This is a guest blog by Katlyn Wolfgang, a high school art teacher at Central York High School. We would love to hear how you are infusing technology into your classroom. Please leave your comments below or visit facebook.com/myreadingsecrets and post your comments on my wall.
Commence all groaning by students AND teachers.
As a teacher of high school art students, engaging the students in a discussion about their artwork in a constructive manner is one that takes skillful planning, questioning and trickery to avoid the sound of crickets and blank stares for an entire class period. I have spent countless hours searching for and experimenting with different ideas to engage my students in a critique. Some of these tactics worked, some failed and others served a purpose but I would never touch again with a 100ft pole.
I was never completely satisfied with a critique until VOICETHREAD.
The best way I can describe VoiceThread (a conversation in the cloud) would be as an interactive PowerPoint in which all can collaborate through comments. Comments can be typed, drawn, video recorded, or recorded by a microphone or a phone.
Take a look at a VoiceThread of student work and their constructive feedback to one another STUDENT CRITIQUE
Did you like what you saw? Want to create one of your own?
FOLLOW THESE 3 EASY STEPS:
1.CREATE A VOICETHREAD
Sign up. Create your own VoiceThread by uploading your desired pictures.
Sidebar: I set up a lighting area, camera and tri-pod for students to take pictures of their work throughout a class period or two. From there I keep all of the pictures on my desktop in a folder for easy selection. Saves me time AND it teaches students about framing an image and using a digital camera.
2. SHARE THE LINK
Choose to share your thread by copying a link and post it in an easily accessible space.
3. STUDENT ENGAGMENT
Have students sign up for an account and access the link. Once on the thread they can leave comments to their classmates work.
Sidebar: I have my students respond to the 5 pieces that are featured after their work. Their comments must be either warm or cool feedback and relate to the Elements of Art or Principles of Design.
And, DONE!
The students LOVE it. They can sit back and develop their ideas in a mode that is comfortable for them. I have found that the quality critiques are much greater and our time in class is used more efficiently.
While I do not teach high school, I can imagine what it must be like to be in high school and have a peer critique your work in front of a whole class (potentially embarrassing is what I was thinking, since I am not very artistically inclined!). I can also imagine being required to critique others' work, and being a pleaser as I am, I would do it but find it awkward, especially if I didn't love the piece I had to critique.
ReplyDeleteKUDOS TO YOU for making a potentially awkward situation SO much easier for your high school students. You have made something they might try to forget about into something they will probably remember for a long, long time. What an awesome learning experience for them!
Katie
I really like how this project has the students not only learning about critiques but how to take pictures or their art, and use technology to communicate. This is a very good idea, that I think can apply to many different subjects besides art class. Projects and presentations done in other classes can also receive peer feedback easily. As a foreign language teacher, I would particularly enjoy giving students time to prepare responses in a way they feel comfortable to respond to language tasks.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea.
Joanna
I love how you incorporated technology like this into an Art class. Not only did it save you time (and stress!) but it got the students motivated to try something new. I'm trying to figure out where I can use this in my own classroom. It's such an easy thing to use too! Thanks for sharing your ideas!
ReplyDeleteMegan
I love the idea of doing this in your classroom for your critique! I totally agree with what you said about giving them time to formulate what it is they want to say. I'm sure it enables them to think (& perhaps be more tactful in some situations!)before they are just put on the spot in front of the class. Great idea!
ReplyDeleteNice job Kat!!! Not only did I enjoy reading this blog, but I enjoyed looking at your art critiques on voicethread and saw first hand how engaged the students were by their posts. Adding technology into the mix of an already exciting art class helps integrate those very important current 21st century skills. I'm sure your kiddos are already looking forward to the next time they get to critique each other's work. What students doesn't love getting on the computer and sharing their opinion in a "facebook" type way through typing, texting, or recording themselves?? Way to continue being "tech savvy"..even in an art room!
ReplyDeletePS. nice blog! It was very reader friendly and easy to follow :)
Kristin
I really liked your blog! I never thought of using VoiceThread in this manner, but I am impressed! I think it is a great tool for your students and they seem to really enjoy doing it as well. By reading the critique of one of your students, I can tell they actually took the time to give productive feedback! Very cool!!!
ReplyDeleteKristin D.
Voicethread is a perfect opportunity to discuss netiquette, respectful ways to respond through the internet. You have added a real world component to their art work and have infused technology easily. Your ideas of critiquing got me brainstorming about cretiquing poems, student drafts, and videos...the list goes on and on. Thank you for sharing your ideas.
ReplyDelete