getting back from maternity leave, I finally decided to buckle down and start using Artsonia.  For those who are unfamiliar with the name, Artsonia.com is an online artist gallery for teachers and parents to use.  Teachers can upload images of student artwork and parents can view the images, plus they can buy products with the artwork.

I was introduced to Artsonia a few years ago, and after hearing about all the work you need to put in, I was turned off.  With juggling three schools, traveling, and pushing a cart, I couldn't fathom taking the extra time to enter in all the artwork.  I was even asked if I had parent volunteers, which I did not.  Then the iPad started mainstreaming in our digital culture and the Artsonia app was created.  With the app, you can just snap a photo of student work, then upload it straight to student's names and galleries.  Hearing how much easier it was to upload artwork, I finally started using the site.

It took me a few weeks to enter the names of students and all the parent emails the school had collected.  I started seeing parents creating their own accounts, and I was elated.  Next, I printed pre-named permission slips (provided by Artsonia) and sent them home with kids for parents who did not provide emails to the school.  Then the slips started pouring in.

While I was collecting parent permission to show student artwork online, I started a project on Donors Choose for an iPad in the art room.  My main intention was to teach students how to upload their own work and create their own online portfolio.  Until then, I had the iPevo documentation camera.

I finally had all the student names and parent emails entered, then I started to photograph the artwork with the camera.  It was challenging at first because I was starting to take too much time away from prepping projects and decorating the halls with work.  Every photo I took had to be entered in manually, matched to the student and labeled to the correct gallery.  Over a few more weeks, I started to get the hang of it.

I had such a positive boost of parent communication, student enthusiasm, and administrative support.  Why did I not start this sooner?  I was afraid of the extra work to put in the beginning, but the positives immediately outweighed the negatives.

Here are some positives I have discovered in using Artsonia, which I feel is beneficial even to the traveling/cart/temporary art educators:

1. Parent Communication: I used to struggle trying to find time to contact parents.  I tried my best to create fliers, send notes home, create a website, and even try emailing throughout the year with little response from parents, but with Artsonia, I'm getting many positive responses.  I see the parents commenting on their child's work, and even sharing their child's gallery with family!

2. Art Room Newsletters:  Artsonia allows you to generate a newsletter that gets emailed straight to the parents.  Another added bonus with parent communication!  The newsletter template is extremely easy to use, and you can even break down each grade level you teach so parent's can scroll to see what their child is learning!

3. Student Ownership: Since introducing Artsonia to the students, they have been showing more pride in their work, which has been seen by the smile on their faces when I tell them it's upload day!  There have even been times where students beg to upload their own artwork they've created on their own!  Fewer artworks are thrown in the garbage, plus if the student loses their projects, we have an instant image to print up.  Also, students want the chance to enter their own artwork.  Now that I have an iPad for the classroom (thanks to all the generous donors on Donors Choose), students are learning to upload their own work!

4. Connections with ELA Common Core: Every time you upload a new artwork, you have the option to add a title and an artist statement.  I've started asking my 3-5 graders to add a sentence to describe their work, and every year, I will be asking for more descriptions to help enhance sentence structure and extended responses.  And, all the art projects that have been inspired by books are posted for the district and state to see as evidence of my integration.

5. Evidence of Student Growth: Many states are requiring teachers to show evidence of student growth. Since I am project-based and do not test knowledge in my class with quizzes, I found this site to be the best way to demonstrate student growth.  All images uploaded to the artist are archived, which means you can go back and visit previous artworks to see how the child has developed in their craftsmanship and understanding through time.  I had a perfect example this week.  One of the kindergarten students was struggling with fine motor skills in the beginning of the year.  Since I started entering artwork on Artsonia, I can now see the child's development each week.  In the fall, the student could not hold scissors properly, but now, he was able to complete his own puppet, cutting out his own shapes!  I was able to show this progression to the child's OT teacher on Artsonia, and she was thrilled to see the evidence through time.

6. Evidence of Presentation (Core Arts Standard): Before Artsonia (and with my limited time), I was only able to provide evidence of student work by displays and blog posts.  Now, I am gathering a portfolio of student work in one place!

7. Evidence of All Common Core Standards You Integrate in Your Lessons:  Has your administrator or curriculum director asked you how you integrate common core into the art class?  Simply send them the link to the school's online gallery and be sure to add the standard in your exhibit descriptions!  This includes ELA, Math, NGSS, Technology, and more!

8. An Automatic Fundraiser: Every artwork you upload into the student's accounts are seen by the parents.  If that parent wants to purchase an item (t-shirt, coffee mug, etc.) with their child's artwork, they can simply order it through Artsonia's online store and it shipped directly to them.  A percentage of the cost goes right back to you to use for your art supplies!  The only thing you have to do is upload the artwork!

9. The Artsonia Staff are Extremely Helpful:  My school has a high transient rate, so it's hard to keep track of all the names you no longer use or need.  Artsonia can work with you to move those student accounts to the next school.   And if your students graduate and move on to high school?  They can help you move those names as well!  This way, parents do not need to start an entire new account!  With teaching at multiple schools, this has been very helpful, and I love the staff for working with me on this challenge.

10. Promoting Your Curriculum: With thousands of art educators already using Artsonia, we can view other school's artworks, network, and share!  It's a quick and easy way to just share a link of your school's exhibits with parents, administrators, and community.  Would you like to see my school's galleries?  Click to visit Wilkins and Lyle Elementary's exhibits!  I know teachers who have an account for every school they travel to!

If you've never heard of Artsonia, or you've contemplated starting your own account, I highly recommend using this valuable resource for your curriculum.  With all the recent changes in education and evidence we now must provide, this is the best one to use for art educators.  It may be a little time-consuming in the beginning entering in all the names, but the long term goals are so rewarding!

Side Note: If you have access to a Microsoft Excel master list of student names, the process of entering names will be SO much faster for you.