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How Educators Should Integrate Technology Into Their Classrooms
This article gives educators ideas of how to integrate technology into their classrooms. Technology is constantly evolving, and it is important as educators to keep up with the rapid industry. Many of us have already seen technology taking over classrooms. For example, many teachers use online study games in their classrooms to help their students understand material. Some of these online learning tools include Kahoot and Quizlet, which may sound familiar.
After the pandemic, many teachers have used technology to make learning easier and more efficient. We can see this with certain applications such as GoogleClassroom, BlackBoard, PowerSchool, Canvas, etc. Some may say that technology can be detrimental to students’ learning, but I disagree. Implementing technology into your learning curriculum could be extremely beneficial to your students as they pick up new skills and learn to easily adapt to new changes (tech world is constantly changing and evolving).
Despite some of the hate that using technology in classrooms may get, it makes learning 10x more efficient. Teachers are able to better prepare for their lessons with tools such as PowerPoints, engaging games, videos to show their students, etc. Majority of students use technology in their free time (phones and laptops) so using these things to your advantage could help keep your students be better engaged and enhance their understanding of the material. The culture that older teachers grew up in is vastly different from the culture that students in today’s world are growing up in. It is important for teachers to keep up with the new cultures because it could help them better connect with their students, and teach them in ways that they would be more motivated to learn in. Like everything, using technology to teach has its downsides such as certain applications not working correctly, internet not connecting, students being more susceptible to cheating, but the advantages that technology provides are far greater than these disadvantages. Students today are gaining skills in their youth that most professionals did not gain until later on in their careers/education. Technology in classrooms is just getting started and is just going to continue, so it is best that teachers learn to use it to their advantage as well as come up with strategies to reduce the disadvantages (such as cheating).
Students using Kahoot as a learning tool.
Let’s Talk Graffiti and Sustainable Development
Video games have become so immersive in the ways we can interact with non-playable characters and the fictional worlds that they live in. We have always imagined what it would be like to stand alongside our characters and carry out their quests with them. It also has influenced us to imagine living a life and doing every day activities from the comfort of our homes. These ideas have contributed to the development of virtual and augmented reality. Using our phones and/or special virtual reality headsets, we have been able to transform the space around is and create simulations of products and worlds that we can interact with from our own points of view. Many people are familiar with virtual reality games such as Beat Saber (2018) and Superhot (2016) where the space is altered around us and objects are flying towards us. Average people are even capable of making their own virtual reality spaces to share with people and we can meet people online in our own avatars. Using virtual reality, we can now make our online connects even more personal. It is even used for educational purposes like viewing simulations and models of space, the human body, and walkthroughs of museums. But how else can virtual and augmented reality be used to make an every larger impact on the outside world and people we meet? Well I believe that is possible with Kingspray Graffiti VR (2019), a virtual reality game that allows you to spray paint graffiti at several different locations. You may be asking, how can a simulated illegal activity help to spread any sort of positive world messages? First, let’s hear from graffiti artist Gabe Gault.
Gabe Gault was asked by the creators of Kingspray Graffiti VR and to walk us through his process on how he creates work using spray paint. He typically is commissioned to create large wall murals, but in this video he is showing that same process in this virtual landscape and explain his artistic and creative decisions. His final result was meant to be his interpretation of the future of exploration, depicting a woman of color as an astronaut. In this short 3 minute video, he is able to convey such a simple and meaningful message through graffiti. While graffiti does have a negative connotation, it is important to understand how graffiti has not only transcended into a valid and sought after art form and style, but has also been around for centuries.
Why Does Graffiti Matter?
Graffiti is loosely defined as the vandalism of public property, typically using paint or other mediums that alter the surface in an artistic or creative way. The content itself does not necessarily need to be “offensive” or “gang-affiliated” or have that specific organic style to be considered graffiti. The difference between graffiti and a mural is that the artist is given permission to create the mural. But then why do we still refer to it as graffiti if it is legal? Its because graffiti, historically, has always been so much more than just vandalism and because of its long history, “Graffiti” has developed into a style of art and an art form itself. The earliest known graffiti is cave paintings. Depictions of hunts and prehistoric animals on what would be considered public cave walls. From back then to the present, graffiti has always been used as forms of record keeping, decorating, rebellion, and propaganda. Graffiti has contributed to much of what we know about those who came before us. Graffiti has always been a sign of civilization, its good and its bad parts. And that has not changed. Overtime, urban areas developed a bubble lettered, organic style of graffiti that was often associated with gangs and violence. But tags and messages placed by those in modern cities serve no different purpose than those of our ancient ancestors. But because the style has changed to something so much more bold and bigger than older graffiti, people began to take even more offence and to stand against it. That is not to say we should be supporting messages of violence, but the purpose of graffiti has always been to share a message. And if people are not listening, then graffiti artists will make their messages so you cannot ignore them. And because of this constant pushing by graffiti artists to be seen and by others for them to stop, that is how we have developed graffiti into this very vibrant art style that is so sought after. Graffiti has always been done to convey a message, now we just know how to do so more clearly with citizens and corporations having taken part in this process.
(Please view the TEDEd link to learn more about the history of graffiti and its historical and cultural significance.)
Sustainable Development Goals Graffiti Projects
SDG Street Art (2020)
As mentioned, graffiti (also known as street art) has always been done with the purpose of conveying some sort of message and it has developed into an art form used by many large organizations. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals have been the influence of two graffiti based projects. SDG Street Art was an event held in Cork City, Ireland where participants were able to spray paint images and messages related to the 17 SDG’s on a public wall (with permission of the city to do so.) The purpose was to spread information about what the SDG’s are and gain more attention for the global project.
Mongolia Graffiti Art Campaign (2017)
Another graffiti project was a campaign done in Mongolia by a single young artist, sponsored by the Global Goals Organization. This artist painted his interpretation of each of the 17 goals on the walls outside of Mongolia’s United Nations House. Again, the purpose was to share these global goals with their community and gain more attention to all of the goals and causes being targeted by the United Nations.
How Students Can Use Graffiti to Spread a Message
These next ideas can be done by anyone of all ages, but I came up with these ideas coming from the mindset of an aspiring art teacher. Because graffiti in many cases is illegal and it takes special permissions to be able to create public murals which are very difficult to get, I want to consider Kingspray VR as an alternative and a foundation for something greater. Let’s say students were to pick an SDG and target they felt strongly about or another cause and they used the app, individually or collaborative, to create virtual graffiti murals that represent and promote their chosen cause. It is a fun and unique way for students to create meaningful work while also incorporating new technology into the classroom. If we wanted to expand their projects and share them, while again it would be difficult to get a sponsor to want to have students work blown up and plastered on public walls, it can be blown up and plastered in schools. Imagine a graffiti art show where all of the art they created in virtual reality was downloaded and displayed all around a school gym or auditorium. Or if they were used to cover walls or bulletin boards around the school. Or if you wanted to use even more technology, you could consider developing it into an augmented reality art show where their graffiti pieces are turned into AR model that can be scanned on devices and viewed in the real world on a blank wall through a smartphone or tablet. And I understand that for many schools it would be difficult to give many students the opportunity to create full pieces of work in virtual reality, but it can even be altered to them practicing in virtual reality and creating sketches and then painting them on large pieces of news print of bulletin board paper.
I think virtual and augmented reality, more specific Kingspray VR, as well as graffiti can be used to spread very powerful messages and can be developed into unique expansive projects for anyone. I do believe it is worth considering and checking out for yourself.
DOWNLOAD KINGSPRAY GRAFFITI ON OCULUS QUEST TO SHARE YOUR OWN MESSAGE!
Thank you for reading!
Follow me on Twitter at @IreneOrtiz001
Vatican Museums: A Virtual Tour
The Vatican is not only a home for the followers of the Roman Catholic church, it is also home to several historical Italian Renaissance pieces. It is within the frescos and statues of this holy building where artists conceptualized the complex ideals of this time period. Despite its location, these works best represent the interest in humanism founded in the High Renaissance, an understanding and appreciation of the needs and achievements of humans rather than just a divine power. Artists were commissioned to create works and paint on the walls of the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, famously including Raphael and Michelangelo. Now these idealized, Greek-inspired forms are open to the public to see, but not everyone will have the opportunity to walk into a room and be consumed by the artist of some of the greatest Renaissance. However, the age of virtual reality and 360 degree cameras have solved this problem! Now with Musei Vaticani you can take a virtual tour of 14/26 museums within the Vatican in a 360 degree interactive tour and whatever you cannot see virtually, you can enjoy in a video from the same place!
What Can You See in These Virtual Museums?
- Raphael’s Rooms
- Visit the four rooms of Raphael, painted from floor to ceiling in his fresco paintings. Even take a look at one of his most better known pieces, The School of Athens. Get up close, without the risk of chipping the old pigment, and examine how Raphael is able to capture the complexity of the High Renaissance by depicting some of the greatest philosophers, mathematicians, historians, theologists, and writers of his time and the consideration of the living and the spiritual.
- The Sistine Chapel / Sistine Halls
- Engulf yourself in the ceiling high frescos of the Sistine Chapel. Several works by several artists commissioned by the Popes of the era. The work in the chapel is meant to commemorate significant religious figures and events.You can even view the famous Sistine ceiling painted by Michelangelo where he illustrated 9 stories of the Genesis including The Creation of Adam.
- New Wing
- The New Wing displayed sculptures that were originally taken by Napoleon and in an effort to honor the artists and historical significance of these pieces, the entire wing was decorated with traditional tiles, architecture, and reliefs similar to those of the time period when these works were created. A majority of the statues present in the wing are replicas of Greek statues, who were big inspirations to Italians of the era, and emperors.
- Pio Clementino Museum
- These halls are filled with ancient and classical collections of sculptures that were excavated, collected and or donated to the museum in an effort to restore and protect antique works of art of Italy. The halls are embellished with Neoclassical decorations overseen by several artists whose works are already displayed throughout the Vatican, including Michelangelo.
- Salone Sistino
- I could not find information on their website or much online about what is within the Salone Sistino, but to my understanding it is or was a library and possibly at one point the Pope’s private study that has been in and out of the public eye for several decades now. The virtual tour oddly did not load properly for me. Let me know if it worked for you in the comments below!
- Profane Museum
- A collection of several items whether their origins are unknown, are from before the Roman era, or are not about religious topics. Essentially, this museum is about anything other than religion that is found to be important enough to conserve,
- Pauline Halls
- Pauline Halls is a chapel where the last two painted ever created by Michelangelo stand. The Conversion of Saul and The Crucifixion of Saint Peter, two frescos on opposite walls from each other.
- Chiaramonti Museum
- This site is home to several Roman antiques like many of the other museums, but this museum is home to several busts used for funerals and as commissions of royalty, soldiers, and the wealthy.
- Hall of the Papyri
- Unlike other areas of the Vatican, this hall displayers terracotta works and decorations which suggest ancient Egyptian influence by artists from the 1700’s.
- Niccoline Chapel
- A hall full of several frescos of religious figures and murals with heavy depictions of the humanism philosophy.
- Gallery of Urban VIII
- This chapel within the Vatican includes frescoes that depict the Stories of the Passion of Chirst commissioned to be painted by Italian artist Alessandro Vaiani and possibly alongside him was his daughter. Also includes paintings where the bases of the walls were made with leather, not as common of a practice at this time.
- Alexandrine Hall
- Again I could not find much information on the works and decorations in this hall, but I assume they are extensions of other rooms within the Vatican and are covered with frescoes by some of the several artists that have laid their hands on the walls of the Vatican.
- Room of the Chiaroscuri
- Another room with Raphael’s touch, this room depicts several statues of Apostles and Saints whose appearances were clearly heavily Greek influenced, as expected. These paintings would be touched up by other artists in the 1500’s.
Overall, I think this is an amazing website and for the most part the virtual tours and videos are great quality and provide basic information about every collection that is viewable. You can even order tickets for guided virtual tools, so if that interests you make sure to click any of the links in this blog to get to the website and start your tour of the Vatican. I hope you will like it as much as I did!
Thank you for reading!
Follow me on Twitter at @IreneOrtiz001
Microsoft Forms v. Google Forms
In the age of technology, there are many duplicate applications and websites that follow the formats of the ones that came before them. There are so many places to get templates and different formats for documents, slide shows, websites, and so on. If you were in school, whether as an educator or a student, in the early 2000s especially, you are probably mostly familiar with Microsoft Office products including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. I remember when I was in middle school between 2013-2015, we began to switch over to using Google Suite products like Docs, Slides, Spreadsheet, and Sites. They were essentially the same thing as the Microsoft products that I already knew, they were just simpler. There were less buttons and options, the templates were limited, and was generally the “squeaky clean” version. I got used to using Google Products for my education, so when I found out Microsoft had their own version of Forms, I was surprised. Google Forms was a product that I always had difficulty using. I just always felt like there could be more and as a future educator, now more than ever, I find a need for an application such as this one. After looking into Microsoft Forms, I cannot believe I have wasted so much time fighting with Google Forms.
Microsoft v. Google
Google Forms is a rather straightforward application. You create a new form, give it a name and a description then you can start adding your questions. You have the option to choose between multiple choice questions, long or short answers, scales, dropdown answers, and checking boxes. You can also add pictures and videos to questions and change the colors of your form as well as add a header. When someone answers the questions on your forms, you get an email of their responses and you can assign them a grade automatically or manually. What else could you need? Well Microsoft Forms has so much more to offer. In addition to what Google Forms has to offer, Microsoft allows you to customize your rating scale with different icons like thumbs, hearts, or stars. Very cute, but it goes beyond that. If you have ever tried to make a question in Google Forms where things need to be numbered in chronological order, it is actually very difficult because it has to be done in a grid and looks visually complicated and messy. Microsoft has an option for ranking questions as well as likert and net promoter score questions. Not only does it have more options for questions, it has more options for style and other features as well. You can change the style and font of the entire form, add a gif for your header, music to be played or paused during the assessment, start and end times, timers, and have it translated for different languages! It also has an AI feature that suggests questions and answers based on the others that you have input. It even creates its own personal QR code. When you are taking the assessment it also has an immersive reader option for those who need it. Compared to Google Forms, Microsoft Forms is not only significantly more expansive and detailed, it is also more inclusive and accessible for those creating and taking the form.
So Why Forms at All?
Forms is a technology alternative for assessments for students. Assessments are a method of getting an evaluation of a student’s understanding of course content. When educators know how well students understand the content, they are able to make adjustments to their methods and content to help students develop their understanding. But not only are forms a great for assessments, they are also a wonderful ways for students to communicate with their teachers. Educators are lifelong learners and in order to ensure they are providing their students with the best education they can, they must be willing to listen to their students. Teachers can use forms to have students provide them with feedback on content or lessons, do peer and self-evaluations, or even teacher evaluations. Some students would never be open about their thoughts, opinions, and feelings to a teacher’s face. It can be a scary thing, So giving the students and outlet where they can express concerns or misunderstands about your class or the content is vital for a healthy student-teacher communication.
PLEASE CONSIDER FILLING OUT MY MICROSOFT FORM TO FAMILIARIZE YOURSELF WITH THE FORMAT AND GIVE ME FEEDBACK!
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO LEARN HOW TO USE MICROSOFT FORMS AND OTHER MICROSOFT PRODUCTS, CLICK HERE AND HERE FOR THE LINKS I USED THAT TAUGHT ME ABOUT IT!
Thank you for reading!
Follow me on Twitter at @IreneOrtiz001
Teachers’ Guide to Global Collaboration
If you are an educator and are struggling to look for collaborative and enriching activities for your students inside your school or in your community then look no further! “Teachers’ Guide to Global Collaboration” is a website that allows educators and students around the world to participate in global and nationwide activities and projects right from their classroom. Teachers can find organizations that are looking for help with large scale projects, projects submitted by other teachers who would like to collaborate in specific subject areas, and even submit a request to publish your own project idea that you would like others to join. It is a great way for educators to reach new classrooms and have their students create work that is impactful outside of their schools!
My Experience
When I first opened the website I immediately opened the projects tab and searched for “art.” In clinical practice to becoming an art teacher, I have found so much more value in collaborative projects than I was expecting. I have implemented several collaborative lessons and while they were awkward for the students at first, they grew to love working together and sharing their knowledge with each other. One of my favorite projects I gave students was to work in groups along with one or more dancers from the dance class next door and try to create beautiful photographs of the dancers capturing motion and using everything they have learned about photography thus far. The students were so excited and they got to use the entire inside and outside of the school to take their pictures and they created wonderful and thoughtful images. I was so proud of their results and so happy that they enjoyed the project. However, it was difficult to give them more than just a couple days with the dancers because a mistake was made and our schedules did not align with theirs. One downside in trying to collaborate with other classrooms in your school, is trying to get on schedule with each other in a way that does not hold anyone back. But the satisfaction of collaborating on a larger scale trumps that and creates such meaningful memories with the students. Therefore, I was happy to find so many different projects and organizations that are open to artistic collaborations on a national and global scale.
What I Found
One of the projects I found is a project called “A Sense of Caring” which I think is a beautiful project for elementary and middle school students. Students either send in or receive a story or poem about what caring is to them and then the student who receives it has to create artwork based on their story. The story and artwork are then paired together and used to create Service Learning Project where students take action and show the importance of caring for others and their community. This is a beautiful project that I could see myself using to introduce students to symbolism, general visual literacy, and collaboration in the art room.
This website also introduced me to a site called “Creative Connections.” This is a large online gallery that allows students and educators from all over the world to participate in and create exhibits with their original work to be displayed on their website. I have seen similar sites to this one, but this site seems well organized with how each exhibition is separated and labeled. I could see myself asking my students to participate in this site. Not every student can be in the art show or sent to the Teen Arts Festival, so this is a great alternative for students or have students work published on a larger scale.
Overall, I think “Teachers’ Guide to Global Collaboration” is a wonderful way for teachers and students to collaborate beyond the small world of their classrooms. It is convenient and easy to navigate. I could see myself using this website to not only join projects created by other teachers, but also possibly to create a long term project for my students or school community to get involved in. I noticed the site does not have many projects that are long term with rolling registration, so I would love to contribute to that some day.
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS A RANGE OF ORGANIZATIONS AND PROJECTS TO COLLABORATE WITH OR START YOUR OWN!
Thank you for reading!
Follow me on Twitter at @IreneOrtiz001
What’s in Your Global Educator Toolkit?
Being a future educator having the right tools is key. You can have a district that provides you with everything, or you have to develop all your resources. Whichever the case, you should have the resources to help your classroom and students, be aware of global activities and education.
With the Global Educator Toolkit comes tons of resources for every grade. The one I liked the best for grades K-8 was the Center for the Study of Multicultural Children’s Literature, or CSMSL. Their website tells you they are among the leading research center for multicultural literature. Our classrooms should reflect our students and include a variety of cultures. I want books with every culture in my classroom so each child feels represented and included. CSMSL provides recent and historically significant multicultural children’s books.
A few multicultural books from CSMCL’s collection.
On CSMCL’s website, you can find “Best Books of” from 2013 to current. This year, 2023 hasn’t been posted yet. You can click on any of the years you like, scroll through the book covers and look at the books that pique your interest. You can click on individual books and the CSMCL website will bring you to another website, Goodreads where you will have the option to go to more sites to purchase the book or download a kindle version.
It is a lot of steps to purchase a book to read, but I really like this as a resource in the classroom. I’m a big reader, and I will encourage my students to do the same. I hope to have many of these books on my shelves available so my students can browse online here and then check them out in person. The other option is that if my students see a book they are interested in or want to learn about, I can always see if I can get that book for my class.
Including global resources as an educator is so important. What steps will you be taking so your students are more globally aware? Share your ideas so we can grow together!
Why Teachers Need to Work Together
Most teachers expect their students to work together whether that be by assigning them into groups or implementing the infamous rule of “ask 3 before me” which, in my experience, just led to a silent classroom. Teachers encourage students to work together to find the answers to what they need, so why do teachers not do the same? Why would some teachers insist on making their own lessons and worksheets from nothing or struggle to help a student in need without asking for advice? A teacher who does not collaborate is stunting their own growth as well as that of their students. In an article by Damon Torgerson, he describes the importance and benefits of teachers being active collaborators in their schools and districts and how teachers can promote collaboration amongst their peers.
So Why Should Teachers Collaborate?
- Changes the School Environment
Teachers are constantly stressed having to carry the weight of taking care of the next generation on their shoulders for half of their day, 5 days a week. It is very easy to become frustrating, lose your temper, not keep promises, and so on. When teachers work together, share their resources, and share their experiences with each other, they can start to build meaningful work relationships. When teachers can lean on and support each other, it changes how they come into work every day. Students can tell when their teacher is not “in it,” so do not be afraid to lean on someone who understands you if it will keep your classroom environment healthy
2. Reduces Stress and Teacher Burnout
As mention, once the work begins to pile up, teachers can very easily begin to drown. If they work together to support each other, they can begin to lift some of the stress off each other’s shoulders. Think back to when you were in school as a student. Part of the fun about being in school was seeing your friends and if you had a bad day at school, at least you saw them right? So why should it be any different as a teacher?
3. Sharing Your Strengths and Learning from Others
As a teacher, you are an expert in what you know and there may be other teachers in your school who need you. Maybe the math teacher wants to do a research project with students, but they are not sure how to get them started. If you are a Science, History, or English teacher you must have some knowledge about research projects to share, so share it. You could open the door for students to have unique cross content experiences and open yourself up to new ideas from people outside of your field.
4. Stay Up to Date
Education is always advancing with the use of technology and educators may not always have the time to research new methods of teaching or new websites to use in their lessons. It can be so easy to fall into a habit of “doing what works” and not “reinventing the wheel.” But there are so many ways to facilitate learning that can be engaging for the student as well as the teacher, so reach out to your colleagues and see if they know of anything that may be of interest to you. Create a Facebook Group where you can share links and ideas with each other quick and easy, so you do not fall behind on the trends.
5. Professional Development on Your Own Time
As mentioned, educators may not always have time to do research on new activities or questions they may have. They may not have time to wait until the next professional development meeting to ask the questions they may have to their peers or supervisors. Reach out for help when you need it. Be proactive and use your biggest most accessible resource, a.k.a. your peers, to help you along the way and I am sure they could use your help as well.
6. Improved Student Outcomes
As mention, students can tell when teachers are not doing well, are not passionate about their work, or are having trouble with other teachers. This ultimately does affect how they perform in your classroom and can actively discourage them from not only completing their work, but reaching out to their teacher for help. If teachers openly collaborate and create a safe and productive work as well as teaching environment, students will be encouraged to work together with their peers and teachers. Also by diversifying your own teaching methods and practices, you are creating a much more unique and enriching learning experience that can reach a broader audience and support all types of learners.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW HIS ARTICLE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW TO EFFECTIVELY COLLABORATE AS AN EDUCATOR
Thank you for reading!
Follow me on Twitter at @IreneOrtiz001
Young Interpreters Project
I came across this mission while scrolling Twitter for a post on collaboration in education. Collaboration in education happens every day in every school, but there aren’t always articles about it, which was the challenge. When I read about this project, I thought it was admirable.
There have been waves of migration in Europe, causing students to be in schools where their native language isn’t taught. This project would aim to train students to become “Young Interpreters” to the new students. The students must undergo official training to ensure they are well equipped to serve the incoming students. This project would have six partners from five countries participating, all of whom had faced this education challenge.
The incoming students will feel more comfortable entering a new school with an unfamiliar language if they know a peer will translate for them. This also allows for peer-to-peer learning, which is crucial in this type of environment. The new student will be able to develop new skills with less pressure and still learn new information being set up for success.
The idea behind this project is to recruit 120 student interpreters in five countries and up to ten languages which can reach so many students!
If you click the impact report, you can see they’ve surpassed their goal. They’ve supported almost 400 new students in 19 different languages. They even included a few case studies to show growth which was really neat.