ART CANOE

Making Drawings Interactive with the Doink Green Screen app One of my 6th graders was experimenting with the Doink Green Screen app. She worked on adding video in the background and as audio for their drawings.

Flashback Thursday After receiving a Fulbright grant to Japan in 2003, I came back and integrated many new projects and ideas into my art curriculum. My 5th students still create Noh ceramic masks after learning about Japanese theatre. Now, I look for ways to keep learning fresh and new for myself and my students. I tweet regularly as a part of my personal learning/professional network. Below is a gif I created from my Fulbright trip pics using a Chrome app. Made a cool animated GIF with #GIFPAL using Noh mask pics from my '03 Japanese Fulbright trip pic.twitter.com/sRytBVa0XQ — Hether Hoffmann (@HetherHoffmann) December 18, 2014

Haiku Video The eighth graders are using video to illustrate their Haiku poems. They must create a video with 5-7-5 second clips that visually relate to the poem. I am also encouraging them to try animation and the Doink Green Screen App as well. My green screen example is below.

Quest Student work on display at the Palatine Library: http://www.palatinelibrary.org/news/art-in-november

Students are creating optical illusions using radial symmetry and complimentary color theory.

One of my 5th students has been working on this mask for over 2 weeks. He has been coming in during lunch and recess to finish all the details.

Each fall and spring, my school has a service learning immersion day. Every grade is involved on and off campus. My Earth group did a beach cleanup at Illinois State Beach Park with forest steward, Don Wilson. In addition, Don served as naturalist, educating us about dunes, sand prairies, and oak savannas.  We hiked to the Dead River watershed, learned about swales, and saw several prickly pear cactuses and artic plants. We also learned that the nature enter is almost never open due to lack of DNR funds.  Illinois State Beach Park is the most popular park in Illinois. 

As an educator, it has been very exciting to connect with other educators via educational Twitter chats. An example published below features last night's chat featuring authors of Teach like a Pirate and Genius Hour . I had fun reading and contributing to this chat! [ View the story "Teach Like a Pirate~ Pure Genius~ November 3, 2014" on Storify ]

It was a great weekend at Quest Academy. I attended EduCamp Illinois. This free unconference style tech camp touches upon everything from teaching/learning/sharing/collaboration to technology/augmented reality/makerspaces. (http://www.edcampillinois.com/schedule.html) There are many Ed Camps across the country. Check out the nationwide schedule here:http://edcamp.wikispaces.com/Complete+edcamp+calendar. I will be checking out the book, Teach Like a Pirate, the new app  Touchcast (demo:  http://www.touchcast. com/  ), experimenting with augmented reality apps (http://www.aurasma.com/#/whats-your-aura) and working with Thinglink (see my example below). My Thinglink has already been embedded into my 7th gr. Haiku art class page.

As a part of my school's STEAM curriculum, my students designed shoes after looking at Pop Artand shoe design from the Toronto Bata Shoe Museum.