Art Works: Integrating Creativity in the Curriculum

A lot of the videos that I tried to watch ran very slowly and constantly had to buffer but I was glad when I found that this video worked somewhat better. The video basically shows that students who are exposed to art, dance, music, and other creative types of education are more well rounded students and that they are more likely to graduate high school and go on to college. I thought this was an interesting topic because I have always heard that schools are trying to make up for budget cuts by cutting down on the funding for art and music programs. I had some friends who were in band during high school and they always had to pay out of pocket fees and they constantly had to have fundraisers. A lot of kids learn best through creative methods. Creativity seems to be undervalued in society these days. People don’t put enough emphasis on it anymore. I think that art and music are ways that kids can release stress, anxiety, and nervous tension. Kids can’t be behind a desk in a classroom all day and this video featured kids who spoke about how they have benefitted from art and music being a part of their school days. I also found it interesting to read the comments that people had left about this video. One woman said that she wished someone would show this video to her school board because they are currently debating whether or not they should fund creative arts programs. This other person had commented saying that she had taught special education classes, gifted classes, and mixed ability classes and the one thing that all three classes had in common was that the students all wanted their emotional needs to be met. She feels that art programs are a way of meeting those emotional and social needs. I think that technology will be used more and more in the classrooms and that there should be some new courses offered in technology arts. I think schools should have graphic design and digital photography classes if possible to help a variety of kids find their passions and channel their creative energy.

Common Sense: An Overview of Integrated Studies

The video that I viewed explained the numerous benefits of integrative most if not all the curriculum into one cohesive idea. For example, if a class was learning about car, for math they would solve problems involving selling and advertising cars, for science, the students would engineer their own car and then present their innovations to he class, for art, they would draw sketches of what their car will look like, and for social studies, they may learn the origin of one of the most significant inventions in our history.
Many times throughout my academic career, I found myself asking the inevitable question: "When will I ever use this information outside of this classroom." This method of connecting every aspect of an idea within every subject matter better helps students to realize how all that they are learning coexist and contribute to one another. Additionally, much of the lessons utilize hands on activities by way of different technological tools to get students more involved in what they are learning. The education system is finally realizing confining students to a desk for eight hours is not the only or best concept to teaching classes. Many students do not posses the attention span or learning style to comprehend material in this manner. One of the teacher commented that when her students recounts the tasks completed in her class, they always remember the projects they participated in; not the tests. I believe this is because being engaged in what one is learning takes more critical thinking and analytical judgment, than listening to various information spat at them. Overall, I have faith in this notion and believe it will one day be implemented all through the United States due to his high success rate

Sir Ken Robinson on Creativity

As I listened to Sir Robinson’s inspirational take on creativity, or lack therefore, in the schools and in general, there was a quote in regards to Gillian Lynne’s psychiatrist’s take on her struggle to maintain concentration during school that caught my attention. After all of the success, prosperity, and fame Gillian established for herself, Robinson declared, “Somebody else may have put her on medication to calm her down.” In the year 2008 ADHD is one of the leading diagnoses of behavioral and learning disabilities, in my opinion. It seems today teacher, parents, and physicians are all too eager to classify a child with this particular behavioral trait. I believe the first solution should be to first see what outlets can be utilized to help a student express the ideas and actions that seem to overtake their attention. As was revealed in the video, once music was played, Gillian Lynne had a means to contribute her form of intellect and originality in the manner of dance; an art form that is continuously overlooked as insignificant in the academic spectrum. Being able to decipher complex arithmetic formulas or transcribe a philosophical paper should not be the only standards to which others measure intelligence. Being able to dance, draw, act, and produce music all require some sort of astuteness. Therefore, placing some children under medication may stifle their offerings of ingenuity and novelty. My best friend is diagnosed with ADHD and has often stated that the medication leaves an effect of numbness in which leaves her feeling unlike herself. No one should be stripped of who they are because they do not meet the standards of what an adult measure attentive in a certain setting. No one knows of they will ever be able to access that spark again.

Deep Learning: An Interview with Elena Aguilar

I watched Deep Learning: An Interview with Elena Aguilar, (an instructional coach guides teachers through the challenges of presenting a fully integrated curriculum).

This video was very interesting and beneficial. Ms Aguilar spoke about integrating lesson plans while still achieving the course or curriculum “standards”. Traditionally, teaching consisted of 40-50 minutes time slots reviewing textbook information. Although this can be an effective way for some students to learn, not all students learn in this structured, non-creative environment. Ms. Aguilar’s approach is to combine lesson plans and focus on elements that can cross over into students’ home-life.

Ms Aguilar believes it is time for a change in education and that students learn best through integrating learning. Integrating learning can help close the achievement gap and addresses all of the students different learning styles. Although planning integrated lesson plans take more time to plan than traditional textbook lesson plans, it is worth the time and the effort.
Ms. Aguilar also talked about assessments and rubrics. It is important to set up goals for the lessons before you start. You need to know what the goals are and communicate the goals to the students.

Blog Post # 3 Pursuing Passion After School

The video that i watched is called Pursuing Passion After School: Chicago's Model Educational Enrichment Effort. The video is about a program that is called After School Matters. It is a program that takes place after school. It was formed in an abandoned warehouse on what is called the 37 block. The program first started out as a art program called Gallery 37. After School Matters now consists of not only Gallery 37 which teaches kids Visual Arts, Performing Arts, and Culinary Arts, but Words 37,Tech 37,Sport 37, and Science 37. The program teaches Web Design, Robotics,Graphic Design,chemistry,sports as well as many other subjects. Kids enjoy coming to the program, were they are free to find what their passion is. The program is great because if a kid is struggling in school and they go to the program were their learning something their good at it can be uplifting, inspiring and motivating. The school raises private funds to help kids who wouldn't normally be able to attend the program. The kids from all different backgrounds get along and learn to trust each other and build lasting relationships. The program is not taught by teachers it's taught by professionals who are the experts in their field they bring the passion for their art to the table and are anxious to teach others and watch their talents flourish. I think that this program is terrific i wish every community had a enrichment effort like this. I think it allows students to have not only a safe place to learn but also to have fun. I especially like the idea that it allows individuals who are not otherwise academic to excel at other areas in which their talents are valued. Not everyone is meant to be a doctor, or lawyer. Some are meant to be Dancers, Architects, Interior designers, and Chefs.

Teaching Math as a Social Activity

We all remember math class in school. Simply sitting in a seat, listening to a teacher with the lights off, as she scribbles non - sense on a projector. At least that is how I remember it. I was never engaged in learning when it came to math. As a social person, I become very bored while learning math. Alas, a new way to teach math. Allowing students to converse with others while working on math problems which are often word problems. This allows those students who do not do well while sitting a seat for an hour, to get up, move about the room, and work out problems. Allowing students to work together creates new connections to the material instead of pure notes on a page. Furthermore, allowing students to work together helps students manage their emotions, improve conflict resolution, resolve conflicts nonviolently, and to make good choices. This was a great movie for upper - elementary teachers to view.

Global Village

I watched the video, "A night in the global village," on edutopia and I'm blown away. In Perryville, Arkansas they've taken a Heifer farm* and created a global village where students may spend the night as part of a learning experience to walk in someone else's shoes. The villages featured are replicas of what one might see in the following locations: Thailand, a generic urban setting, Zambia, and a refugee camp. Each location is a learning spot, and the students can read about how others live in that location. After the tour, they are assigned groups, and the groups receive a bucket of their resources. They have to cook their own dinner, and work with other groups around them to do so, as people do not have everything they need to make dinner. The refugee camp does not have anything.

Students are learning about others in a classroom, by reading from a textbook, and then for a night they get to actually experience it. "Nothing beats living the experience." The students now have new knowledge they will carry with them for the rest of their lives. They know a bit more about how the choices or decisions they make can effect others, and hopefully they will use it to better the world we inhabit.

I think this is a really neat idea. There are three other places in the US that do this, maybe as teachers we could get one started in Georgia? I recommend watching this 9 minute video.

*This may not actually be a Heifer (a type of cow) farm, but perhaps the company who is doing this is named Heifer. The video wasn't entirely clear.

Stealth Mental Health Video

The video that I watched was called Stealth Mental Health. This video shows that it is better to avoid formal counseling and use the school system as a way to get through to children. Many children at the high school age suffer from depression and it is always good to have someone there to guide them through the hard times. Peer relationships are very important to children and we should try to build on them and help students to hold others as accountability partners. The schools are now getting extra professionals to do group talks in order to help the students and give them someone to talk to when they need it. I believe this is good because it allows the students to network with others, and share problems that most all students have. We need to always support all students because many of them have tuff lives that we will never know about or learn anything about unless we ask questions and try to help. We need to inspire children to do their best and realize that things can always be worse. As counselors they must educate students on good decision making and provide them with good role models. Role models are important to have because they shape the way students act.

Sir Ken Robinson: Creativity

Creativity is my heart and soul of education, as a student and a teacher. My undergraduate degree is in Theatre and without theatre I would be just another high school drop-out. I can go on and on about how much I agree with Sir Ken Robinson. However, I would like to share two of my thoughts on ways creativity is important.

Schools and parents focus on academic studies and not the arts (creative). I believe that all people have passion and a passion for something: math, the law, medicine, painting, dancing, religion, sports, etc. Some passions are academic based, some passions are arts based and some are neither. Combining academics with creativity to support a child's passion can enhance a child education. Perfect example is a child who does not like writing, but loves baseball: have the child write a story about a baseball player (combine academic, creativity and passion).

Creativity is the forerunner of technology. We would not have cell phones, internet, automobiles, airplanes, etc without creativity. We needed to imagine the possibilities before we could design and engineer the technology.

Be a creative teacher and encourage your students to be creative. We need to focus on each student's individual capacity!!

Creativity v. Literacy

I firmly beleive that creativity is as important as literacy. Think about some of the best singers/songwriters in history. Some of them could barely string sentences together, however, their music has left an impression on people for many years to come. When this question was raised i thought of one of, if not the greatest, musician in modern times :Bob Dylan. Mr. Dylan could barely make it out of grammer school due to poor attendance, and performance. He even made a "D" in chorus. My guess is that the choir teacher felt pretty silly a few years later as Bob Dylan's music provided an in depth look at the struggles in our society at that time. This also gets into why were are abolishing musical education prgrams in school. In the movie Mr. Holland's Opus (if you have not seen it, rent it immediately) when the music program is cut from a suburban school due to lack of funding, Mr Holland spoke up and his famous words were "If you we cut out musical education and art, who will the next generation of kids have to write about?"

Sir Ken states, "Creativity is as important as literacy in education, and we should treat it with the same status." Do you agree, disagree or fall somewhere in between? Explain.


I agree with the statement by Sir Ken. I really do believe that creativity is equally as important as literacy when it comes to educating a chid. If a child is not encouraged to be creative then they will have a problem when it comes to thinking for one's self and making decisions. I also believe that social skills are just as important as book skills. If a child can't communicate their ideas and introduce themselves to a new person then they will not be successful in life. I grew up being encouraged to be creative and sociable. However I do not think that creativity can be taught. Creativity is individual. Educator's and parents can cultivate and encourage creativity but they can not teach a child how to be creative. As a teacher I hope to encorage my students to develop creativity and social skills as well as teach them to be literate.

Blog Post #2

I think that I agree with Sir. Ken Robinson, In his idea that creativity is just as or even more important as literacy. Think about William Shakespeare he was a great writer but do we watch his plays because of the words he used or that his grammar was just off the charts? No we watch his plays because they were creative, inventive, attention catching. If Shakespeare had never had creativity he wouldn't have had anything interesting to make a play about. I also agree with Sir. Ken when he states that " If your not prepared to be wrong your never going to come up with anything unique". Sir Ken also stated that he believes that children are being educated out of their creativity. I think in some cases this is very true, children are taught that even if your fantastic at something if it's not gonna make you lots of money, you shouldn't bother with it at all. If you can't get a job using that skill it doesn't matter, that skill is overlooked and seen as not - valuable. I also think that he is right on when he says that the hierarchy of subjects in school need to be rearranged or taught more evenly. The subject are valued in order of value, Math, Language, Humanities, then the Arts. Why is Art last? Hundreds of people make good livings as Artist but why is having that talent undervalued in our school systems, isn't being artistic a gift, something just as great as being a mathematician. I think that to a point we are stifling the gifts of many children as well as adults. Not everyone is meant to be a college professor, or Physician, etc. People have different gifts and I believe that if your calling is to be a Plumber and you can fix any problem know to the Plumbing world and people need your services than so be it, be a great Plumber. When did we stop letting people follow their hearts and do what they wanted to do in life, when did we trade self-choice in for a paycheck?

Hummingbirds

I recently watched a video on Ted.com which is a site of "inspired talks by the world's greatest thinkers and doers." This video was a talk given by Sir Ken Robinson titled, "Do schools kill creativity?" Sir Ken is an amusing speaker with a British accent that serves to underscore each phrase with credibility. He discusses the world we live in, and how educators are charged with teaching students and preparing them for the future, even though we do not know what the future looks like. He also talks about creativity, and how teachers emphasize subjects such as math and science, but deemphasize other areas such as music, dance, or art. The video slammed home for me in the last segment, when Sir Ken began speaking about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

When I was a child I found it difficult to concentrate in school. No, that is not true at all. I could concentrate, it's just that I could not focus on one particular thing. The teacher was talking, but the girl behind me was erasing something, and I could hear each rub of pink eraser against the white blue lined paper. There was a fly buzzing against the window, futilely seeking access to the outside world it could see but could not reach. I could hear each little bump of its body against the panes, even though I sat in the middle of the class. I could hear each and every little thing, and even though the teacher was talking, I could not give her my undivided attention. At home my father would teach me how to focus. My mom set a timer, 30-60 minutes per subject. I would get yelled at if I strayed from the homework table. At school I was sent to a special room called the Academic Learning Lab, where two teachers also helped me. It was in this manner that I avoided the label of ADD until the 11th grade. I had learned amazing coping strategies over the years.

Now I am back in school to become a Speech Language Pathologist. I am currently seeing a 10 year old little boy whom I shall call Wednesday. Wednesday has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. He has the soul of a hummingbird caged inside a little boy's body. As we are talking I let him move across the room freely as long as he is giving me responses. He will spin, touch each wall in the small room, then drag a finger across the blinds before coming to rest at the edge of his seat. In a few minutes he will repeat this circuit.

When Sir Ken discussed the Ballet Dancer who was taken to a doctor to be medicated for ADHD, I found myself nodding my head. It can be very difficult working with these children, but how much of their creativity are we killing by medicating them into a quiet child? In the story Sir Ken told, the doctor asked the girl to remain in the room while he and mommy left. He turned on the stereo and asked mom to watch. The little girl moved to the music and the doctor said, "There is nothing wrong with your child. She only needs to dance." I believe that children and adults with ADD and ADHD can be taught how to focus, how to self monitor and correct their behaviors, and that their extra energy can be channeled into vigorous activities. As teachers, we can help structure our classrooms to give these children advantages over their disorder. Seat them in the front, install white or pink noise machines , and help them monitor themselves so they are focused on you instead of the student behind them.

Who knows? Maybe we will have the pleasure of teaching the next greatest dancer.

I sent Wednesday's mom the link to the video on Ted.com and I hope that she will see it and be inspired to enroll Wednesday into an active sport.

Blog Post #2

I do not know that I agree with the statement “creativity is as important as literacy in education,” although I do think that creativity is important. I think it is important to have literacy skills, without them how would we be able to hold down jobs and perform. Schools focus so much on literacy, but I believe that they do this because they know how important it is. We should be creative, because being creative gives us new and inventive ways to explore and learn new things. Being creative helps turn something boring, into something amazing and fun. We often strive off of creativity when trying to capture students and make them eager to learn. Although I do not feel like the two even compare, I feel that they are both important traits to have in life. In our life we use both literacy and creativity so much that the two have become essential. I still feel that in order to achieve in life we must value literacy more than we value creativity.

Blog Post 1 11/12th grade math

I first reviewed the last blog on the list. It was for an 11/12th grade math class. Having a tool like this for an advanced math class would be a wonderful help. Not only did it encourage free commenting and dialogue, which is important for students, but it also has many educational factors. One thing that stuck out to me was that you could view this blog is many different languages. So, for those students who may speak another language at home, could in turn do his/her work in a way to be the most successful. It also allowed for the students to evaluate the teacher and post comments about how much the enjoyed or disliked the class.

MEDT 3401 Blog 1

http://kdgroom102.blogspot.com/
I viewed Mrs. Blakely and her Kindergarten class's blog. The use of blogging in the manner in which this teacher utilized it is brilliant. Mrs Blakely used teacher tube and blogging to document trips, activities, and class assignments that were accomplished. Each blog consists of a synopsis of what the class learned and did that day and a video via teacher tube capturing significant outings and moments throughout that day. This blog page can be beneficial for anyone surrounding the well being of a any student within the class's education. Everyone from the principal, to fellow teachers, to fellow students, to the parents can access this blog and instantly become updated on the happenings inside Mrs. Blakely's classroom. Additionally, features including blogs the class enjoys, a mini meet and greet of the teacher with contact information and a photo, and a calender of upcoming events are also enclosed for viewers.
As of two days ago this blog is still being updated as well as viewed by others, and I am guessing the blog will continue to be used until the end of the school year. I am so glad that i viewed this blog because it is a wonderful method of including parents and other education professionals into the everyday situations and lesson plans the students participate in. I would definitely use this concept of blogging into my own classroom. It is a innovative, modern, and easy way to document and interact with those interested in the student's academic development.

Blog Post #1 -- 9th-12th Grades English--Ms. Huff

I reviewed 9th-12th Grades English--Ms. Huff, http://class.huffenglish.com/

This is a wonder organized blog. The blog is for students, but parents can visit the blog to find out about lesson plans, test dates, and assignment due dates. The purpose of this blog is to help students review class lessons, give students a calendar/syllabus, and review lessons if absent. It is a great way for Ms. Huff’s students to keep up with the work and the lessons. This blog is up-to-date and is currently being used by Ms. Huff and her class. This is a wonderful tool to help students who are disorganized or forgetful. I would like to incorporate some of the ideals of this blog into my own teaching blog. Ms. Huff spends a lot of time updating the information! This blog is so in the classroom; no more excuses or arguments from students about I did not know or I thought it was due next week, etc. The high school students are responsible for the information on the blog just like we are responsible for the information on WebCt.

Blog Post #1 -- Kindergarten Blog

I reviewed Kindergarten Blog, http://kdgroom102.blogspot.com/

There were videos on writing numerals. She broke them down in small numeric groups: 1-5 and 6-9. The audience for this blog is the students. This is a great way to help students learn how to write numbers. She also has a rhyme to go with each number to help remember the numbers. This is a great resource for the students, because they can practice and learn on their own if the teacher is busy assisting other students. I believe this blog is still being used. It is a very helpful blog for her students and all students learning to recognize and write numbers. This would be wonderful lesson/blog for my special education students who need additional help.

Another video I reviewed Ms. Forsberg’s gym class; the students were rock climbing. The audience for this blog is both students and parents: the parents can see their children actually rock climbing and the students can be reminded of this fun activity. I like this exercise because not all learning comes from books. Rock climbing is a great way to have children work together, build confidence and help teach students healthy habits. This entry was added to the blog on Friday October 24, 2008, so the blog is still being used. It is great to use this blog to show students what their peers can achieve and hopefully giving other students the confidence to try something new, even if the height of the wall is scary.

MEDT3401 Blog Post 1

I reviewed the Kindergarten Tales blog. I really loved it. I liked that the colors were bright and grabbed your attention and that she had posted videos. The rock climbing video was pretty neat. I thought it was cool that the students had a rock climbing wall in their school gym. I think the blog was used to highlight interesting things that were learned by the kindergarteners. I think the audience of the blog is parents and fellow teachers because they can see what the students learned and how to teach the same lessons. I think that the purpose of the blog is to show parents and teachers what the students can learn and how they can learn it. There is even an example of teaching how to write numerals and it says follow along at home so the blog is interactive with students as well. I think the blog is useful in and out of the classroom. The last poting was on October 24, 2008 so it is definately still in use.

I also reviewed the 9-12th grade english blog by Mrs. Huff. I really liked that she had book covers on her blog as a background. I think the target audience of this blog is for students and parents because it tells about assignments completed in class and things that have been graded and will show up on progress reports that are sent home to parents. I think that this is a good way for students and parents to stay on top of assignments in the English class. The purpose of the blog is to inform students and parents of what has been going on in the classroom. I think the blog is mostly useful out of the classroom because it is updated at the end of the day and it was last updated on October 24, 2008 so it is currently in use.

Medt Discussion - Mrs. Huff's and 9th and 9th Grade Math

I chose to view Mrs. Huff's English Class in her Blogs she has it set up like a wekkly update for her students. She outlines characters that they are reading about in Literature as well as what common mistakes people made on research papers (like not putting their header in the right place. She also puts up technology links to help them while doing papers for her class as well as assignments in class. She updates students who missed class in an attempt to keep them in the loop and i think that;s a great idea almost like high school web ct.
The second blog that i looked at was 7th and 8th grade math, this blog hasn't been used since June 30th 2006 but when it was being used it was helpful it has the assignments for each daily class split up into grades as well as current event, for instance there is a farewell passage to all the seniors because they had a graduation exercise that day, it's clearly targeted towards the students beacuse there are alot of surveys that were done in class that are posted on the blog so that the students knew that they had imput in the way the class was run. I like this idea and i think that it was a great way to comminicate with their students.

I also chose to look at a first grade class from Canada. These blogs are being used in the classroom to capture the students hard at work. The audience that looks at the blog is most likely the parents of the students. They can use this in order to keep up with their children and the progress they are making in the classroom. The purpose is to show parents what their children are learning in order for them to keep up with where they are in school. This blog is up to date and appears to be used a lot. I think this is a great way for the teacher to showcase her students and all that they are learning. I also think that there should be a place for children to communicate with others also and talk about what they personally have been doing in the classroom.

I reviewed Mrs. Gilbert's 3rd Grade Blog, and Blogmeister, which is a blog for first graders.

I shall first discuss Mrs. Gilbert's blog. The blog's last posting is from June of 2008, and it is a way for the students (the main audience) to keep in touch while they are on summer vacation. The blog's purpose is for students to learn how to blog, and to keep up with various third grade announcements. There are a list of fun learning activities for the student to do on the right side of the blog. (check out the Adaptation: Build A Beast, located under all the student names on the right.) It appears this blog is not currently being used, though last year it was started in October of 2007. It could be the teacher has not introduced her current class to blogging yet, or perhaps she has a separate blog for her new class. This tool is very limited to this specific class, and its potential dies as the students enter a new classroom as they are no longer her third grade class.

Blogmeister is currently used for K-2 graders. This is the teacher's third year maintaining this blog, and it is filled with great pictures of the students and their assignments. Teacher assignments are located on the left. The main audience is likely the teacher, the students, and possibly the parents of the students. Apart from describing and showing pictures of activities done that day, it does not appear the blog is used in concert with the classroom, though I am sure the students are getting a kick out of seeing their pictures on the internet.

Blog Post #1

I chose to look at Mrs. Gilberts third grade blog post. The post was used in the classroom through interaction with other students via the web. The students were also able to use this as a resource in order to see what books would be used for this year’s battle of the books. The audience that the teacher is trying to reach is her third grade students. The blog seems to serve as a way for the teacher to inform the students about what is going on and also to communicate with them when they are not in school. The blog seems to be used for announcements instead of a device to be used from day to day, and has not been updated since this summer. I think this tool is very inventive and is a good way to communicate with others. This tool has the potential to be used out of the classroom if the teacher regularly gives the students an assignment to do while at home. I think it can be beneficial to the teacher as well as the students.