Art Theft! Copyrights! Giving Credit where it is Due!

Art Theft! Copyrights! Yes.  Recently, I began to wonder if the artwork I had posted on a previous post wasn't being stolen.  I clearly marked each artwork I have submitted. I have since removed the post just as a protective measure. Even though the artwork clearly says it is Copyrighted, that doesn't stop some people. If you click and copy the image and DO NOT give credit to the artist or owner of a work, you are committing art theft and you are stealing. But stealing doesn't just apply to artwork, it applies to much more.

Students who do research and write reports are not being taught how to do it effectively and correctly.  Teachers, yes, ALL teachers, who assign research projects to their students are responsible for instructing students on how to give credit where credit is due. Students need to learn how to cite their sources. Also students need to learn to summarize from the text. Copying the text verbatim is stealing from the author. Students need to learn that summarizing the text using their own words (not the author's) is an experience in learning how to write effectively. Students should learn how to follow the 3 steps below.

1) Students should access the website's Terms of Use or Copyright information link at the bottom of the website. Many websites will say they are for education or public use, some state that any use of their artwork, etc., must be cited with information they give.
2) Students should build a bibliography or Resources page to go with their research. An example of a citation is as follows:  Menu information/text;  N & J's Cafe and Bakery, http://www.njcafebakery.com/ accessed September 27, 2012
3) An example of a short  summary of the menu from the website above would be: Family and friends are always welcome to share in the experience of Middle eastern foods. This cafe and bakery will have people dancing in the aisles and feeling enlightened. The atmosphere is semi Arabic, and the food deliciously inviting. 
4) Teachers, did you know that you can turn your students work into http://turnitin.com/ 
Teachers use this website to check on whether the student is plagiarizing or not. Click on the link above to learn more.

Well, I must end this post. I hope it has been enlightening to you. A reminder: Next time you want to "take" a photo or anything else from the Internet or a website, think twice.  You know, the steps above aren't just for students, ADULTS need to heed this as well.

Positive Student Impact

Positive Student Impact

It was a beautiful day when I went to do a substitute job at a local high school. The sky was a beautiful blue, and just a few clouds were in the sky.  The class I would be subbing for was English.  

(**Names have been changed to protect the identity of the students).

I had no trouble with the students, and it was pleasant day.  

The last class of the day, as I was sorting my papers, a young man came up to the desk and said, "Do you remember me?" My mind was whirling fast, and I was awe struck. Before I could answer, he said, "You had ISS with me." A light bulb came on. "Yes, " I said. "Wait, don't tell me. Your name starts with a "D".  He waited to see if I could remember, then I said, "**David".  He beamed at me, and we did a high-five.  He was a very good model student and he and the others students really enjoyed the assignment I gave for them (for fun) after they had completed their assigned tasks left by the teacher.  

The assignment for fun was this:  Imagine you are having a party in an elevator.  What are you doing? Who is with you? When is this happening?  Write a paragraph about your party on the back of your drawing.  (I had given this fun optional assignment to all the classes throughout the day. None of them did it except for one young man who thought it was exciting. "Yes!" he said, and thrust his hand in the air! He did his drawing with highlighters.)

But this freshmen class really were into doing their drawings!! **Bryan brought me his drawing. "Are you sure this is a party in an elevator?" I asked. "Elevator?" he said. "Yes, Bryan," I said. "Did you not read the directions?" "I didn't see that," he said. We all laughed. His drawing was of a bonfire, a grill, and a table with food, and pop; seven stick people were all surrounding the bonfire.  To make it look like an elevator, he added a box with buttons and and two vertical lines on the page.  Other student elevator party drawings featured speakers with music, pizza, kids dancing, etc. Their paragraphs were very descriptive and some had a very personal meaning to them--one girl was having the party for her brother who was in the military. 

The bell rang. Class was over. But David stuck around a few minutes more. "Do you remember when we made roses?" he asked. "Yes, I do", I said. (I vaguely remembered this, and then after some thinking, realized we did--they were from notebook paper.) "Do you remember making the vocabulary book and all the fun stuff we did?" he said.  "Yes, David, we had a lot of fun."  We talked a little further, I asked how his mother was, then I told him that the principal  had written a very nice letter for me and had mentioned that as a result of my working those ISS  (In school suspension) days with David, that he had not had another ISS day nor had been in trouble since.  David seemed pleased and proud of himself.  

As I left the school that day, my heart glowed inside. It had been a positive day. The students had been given a creative and fun optional assignment and turned it into a drawing of self-expression and creative writing. But, the most important thing was is that  I realized one never knows the impact we have on students. When we give our best, and show personal interest in the students, they can reward us with good work and if we are lucky like I was, they will remember we noticed and that they mattered to us. Incidentally, those ISS days I spent with David was 2 years ago. 

Creativity, a Blue Moon and a Pig

 Creativity, a Blue Moon, and a Pig

 

Attention. Class is beginning. You are in a high school art room. Your teacher asks all of you students to look at something on the whiteboard and say what it is.  The teacher takes a marker and makes a black circle, then fills it in. 5 seconds pass. "Oh, it's a dot...a black dot", you say. You look around, others nod in approval. 15 seconds pass, and then, one student  bursts out, "It's a bird's eye," and then 10 seconds later, another student says, "It's a raisin." The rest of the class looks at these students in disbelief. Where did those responses come from, you wonder.  Sadly, as we grow older, unless it is nourished, creativity soon becomes unimportant or lacking in our lives. The students that said, bird's eye and raisin, were obviously in tune with thinking creatively and more aptly, "outside the box". 

Art is a very important part of a student's education. As an art teacher, I spend a lot of time making sure my art lessons are appropriate for multiple intelligences. Self-expression,art criticism, math, science, music, social studies, etc. are common in my lessons.  Computer technology is also another feature I hope to use in my classes (when I start teaching again after my Master's degree). Why go to all this trouble to stimulate creativity?  1)  motivates students to succeed; 2) encourages students to think for themselves; 3) learning to be creative is a valuable life skill and 4) employers want people who are movers and shakers, and are proactive thinkers;  5) everyone has the potential to be creative.

So, let's talk about what creativity is.  Creativity is being original, using inductive thinking to produce multiple ideas and deductive thinking to reducing the ideas to a specific.  By now, you are thinking where is the blue moon part? What does creativity have to do with a blue moon? Well, a lot.  Tonight is the blue moon. "Once in a blue moon." It won't happen again until 2015. Why is it a blue moon? (It's actually not blue.) This month we were lucky enough to have two full moons:  one on Aug 2, and now again on August 31.  Way back when, someone thought it would be pretty cool to say blue moon. Hey, why not lemon yellow or the familiar, the moon is made of green cheese? How about green marshmallow moon? Well, you get the idea. Are you motivated yet to think creatively? 

From my after school program students (2011)

Okay, let's get to the pig part of this post. Creativity, is key in this. Please click on Pig and it will take you to the link. Please follow the directions. (If you are doing this with another person, don't look at their paper!!!) and DO NOT SKIP AHEAD!  I credit this activity to Dr. B J Rakow. Once you do this activity, I think you will understand that our personalities may help us find where we need to be creative or make some changes.  There are more personality links on her page. If you are interested, Dr Rakow is on LinkedIn and does have a degree in Psychology. She is a PhD. 

I wish you all a happy Blue Moon Night, numerous blessings of creativity and a life lesson learned from a pig.  

P.S.  You may be wondering--the outcome of my pig drawing and the results: Well, it pretty much sums up my personality.  It was a close call on the placement:  #2-3; right on with 6, 7, 9 and 12.

REP Respect, Educate, Protect

As a follow-up to a previous post about digital citizenship...

Here is a simple, but effective and fun way to teach about digital citizenship. REP posters using Microsoft Publisher.

  

Lesson copyright 2012 Lydia Gates

Title:                      Respect, Educate and Protect Posters

Author:                Lydia Gates

Grade Level:      4/5^th grade

Objectives:         At the end of this lesson, students will have:

                  ·         Identified and Discussed acronyms and REP

                  ·         Discussed terms associated with digital citizenship

                  ·         Drawn ideas, pair-shared and used their ideas to create a  

                                     poster on Microsoft  Publisher

                  ·         Colored their poster using colored pencils or markers

                  ·         Discovered using technology to create a visual message

                  ·         Demonstrated knowledge through performance 

                             assessment a personal understanding

                             of digital citizenship

Standards:        

Kansas Visual Arts Standards

#1 Understanding and Applying Media Techniques and Processes

Benchmark 1 Comparing and contrasting different types of materials, techniques and Processes.

Indicator 1: Selecting and using effective media, techniques and processes to enhance personal communication.

                #2 Using Knowledge of the Elements of Arts and the Principles of Design

                Benchmark 3 employing and defending the use of elements and principles in art works.

                Indicator 1 Using the elements and principles to produce art work with a message.

                #3 Creating artworks through choice of subjects, symbols and ideas

                Benchmark 1 Identifying and discussing ways in which symbols and styles communicate

meaning in art.

                Indicator 2 Interpreting artworks based on common themes and/or functions.

#6 Making Connections Between the Visual Arts and Other Disciplines

                Benchmark 3 Investigating Associations between visual art and non-art disciplines.

                Indicator 3 Applying concepts from non-art disciplines to create art.

KSDE/Kansas Model Curricular Standards for

                                Library Media and Technology

 Information Power Benchmarks:

               
                Technology Standards

                Standard #11 Social, ethical and human issues

                Benchmark 2 Practicing responsible use of technology systems, information

                     and software.

                Standard #12 Technology productivity tools

Benchmark 1 Using productivity tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, 

      and promote student creativity.

Standard #15 Technology problem solving and decision making

Benchmark 4 Student employ technology in the development of strategies for

    solving problems in the real world.

Materials Needed: Whiteboard, Computer Lab, screen, and computers with access to Microsoft Publisher, Projector, and printer, List of poster requirements, colored pencils and markers, REP Poster exemplar.

Procedures:

In the Computer Lab:

Teacher will ask students to think of different acronyms they know. We will list on the board. Next, I will show my completed poster and explain R stands for respecting others, E means we should educate ourselves/others about using technology safely and P means we should not give our personal and private information out to strangers or others we do not know.   Students will be asked to think of how they could make their own REP poster or to promote digital citizenship.

Then the teacher will use Microsoft Publisher to demonstrate how to make a simple poster. Students will be asked to refer to List of poster requirements: black and white only color schemes. Word Art in hollow letters, and may add images from clip art.  Students will use an 81/2 x 11 portrait format.

Students will then discover and explore Microsoft Publisher on their own, with the teacher assisting as necessary.

Students will save and then print out their posters.

In the Art Room:

Students will use colored pencils or markers, or both to color their posters.

Students will share their posters with the class. Posters will be displayed in hallways.

Copyright 2012 Lydia Gates  

Communicating with Art Students

What types of communication do art teachers have with students?  Verbal, non-verbal (eye contact, students observe teacher's actions, technology?)  How effective is this the preferred communication?  The adage: Tell I will forget, Show me I will remember has been on my mind lately.  Why? Because I feel that I want my students to understand my directions and the project, and to have clear communication with them. I want projects to be fun, but real learning experiences.

As I am working on my Master's in Teaching, more and more I contemplate what I will say and how I will show the students during demonstration time for a project. But, also I try to think of how I can get the students to effectively communicate among themselves: collaboratively and through discussion.

How important is it that teachers have effective communication with their students?  I recently read an article entitled, Using Social Media to Reach Your Community  from December 2010  in Effective Educator.  The author, William M. Ferriter, points out that TV isn't so popular anymore, but social media is.  He gives some statistics on how many users of social media there are (I am sure the numbers have escalated since the article's writing)  about 61 % of adults and 73% of teens are using social networking sites to communicate with others.  Over 500 billion minutes per month are spent on FaceBook. How do you categorize this type of communication?

Knowing that students use FaceBook, Twitter,  and surf the Internet, why do schools block these social networking sites?   A very interesting and informative article in Teaching Tolerance, Spring 2011, called  Social Media in the Schoolhouse by Darlene Koenig, points out very plainly this statement, "{She} believes in good teaching, sensible filtering, good supervision, and trusting kids to do the right thing. I don't think anything should ever be blocked. Both web-based applications and social-networking tools give students the connections they're quite used to and the opportunity for collaboration."   I could not agree more!

As an art teacher, I am learning new technology to integrate into my classes. However, traditional styles of instruction will be given as well. I think an integration of technology will enhance my teaching. Some projects may or may not use technology, and that's okay. Drawing, painting don't require technology, but helping students connect with an artist's history or artwork, will.  Connection through a form of communication is the key. 

At the elementary level, I'm not sure that schools are permitting use of cell phones in their curriculum; or even at the middle school level. I have heard that high schools are to a degree. What are your thoughts on using social networking or cell phones to communicate with students?  How many art teachers do this? I would like to know.

Technology-Changing at a Too-Fast Pace?

Imagine you are given a website to go to with tutorials for learning a new technology software/program. Say, it is Google Docs or wikidot. Whatever, the program, you have click on each mini video presentation that lasts anywhere from 1:44 to 2:35 minutes (estimates).  You have to watch about 25 of these or so.. Then, you go and try to use the technology you used for real. And, you find out, that it isn't the same at all. What happened?

The fast pace of technology changes is rapid. Is it too fast? Once a company posts new information on the programs, it is almost obsolete because changes are occurring so fast.  One may ask, why keep making changes? Who can keep up?  If a person wants to be on technology savvy,  and know the latest, what should they do?  Well, I realize, that not everyone wants to know all the latest. I certainly don't, but
I want to know enough to keep me in the link.

Now, back to that website I mentioned, isn't there a better way? Taking a class with a teacher who can provide individual attention is more my style. I think that's why I am taking on-ground classes instead of
online. I need that person-to-person interaction and feedback.  Ever try to read emotion in an email?
Without emoticons (and who is going to put those all through the email after every sentence?) words in text can't express what a person's voice can say.

You may wonder, how did I do with the new program I learned. Well, enough of what I could from the tutorials, then I learned much more on my own using the real program. It was Google Docs. I spent a lot of time learning how to use it, and I am very pleased to say that I created my Professional Portfolio presentation and another presentation for my Master's class.

Yes, technology is a wonderful thing. I love using technology, but when it kicks me, I'm down for a while, but I will always find a way to get back up. I'm that resourceful. I will find the answers, and I will work to find a solution. And not with a tutorial, but with a real person-me, a telephone call or a teacher.

Digital Citizenship

As an art teacher, and an educator, it is my responsibility to teach students in my class how to learn and use technology in a proper manner. The term digital citizenship is a new term to the education system. Teachers and administrators are learning that students need to be taught how to act appropriately when using technology. This means when they are not only on computers, but cell phones and other technological devices. 

What is digital citizenship? My personal feeling is that digital citizenship occurs the minute you begin using a computer to send messages, emails, use Facebook, Twitter or when using other technology. Being a citizen means doing good things for the community or other people. It also means being respectful to others. Digital citizenship then means treating others the way you would want to be treated. Proper etiquette, like saying please and thank you, how to send emails, cell phone usage, and protecting their security while online are important tools students need to know now.

A concept called REP (Respect, Educate and Protect) is as simple as the Golden Rule. Like the Golden Rule, teaching students how to be respectful of themselves and others, how to educate themselves and connect with others, and how to protect themselves and others is the goal. Another important  set of information  for students to learn are the Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship. A short explanation of each is below. In regards to how everyone uses technology, the themes state that everyone should have access to:

1) electronic access to participate in society 
2) Internet shopping and/or selling of goods
3) to send information electronically
4) learn how to use technology
5) learn how to use technology using proper etiquette
6) be responsible for their action (ethics) online
7) express freedom of speech
8) be taught the dangers of using technology
9) guarding their private and personal information

How does this affect my students, me, and the society we live in? Learning these nine themes can mean we can all live as the Golden Rule teaches: by my actions, I am demonstrating how I want to be known and respected as a person in society. If you do the same, we will get a long just fine.  REP--three words that are very powerful; just like the Golden Rule.