Top 30 Art Teacher Blogs of 2020

I'm always looking for more places to find quality Professional Development. Here is a list of Art Teacher blogs for you to get started with. I'm happy that MiniMatisse has made the cut! Be sure to visit and vote at Ranked Blog.

Art Certificates for Distance Learning

This year was a different wrap up than any other. Usually I can give back my students work, I can have a 'fun day' in art where we are outside and creating together. We might watch a movie and clean the room together with shaving cream on the table tops.  We give each other hugs and say, "We'll see you next year". 

Not this year.

If you look at the last couple of months on this blog, you will see that my students created art at home under the idea of exploring different art careers. At the end the students were asked to submit eight different lesson. Kindergarten through second grade sent me their work using Seesaw in the 'Activities' that I created for them. Third grade through fifth grade used a combination of Flipgrid and Schoology.

I assigned art to the 734 students of Hassan Elementary. Students started out excited to learn online. I got a lot of assignments 'turned in' to me. We all started out full of energy, the students, teachers and parents at home supporting the students. In the weeks to follow, the numbers went down. At first I was sad, I felt it was me, or my lessons. We were asked by our district to 'give grace'... 'take our lessons and cut it in half, then cut it in half again'. So, that is what I did. In my lesson options I gave lots of choice, and lot's of ways to create. But if the kids didn't open the lesson, it was never going to be attempted. Again, I was sad. These kids are missing out on such fun. 

Then I did a mindset change. In fact, I did a podcast on my mindset change. I decided that I was not doing these amazing lessons for the students who were choosing OR where unable to participate... rather for the kids who were excited to see what the challenge was each week. I was doing it for them.  Boy, did that change things. 

So, now that we are at the end of the year and all the data was collected... What do we do with it. Our district decided that we (the specialist) did not have to grade. We were asked to share the information about performance with the homeroom teachers and they would then indicate that information to the student and families in a 5 minute Google Meet, meeting and in the written comments that took the place of grades this quarter. 

This wasn't good enough for our Specialist Team. We worked hard and had hard data to back up all the work that the students did. We came together to talk about this and decided that we would try something new. We were going to make certificates for our students. This idea was a spin-off from a Professional Learning Network I have with the Art Teachers of ISD 728. Hassan's specialist team would create a Google Sheet with all the students names on it. All seven of us would go in and mark the students who completed the lessons 70% of the time and put a check by their name. We started another Google Document, a Google Slide and each of us added a slide creating a certificate for each subject and one that was from all the Specialist.  Then we used a Google Add-on in Sheets called Autocrat to populate the names of the students who did the work into the Google Slides that we created. 

This is my Specialist Team at Hassan Elementary

We all new how to edit a Google Slide... but we learned how to do it better with this opportunity. If Slides is new to you, here is some videos of how to edit and change the slides in a more advanced way. I also want to mention that a lot of the background used for our certificates were found on Designs from Freepik.  We knew how to edit Google Sheets but my husband showed us how to add formulas and tabs in Sheets... So helpful. None of us knew how to use Autocrat which is an 'add-on' in Google Sheets. We watched videos and also my husband (who is a Tech Ed teacher) knew the program a bit as well. We were able to populate 294 PE certificates, 216 Music certificates, 198 Media/Tech certificates, and 184 Art certificates. All of these certificates had the first name and last name populated and emailed to each student. In addition to that, a 'ultimate certificate' was sent out. If students did over 70% of all for specialist areas they got an additional certificate. 125 students got that certificate in their email! 

I know there is a lot of bad in this situation of distance learning but I will say, our team has never been more of a TEAM. We have never had the opportunity to work so collaboratively. We have never worked as hard to truly recognize the kids who were successful in all four Specialist areas. I'm proud of our team and I'm proud of the kids who earned this acknowledgment.

Call to Art: An Un-Conference for Art Teachers

Cindy Ingram and her team at Art Class Curator have enlisted many Art Educators to present at a FREE online Un-Conference. It's been a lot of work for all... but with a lot of passion, so it's been amazing to be part of it. Here are just some of the faces you will see if you join us for the un-conference...

If you would like to see the conference, simply sign up, click here. I will see you on Monday, March 30th. I'll be presenting on the following. 

Distance Learning: Creating a Choice-Based Art Studio for At Home Learners
Nic Hahn
This presentation shows Nic's planning process in the ever-changing world with Covid-19. The information shared in this presentation will change and develop as the weeks continue. Nic will continue to update the processes of her plan on her blog and on social media. Distance Learning can look different for all of us, as our classrooms do as well. Nic's school classroom has been set up as group instruction this year. She has chosen to adapt to the large class sizes by giving more group assignments and less choice. With the change in education currently, her class sizes have reduced in a way. She's able to give her students a choice. By doing this, she is meeting the needs of most of her students and allowing them to choose a process or project that best matches their ability level and interest. She hopes this will create an opportunity for students to be passionate about how they are experiencing their Art Education.

The presentation requires an update... Distance Learning has forced us into continuous learning adjusting and so here we are... This is what I am presenting to my students today... March 30th. The first day of distance learning. I have made a Google Slide show to share with them on a classroom spread sheet (provided from their homeroom teacher), on Seesaw (for K-2 Grade), as well as on Schoology (3-5th Grade). These are the platforms that my district uses. 

Slide #1: 

Slide #2:

This is an image of the slide... however the links are all live... not so much for the students, but more for the parents to connect with me if needed. I also help that the kids will use the resources I've made for them like my YouTube Channel (linked at the top of my blog... see above).

Slide #3

Again, in the slideshow, all the links are available and the video is embedded so the kids can just click and view. The links are to the other slides in the presentation. The video highlights the expectations of the week. 

Slide #4

Every week I will have a new theme... The theme of the week has it's own slide. The main video gives a QUICK explanation of the theme and the choices the students have to create their project. I mention they can do this on their own, or the whole school has the same theme so students can work collaboratively as siblings. The other videos I have are just fun videos revolving around the theme. 

Note: I have the Theme Video on my YouTube the week before however, I have set the video to Premier so it will not be able to be viewed until the week of distance learning starts. 

Slide #5

This is the choice board for ALL students for week one. They get to choose one project, take a picture and post it to Seesaw or upload it to their Google Drive. 3-5th Grade has practiced putting it in their work into a folder titled Art.

Slide #6

This page is all about uploading their work. Students have practiced this a ton in my classroom so this is just to help the parents and the students who need the reminder. 

Slide #7

This is an extra slide that is built for my Gifted and Talented kiddos or those who have a high interest in Art. Again... all the links are live and I have checked with my tech department to make sure they are all open to students. 

I have chosen to share screenshots rather than this slideshow presentation so that you can see what I've created... but it was made for my students.  A lot of this content is specific to my classroom or to the skills my students already have. 

Making It Announcement

WE DID IT!!

Billy Kheel is coming to Hassan Elementary. With the funds raised from Art To Remember, and a Donors Choose that I recently put online, we are fully funded to bring this AMAZING Artist to our school.  There so many families that helped fund this opportunity as well as a large donation from Education Closet to bring in Billy Kheel, a Fiber Artist who recently participated on NBC's Making It!

To celebrate, I have some homework for the students of Hassan Elementary.

1. Watch 'Making It' on NBC.com (Bonus points if you watch as a family)
2. Look at Billy's Website (https://bkheel.com/)
3. Or... Take a look at his Instagram... maybe even message him! (click here)
4. Finally, I'm very excited to share that we are going to do a Making It, Hassan Elementary! This will give everyone an activity to do over the break. Check out the details below. 

Making It Challenge

• Students must be the primary maker, but assistance can be given by friends and family.
• Students can work in groups, but it's outside of school time only.
• The size restriction is 12 inches tall, by 12 inches wide, by 12 inches deep. Art can also be two dimensional but the same restriction of 12" by 12" is applied. 
• The BIG requirement is the Artwork must incorporate recycled materials. That means some parts of the Artwork must have something in it that was going to be thrown away.
• The Art can be brought to Hassan Elementary January 29th through February 1st. It will be displayed when Billy comes to visit us in February! 
• Some students will be awarded an apron for their creativity and use or recycled materials. 

This is going to be amazing! We have so many creative brains at Hassan Elementary! To inspire you as Artist I would like to show you Master Artist who create using recycled materials.

Look close!! Can you see what Federico Uribe used in this work of Art?

Yep, Federico Uribe used colored pencils to create this work of Art. Going to his website (click here), you will discover he uses garden tools, boats, bottles, forks, shoes, and so much more to make his Art.

How about this butterfly Art by Michelle Stitzlein. What did she use?? You will see licence plates, toothbrushes, records and bottle caps... so many bottle caps. In fact, Stitzlein has created a book of how to use bottle caps in her Art. Please take a look at her website to discover amazing use of recycled materials... and also find out how big these butterflies really are. (click here)

Here's a good idea from Charles Kaufman.  He uses crushed cans to paint on for his recycled Art. That would be challenging, but maybe you want to give it a try at home! Find more from him on his website (click here)

These are really fun projects for the home.  Look around your house as Carolien Adriaansche does.  What do you have at your house to create new 'creatures' from the 'garbage' we toss in the trash. Carolien too has lot's of great ideas on her website. (click here)

Maybe this robot is more what you would like to make, you can search the images of Mario Caicedo Langer to find more inspiration like the image above. 

In my research, I ran across this amazing article (click here) that can lead you to lot's of other inspirational Artist for this 'Making It' challenge. I can't wait to see what you come up with Hassan Elementary Artist! 

Wisconsin Art Education Association Feature Speaker

I have been working hard the last couple of months to get ready for a big event coming up later in October. I have been invited to be a featured presenter at the Wisconsin Art Education Association Fall Conference. The theme this year is 'ART FOR ALL'. I love this theme because it really embraces all aspects of the Arts in Education. I can't wait to see the many ways this theme is interpreted by some of the other speakers! 

I will be joined by many other AMAZING Art Educators throughout Wisconsin as well as Bob Reeker and Jeanne Styczinski. I have had the opportunity to meet Bob Reeker several times in the last year and I'm can say he is fabulous! I have no dought that he will bring an excellence to this conference.  Ever since seeing Jeanne's name on the list of speakers I have been following her work too. She is quite the illustrator and her work is featured throughout Wisconsin on a regular basis. 

 

I will be presenting two, 1-hour sessions right away. I'll be talking about Artist Trading Cards at 8 AM and then Learning Through Play later at 10 AM on Thursday. I'm passionate about both of these subjects so I'll be pressed for time in the hour... but I'll try to share every bit of information that I can in the time allowed! 

 

Then I teach three sessions that are 2-hours long, and hands on! We will be sewing a recorder case (or at least getting started on this project. We will be creating family portraits with drawing and watercolor. And finally, learning about sketchnoteing and how to bring it into your classroom. All three of these sessions have been selected because they were successes in my classroom, so I can't wait to share them with the conference attendees. 

 

I have attended the Wisconsin conferences in the past and let me tell you, it's amazing. These hard-working educators put on one of the best Art Education events of the year. It's worth taking a few days off Oct. 25th and 26th to connect with your tribe! Check out their website to see how to register. 

Illinois Art Education Association FREE Webinar

Have you registered for this FREE event? Illinois Art Education Association has opened this webinar up to anyone who would like to participate... Non Members as well!!  They host several webinars over the year with truly amazing Art Educators highlighting the 'GREAT' in their classrooms.  

I will be sharing the many ways that I'm creating a Connect Effect in the many communities that I belong to.   My students, my homeroom teachers, my school, the families of my school, my local community, my online tribe, and my global world. No matter what your goals are this year, creating a Connect Effect in your classroom will not only enhance your students experience but help support and fill your soul! 

Can't wait to 'see you' all on Sept. 10th at 7:00 CST.  Sign up by clicking here. 

Family Portrait Lesson Plan

Today I am presenting at The Art of Education, #ArtEdNow, an online conference for Art Educators featuring Artist and Art Educators. It's specific PD for Arts Education. That is why I love it, it's presenting to my TRIBE!! 

This conference I will be presenting on family portraits.  This lesson is an opening for a big question, What is Family?  It became more than just a pretty picture and more of a conversation between my students identifying the fact that EVERY family looks different. It was a powerful lesson.

If you are attending the conference today, I'm sure your head is swimming with ideas from all the amazing presenters.  I gave you lot's of tips and tricks that worked well in my classroom for this lesson. Most often when I present, teachers want to get ahold of the resources I used.  In this case, one resource is the Hair Reference Sheet. Because we were drawing Dad's in some of the family portraits, we had to talk about how to draw beards. Also, there are so many more hairstyles than what we see in the classroom, so I designed a sheet focused on different ways to create hair. I also spent a lot of time customizing my instruction to individual instruction with this lesson. I have provided this resource sheet on Teachers Pay Teacher if you are interested, click here for the Hair Reference Sheets. 

I also created the lesson itself. Take a look at the following video to get a short overview of what this lesson looks like.

Most of my lessons are in slide format so you are ready to present this via projection. In this case, I have some slides for students and others for teachers. The blue slides are tips, tricks, and things to consider when you are preparing and teaching this lesson. The white slides are instructions for students, prompts for them, students samples to discuss and the steps to create this final product. I took the time to make this lesson great because it's one that I will be teaching over and over for many years to come... it's that powerful.  I don't often repeat lessons, but I will need to for this one. It's a treasure. If you are interested in this lesson plan, please click here for the Family Portrait Lesson Plan.

If you want both, I have created my very first bundle. This is both the Family Portrait Lesson Plan and Hair Reference Sheets for a reduced price. Click here to go to the bundle. 

Sketchnotes and Technology in the Art Room

Sketchnotes and Technology Resource for today's Art Camp... Will update soon when I'm done running my daughter to softball ;) Leave comments if you want a link to something I talked about today and it's not found in the resource Padlets below.

Arts Camp For Educators and Teaching Artists

It's time to sign up for summer PD! Here is one opportunity for Minnesota's local Art/Music/Classroom Teachers.  I am honored to present two sessions, one on using Sketchnotes in the Classroom, and another to highlight the use of Technology in the classroom. Click here to learn more and register today.

It’s time for this year’s Arts Camp for Educators and Teaching Artists! 

Check out the 16 workshops that are a part of this summer’s camp to find exciting
ways to add depth and variety to your teaching and new pathways that can help all
students experience success.  Explore the briefs and schedule and then sign up for all the
classes that will help you add new energy to you and your classroom regardless of
your teaching background.  A registration fee of $50 allows you to take as many
of the offerings on Monday and Tuesday, June 11-12 as you would like – what a deal!
And the first twenty to sign up for the noon sessions will have a light boxed lunch included.   

Stay all day, take advantage of the noon offerings or enjoy one of the many unique and
wonderful restaurants near the Paramount.

This year, graduate-level credit for all sessions is available from University of the Pacific
at a cost of $62 per credit up to 3 credits per course. Registration forms will be distributed
and completed at Arts Camp. We will collect completed forms and checks covering tuition
and submit to Pacific U. More information is available here. CEU’s will also be issued for
all of the classes you attend.

Deadline for registration is Wednesday, June 6, but many classes have
limited enrollment so register EARLY to ensure a place.

Working with Visiting Artist!

#NAEA2018 is well on its way. I would like to invite you to join me at a presentation at 1:30 PM. These presentations are great because they are casual and you get to hear from several Art Teachers in a Carousel Presentation.  This post is the support links and images for my portion of the presentation.

Thursday

1:30PM-2:20PM

Center/Meeting Room 619 & 620/Level 6

Elementary Carousel of Learning: Working with Visiting Artists in the Classroom! 

I love introducing my students to Careers in Art. This idea came several years ago when I ran into a roadblock of bringing a Culinary Artist into my classroom to talk about her trade.  See, when we were in school, she was working. It was difficult to connect. I was able to send out a counselor from our building to interview and record on location. This was an amazing way to bring an Artist into the Classroom. Also, I was able to share her message to all the students in every class with her only dedicating about 20 minutes of her time to us.

Our school was celebrating it's 10 year birthday and I wanted to go big with this theme. I did the 2D and 3D artworks of treats, cakes, and delectable themes. But the BIG idea I had was to allow each of my students to become Culinary Artist themselves.  As a PBIS reward for our school, all students were able to come into my classroom and create real, edible cupcake filled with sprinkles and design.  As we ate our Artwork, I was able to play the video we had taken of our local Culinary Artist. This was a mom of one of our students so it was extra special to the viewers. Even though the Artist was not able to visit us, we were able to visit her virtually. Please visit my previous post about this experience. 

After having that great experience of bringing a LOCAL Artist into our school virtually, I was hooked... I wanted to bring others into my classroom but I wasn't sure how to get around that time restriction of the working day. Well, who better to reach out to than non-working people. I contacted a local organization called RSVP, they have retired adults looking for volunteer opportunities. 

Originally I asked them to come in a sit for us to have a subject to draw.  There were no takers for the Midwest retired community for this. So I changed this idea. I asked them to bring in items that they can talk about and we could draw for observational drawing. This was a hit. The variety that was brought it was tremendous!  The experiences I witnessed were one of a kind. Read more about what I ended up calling The Connect Effect here. 

Another way that I brought in the local and living was not so much as Artist but as subjects. I did something called the Pet Project. I asked parents to bring in 'table top pets' and allow us to draw them for the day. This was less about bringing in the Artist to my classroom and more about bringing in the art opportunities. It was also a way to create a connection between the Art Studio and the families I work with. 

I truly believe it takes a village to raise a child and I continue to invite my village into the Art Studio. I recently finished up a sewing project that I invited 'Community Experts' to help out with.  This post tells so much more, but what happened was these volunteers came in with the instruction to be a cheerleader and keep the calm. This is all my students needed to be successful. They did not need instruction, but more the encouragement from an adult... They needed my class numbers to be smaller, but when I received a 'no' for that... I made the classes teacher number go up.  Bringing these volunteers was priceless and again, a great experience for all. 

And finally... one of the best ways to bring visiting Artist into my classroom is through Artist Trading Cards. By having students trade with other students all over the world, they each have a little work of Art to be inspired by and learn from. They learn that art is universal and an Artist can be any age. There is so much to read about on this blog when it comes to Artist Trading Cards, please click here.