About…

This Blog

This blog is for the students and the parents of the students in my art classes at JFK High School.  This is essentially my art room database of information.  If you are absent, fall behind or just need a reminder of what we have covered in class… you can find it here.  You can also find photo galleries of all of the artwork made in the art room as well as the blogs of each digital photography student.

There are multiple ways to find what you are looking for:

  • You can hover over the grid of images on the home page and the first couple lines of the lesson will appear showing you the date and class that it is for.
  • You can scroll to the calendars at the bottom of the blog and click on the day that you are trying to find the lesson for.  Once you click on the date it will bring up the lessons for all the classes from that day.
  • Or you can click on the drop down menus at the top to find the class archive which will sort the lessons by course title.

I am excited to be working as digitally as possible.  I believe that this makes learning and information more accessible to everyone.  Using a digital platform for education allows the sharing of ideas to occur between students, teachers, parents, our communities and the world.

The Standards

Incorporating technology into the curriculum helps to meet the following standards:

  • New York State

    • Non-Majors – 2a.  Use the computer and electronic media to express their visual ideas and demonstrate a variety of approaches to artistic creation.
    • Majors – 2b.  Develop Commencement Portfolios that show proficiency in one or more mediums and skill in using and manipulating the computer and other electronic media.
  • Common Core Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects

    • Grades 9-10 – 6.  Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
    • Grades 11-12 – 6.  Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.
  • International Society for Technology in Education Standards for Students

    1. Creativity and innovation:  Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
      1. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
      2. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
    2. Communication and collaboration: Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
      1. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
      2. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats
      3. Develop cultural understanding and global awareness by engaging with learners of other cultures
      4. Contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems
    3. Research and information fluency: Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information.
      1. Plan strategies to guide inquiry
      2. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
      3. Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks
      4. Process data and report results
    4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making: Students use critical thinking skills to plan
and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
      1. Identify and define authentic problems and significant questions for investigation
      2. Plan and manage activities to develop a solution or complete a project
      3. Collect and analyze data to identify solutions and/or make informed decisions
      4. Use multiple processes and diverse perspectives to explore alternative solutions
    5. Digital citizenship:  Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.
      1. Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology
      2. Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity
      3. Demonstrate personal responsibility for lifelong learning
      4. Exhibit leadership for digital citizenship
    6. Technology operations and concepts:  Students demonstrate a sound understanding
of technology concepts, systems, and operations.
      • Understand and use technology systems
      • Select and use applications effectively and productively
      • Troubleshoot systems and applications
      • Transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies 
  • Partnership for 21st Century Skills

    1. Focuses on 21st century skills, content knowledge and expertise
    2. Builds understanding across and among core subjects as well as 21st century interdisciplinary themes
    3. Emphasizes deep understanding rather than shallow knowledge
    4. Engages students with the real world data, tools, and experts they will encounter in college, on the job, and in life–students learn best when actively engaged in solving meaningful problems
    5. Allows for multiple measures of mastery

Me

I have been teaching art since 2005, in this district since 2006 and at JFK HS since 2011.  I have taught elementary, middle and high school students and enjoy teaching art at every grade level.  I graduated from Buffalo State College in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Art Education and then again in 2007 with my master’s degree, also in Art Education.

The beliefs that drive my teaching philosophy are:

  • Every student can learn… and every student can make art… good art.
  • Every student needs art in some way… as a mode of personal expression, an emotional release, a way to relax or as a “hands on” approach to learning.
  • Every student needs skills that art making can teach… problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, decision making, communication, and collaboration.

Art Department Promo

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