Janna McColgan's List: Art Resources

This site offers free images for use in all areas of education. Photos are safely submitted without computer viruses and are organized by subject. As a teacher, I can use the copyright-friendly photos and images for lessons on art and architecture as seen around the world. Students can be assigned multimedia projects where they can use the pictures for web sites, videos, portfolios, or any other project in an educational setting.

This free online photo editor is set up similarly to other editors that allow a person to render jpeg files. A bonus tool is its animation option. Photos can be turned into an animated gif file with a simple selection of special effects. Graphic design is a popular art now is schools. I would use intuitive programs like Lunapic to show students how to render photos and create special effects and assign graphic art projects to practice these techniques. This program can be a fun tool to create visual additions to presentation projects for other school subjects as well.

This link opens to the "Featured LiveBinders" page. LiveBinders is a community or practice where folks have created and shared virtual 3-ring binders of information and resources organized for a specific subject area or class. LiveBinders has an easy, research selection of binders for numerous content areas. In an art class, I would use this site to find additional resources for lesson plans. I would have students use this site to create their own virtual 3-ring binder or eportfolio to help organize their school work or resources. Information can be made public or private.

Spotify is a free online music site. This program can be easily downloaded and enables a person to select any number or popular music titles from any genre of music and create a playlist. In an art class, background music often motivates learners to focus on their project work. Having a non-stop playlist of pre-selected music with few commercials is a welcomed addition to an art room. Spotify does have short commercial breaks between songs-but nothing too distracting. Students are also motivated by perks. I might use this site to allow students to create their own playlists and earn the opportunity to play them in class. Spotfiy can be used in any class that allows music in the background.

Prezi is a free Web 2.0 program, with template options, for producing slideshows. It can be used professionally or by students who are seeking a clean and interesting program to help present a topic. In the art room, I might use Prezi to teach steps and stages in art design. Additionally, I may assign students the task of creating eportfolios, assign they present the progression of artwork throughout the academic year or use this program to present research on art history projects. Prezi can be used for any subject that requires a presentation.

Scriblink is an online whiteboard, a place to brainstorm and share ideas with groups who may or may not be in the same room. This program offers the ability to use tools similar to ones found on a word processing program and allows a person to "invite" folks like in a web conference. In an art classroom, I may use this program to post a picture and describe its parts using the whiteboard tools. Additionally, I may use a tool like this to create a presentation that can shared on a website for homework or in a portfolio review. Scriblink can be used for any subject area that requires a short presentation or short mini-lesson.

Wix is a simple, free website-building program that can be created with intuitive tools rather than complex codes. Pages are created using templates and drag and drop elements. There is no external advertising allowed on the sites. However, it does advertise its own name on the top and bottom of each website (which is a little distracting, in my opinion). For my art students, I would offer Wix as a choice to help them create visually appealing art portfolios. I have seen Wix successfully used in competitions for the Pennsylvania FBLA to introduce high school level portfolios. As a result, this program has proven versatile in a number of area subjects.

Art Education 2.0 is an online professional learning community of art educators. The site requires its viewer to sign up for a free "ning" membership in order to enjoy all its offerings. Now that I am a member of this community, I can participate in forums and groups projects. Members can also share and view photos, videos and create new art projects. One project I would like to take part in is "Shells for NJ Shores - Create small "seashell themed" works of art and sell them to raise money for those who need assistance recovering and rebuilding in New Jersey." Science, social studies and art classes combined can learn about the devastation of hurricane Sandy in 2012 and work together on projects to contribute to their needs.

This site serves as a resource for upcoming art contests and exhibition opportunities for visual artists and photographers. Artists and art students of all ages have the opportunity to present their work publicly through these venues and get recognition. Additionally, they might win contests for money or scholarships and find exhibition opportunities to enter. "Unlike other static email lists or opportunity newsletters, our submissions database is continually being updated with high quality listings." I often present my students to this updated information regarding contests and exhibitions to help them find recognition for their resume and hard work.

This article regarding copyrights introduces genuine concerns from artist communities. One of points of concern is compounded as the digital age has set-up opportunities for graphic artists to manipulate and render other artist's work to transform it into their own. These artists, known as "appropriation artists". Appropriation artists are walking a fine line in regards to copyright laws. Articles like these from Artnews, are well-researched. As a teacher, I find it important to stay connected with this information for professional development and for use in lessons, teaching students about copyright laws and Fair Use.

Netiquette (network etiquette) is a set of rules that are encouraged to use when joining online social culture.The Core Rules of Netiquette, as prescribed by Virgina Shea, cover 10 topics that remind people how to be a good digital citizens. Although this link is all business and mostly text, the information provided can be used by parents, teachers and students who are actively using the internet.

Four missions (games) are available for elementary-age students to learn about the following themes: email/spam, chatroom safety/privacy, cyberbullying awareness, web dangers. These activities can be offered in library, in technology or just about any class that offers online technology use for education.

This article, from 2007, points out a reality that even in 2013 we face: Outdated acceptable use policies in our school districts. With the fast arrivals and uses of Web 2.0 tools, smart phones and handheld computers, it's obvious that keeping AUPs up to date requires constant attention. Keeping AUPs current can help give serious attention to important policies of the school as well as reinforce the effectiveness of technology in education.

As well as providing several interactive resources for learning a variety of subjects, BrainPOP offers a number of videos and quizzes related to responsible and safe use of the internet on their "Technology | Computers and Internet" pages. As adults are learning how to use the internet more safely for their research, BrainPOP offers kid-friendly programs that will teach children similar practices.

Google search engine is one of the most popular ways to look up information. Sometimes, not all the search results are safe to open. As a result, telling a child to research information for school should be accompanied by safe search engines. If I want my art students to find information on famous artists, SafeSearch for Kids helps them find the information they need, filtering out what they don't. Teachers and parents can now share a search engine resource with confidence.

ReadWriteThink.org offers interactive learning programs that help children organize their education in literature arts and other subject areas. For a young art class, this Shape Poems program allows children to select a picture, write down words or phrases that describe it, then use their brainstorming session to write a poem, After their poem is created, they can print their poem page and color the picture. Being able to describe an object helps a person learn to really look and think about that object. That's the preplanning stages of art!

This site is an excellent Web 2.0 tool to use for language arts or art. It is similar to Wordle.com in that you select a theme, make a list of words that support that them and the words will be arranged in the shape you choose. The added bonus with using this program is that you can upload your own shapes and really personalize the design.

Wufoo is an online form-builder. This Web 2.0 tool offers a demo (free) version that is limited, but substantial form building tools and a paid-for version if you choose to do more. The forms can be used in classes for lesson reviews, quizzes or surveys. Results are delivered directly to the email of the account holder. Additionally, graduating art students hoping to show off their work in an arranged exhibition, might use a tool like this to create invitations for those art events.

Doodle is a convenient Web 2.0 tool for easy scheduling with groups of people. With Doodle, a teacher can set up a calendar online with specified dates and times of an event. Offering options and instructions for people to respond with a yes or no and/or comments, an RSVP can be easily received via the email of the account holder.
To see an illustration of this, go to my online sample:
http://www.doodle.com/h4kgkw3avangk3nf

Picassohead is a Web 2.0 activity that allows users to create their own masterpieces using tools and features drawn by the famous artist, Pablo Picasso. This online activity is a fun filler art activity that promotes creativity, art design and art evaluation. The final work can be saved or shared via email.