Scenario 2: Interactive Tours 

The advancement of web based technologies has created opportunities for educators to extend learning far beyond their classroom walls. In times past, students were only able to access local cultural arts or use photographs and video to explore distant places. These experiences, though insightful, limited the ability of students to engage content deeply. Today, through the advent of technology, teachers can develop more interactive and collaborative activities that engage students with experts and each other in meaningful ways.

In the week’s scenario, the teacher wants to use a virtual field trip of New York City museums to engage her students in a group critique of the artwork they explore. These trips range in complexity and depth of study. For this teacher, I would recommend exhibit studies such as Inventing Abstraction: 1910-1925 from the Museum of Modern Art.  

This field trip leads students through the galleries through an interconnected vision. The purpose of the tour is to demonstrate the amazing interconnectedness of the abstract artists and their influences. Trhough this exhibit, students will explore relationships, innovations, and artwork through a web-like lens.

While such an idea is exciting and highly engaging, the teacher needs to employ effective technology tools to ensure the students are actually developing understanding rather than “virtually running around.” I would recommend using a media sharing site. Media sharing sites like Slideshare provide opportunities for designing lessons that incorporate multimedia and text in multiple ways (Laureate education, 2013). For our scenario, the teacher may use Slideshare to link to the virtual field trip, and then use pictures, text, video, and presentations to provide important information that will help the students to share ideas, insights and critiques (Laureate education, 2013). In addition, slide share provides the ability to create a narrative discussion thread. This would allow students to comment on the content provided, thereby ensuring they are engaged in the learning process and are actively sharing their thoughts with others.

An example of an effective Slideshare presentation is Gary Freeman’s Early Modern Art: 1900-1940.  

In this project, students become engaged in an exploration of different movements within abstraction such as fauvism, dada, cubism and more. These studies are guided by a slide that gives the overarching principles and   then subsequent slides that depict images of iconic art. Such a study provides the in-depth analysis and related content the teacher desires.

In addition, the teacher  in our scenario wants to be able to have the students create a shared critique. For this component, I would recommend using a wiki. A wiki is a website that allows for participant ownership of the content. Any visitor can edit the content, thereby allowing for continuous revisions (teachersfirst.com, 2013). These tools, according to PB Works, “make distance learning more interactive and collaborative, and support research teams (PBWorks, 2013).”

Not only is this a tool for text based idea-sharing, but wikis also allow for links and embedded media as well (PB Works, 2013). This means participants can provide their own insights and support them using evidence. In our scenario, a student could find video that extends the understanding of the artist’s technique, zoom in on a particular part of the artwork and focus the visitor’s attention on craft, link the page to articles by academics about the artist, period, historical context and more. This allows the students to become creative curators of knowledge –hosting their own discussion forum and provided rich, deep, 21st century critiques.

A good example of an art critique wiki is Wikispaces’ Art Criticism:

On this wiki, the teacher has outlined a series of key discussion points that need to be considered. For example, students will describe the artwork, analyze its content for visual design and artistic principles, interpret themes and messages and ultimately make judgments about the artistic merit. As the students generate responses, they are able to advance their understanding collectively using higher order thinking skills. Such a complex outline ensures that students remain organized in their efforts.

Teachers need to consider effective tools and design principles when they create lessons. By using tools like Slideshare and wikis, teachers can ensure they are providing high quality experiences that foster deep thinking, inspire curiosity, and expand student horizons.

References

Freeman, G (2013). Early Modern Art 1900-1940. Retrieved from

            http://www.slideshare.net/gwfreeman/early-modern-art-1900-1940-8615718

Laureatte Education (Producer) The Technology of Distance Education. [Video Webcast].

Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2818555_1%26url%3D

Museum of Modern Art (2013) (Producer) Inventing Abstraction 1910-1925. Retrieved from 

            http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2012/inventingabstraction/

PBWorks (2013). Education. Retrieved from http://pbworks.com/education

Teachersfirst.com (2013). Wiki Walk Through. Retrieved from 

http://www.teachersfirst.com/content/wiki/

Wikispaces.com. (2013). Art Criticism retrieved from

            http://artcritique.wikispaces.com/Critique+Worksheet.