There are so many technological
devices that can be integrated into the art classroom. I came across one particular product that I
think is worth writing about, the ELMO Visual Presenter. I first was introduced
to it by my son’s teacher. We were working on decorating the hallways for
Multicultural Day at my children’s school, when she gave us a demonstration of
how it could be used to project an image to be traced, among other things. I
had never seen that specific kind of projector and was impressed, I think
mostly because of how small it was.
As an art teacher, I will be
doing many demonstrations. Usually the students gather around the teacher so
they can watch the presentation. This is not always the ideal situation for the
student or the teacher because it does not give every student the same view,
and sometimes it does not give them much of a view at all! Being able to
project the demonstration so that everyone can clearly see it is a great
advantage. This also gives the benefit of allowing the students to practice
while you teach or work along with you, rather than going back to their seats
and trying to remember all the steps. In addition, the Visual Presenter allows
you to zoom in and document objects. Images can be stored on the SD card which
permits you to show all the saved images. I also like the fact that you can
pause on an image. I believe this would come in handy if you would like to walk
around the class to see if the students were able to complete the step. Another
great aspect about it is that it is extremely light weight and folds down for
easy storage and portability.
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I think both of these items would be able to be used by the students also. The Visual Presenter allows you to project a pretty large image, so they would be able to project their artworks for the class critiques. This would again, give the whole class a better view of the piece. The Wireless Tablet could also be used by students and the teacher to point out the particular critiques that the classmates and teacher may have about the work. I think it would add to student participation because it would make the critique more interesting with the added interaction the tablet creates.
I know there are similar technologies that perform the same job as these do, but I always think it is important as a teacher to be aware of the many different possibilities that are available to enhance our teaching as well as our students learning experience.
I believe tablets will provide a visual bridge for students. Students need to have more hands on learning materials in class.
ReplyDeleteIt’s so true what you say at the end, how we should be aware of what is out there for use to use as teachers. There is more stuff than we probably know! I have seen things like the ELMO before in high school. They are very awesome. You bring up an excellent point that art teachers could really use them when drawing out a demo or something. That way everyone can see. I do agree that would be a great improvement in the art classroom!
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