This year the theme was “Spark” and many of the presentations focused on igniting student/teacher participation in art through technology. To go along with the theme, the NAEA created an app that we could use to navigate the conference and save presentations/lesson plans digitally. There were so many workshops to choose from that I had a hard time getting to all of them, the sessions I found most interesting and informative were: Art with iPads, Creating Your Own Digital Photography Course Free!, and Pinterest in the Art Room.
Oh yea and I met Jo Pearson the expert crafter from TLC’s Craft Wars at the Micheal’s collage workshop!
In the Art with iPads presentation the teachers went over how they worked together as a department to get a grant for a cart of iPads to be used in the K-12 art classes. They gave some reasons for choosing iPads that seemed worth considering:
• Appeals to a variety of learning styles
• Better mobility
• Content sharing and cross curricular
learning
• On demand research
• Learn to apply digital organization skills
• Communicate and Collaborate
• Promotes digital citizenship
• Expands knowledge of mediums
• Opens doors to potential careers in the
Arts that would normally go unopened
Once the iPads were purchased, a professional development day was planned with an Apple representative to learn how to use the iPads with a focus on apps for art making. Then they showed project examples ranging from student made Newsweek covers, iMotion movies, Pic Collage, and Pass the Portrait. I am hoping to use some of the apps suggested with my students (many of whom use their own iPads) and hopefully begin working on a grant for more technology in my own classroom.
In Creating Your Own Photography Course Free!, a digital photo teacher at the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow discussed how to structure a digital photo course at the high school level using technology many students have access to. She even shared a curriculum template with all of us for an informative visual.
Lastly, the Pinterest in the Art Room session presented ways to use the website to create digital inspiration“boards” to organize lesson ideas, visuals, and resources. I think it would also be a great tool for students to use during ideation when working on independent portfolio work. Here is a screen shot of my Pinterest account with boards I worked on during the session:
I was also able to attend a few shorter sessions that are listed below:
Collaborate!Strategies and structures for Parallel Curriculum Planning
Criteria Checklists and Rubrics: A Piece of the Assessment Puzzle
Find balance between creative problem solving and checking for understanding. Gain knowledge in planning, implementing, and assessing art lessons using criteria checklists and rubrics.
Printmaking in High School
Shared procedures, techniques, and student examples
Digital Art Ideas for Digital Kids (GREAT K-5 digital curriculum plan!)
Resources and programs discussed
Digital Portfolio Cumulative Project
Explored how to create digital portfolios in Movie Maker and how to use the portfolios for assessment and promotion.
Jess Nash Art 
