Final Blog

1.) I have never used blogging before this class. I was a bit apprehensive at first, because I new that everyone would be able to read what I was writing. In spite of this, once I started blogging I found it sort of exciting and fun at the same time. Many people all around the world are blogging and getting their thoughts, ideas and opinions out there. I find it to be a great way to express yourself and for others to read about you. It is interesting how other people can add their thoughts about your topic.

2.) I found blogging to be extremely useful reflection and communication tool. I was able to read what other students had to say about certain topics and decide whether I agreed or disagreed with them. This tool can be informative and enables people to get their thoughts out to the public and all you need to have is a computer and a free blogger account.

3.) I would use a blog in my classroom. I think it would work the best with middle school and high school students. This is an easy and effective way to have the whole class communicate out of class. I would post artists and art related website for students to look at and write a review about. Since we are in such a technology/ visually based society, I think it would be helpful to incorporate a blog page into every classroom. Students will find it enjoyable to make their own blog page and also design the format of it.

porTfoLio reSourCe

My resource: http://www.apocryph.net/

I was very impressed with this digital portfolio. I thought it was well laid out and wasn't too cluttered. I am drawn to portfolios that leave room for the works to breath.I thought this portfolio worked because not only was it creative, but it was also user friendly. It is vital when making a digital portfolio that have your works and areas where you click clearly labeled and easy to understand.
I would take several ideas from this portfolio and use them in mine. I think it helps to have some sort of icon or logo created for the initial page. I want to leave white space around my images so that the viewer can appreciate each image, rather than seeing everything come together at once. I am also drawn to the way they cropped the image in their 3D section and had you click on it to enlarge. I want my portfolio to be clean, neat and creative.

A.) I chose both Britney and Jill because I sit next to them and I am interested in their views and ideas. Then I selected a person that I did not know that much about.

B.) I decided to focus on the activity that I had the most fun with which was the self-portrait. I wanted to see what different people chose as their inspirations. I find it helpful to view other artists’ works before I start my own projects.

C.) I would definitely use a blog as a communication tool if I were working with high school or even middle school students. I think it may be too difficult for elementary though. You could use a blog to hold classroom discussions on articles and artists. It is also a great way to have the class come together as a whole when they can not meet, for example on weekends. Since students now seem to be more computer literate than ever, I think it is necessary to bring this type of learning to the classroom. This will keep you as a teacher up to date and help the students gain knowledge.

Here are my comments on my classmates blogs:

http://hagerbj01.blogspot.com/2010/03/self-portrait-inspiration-part-2.html?showComment=1271374831575_AIe9_BHdwqhdQfHzkONDcf4VWg0JyKqFk2Jv5hBdhg_0Gm8M6rUzptzH3U-6cfOhEdH2sWdL1JJ0fpAy5RGtOvpYHXKmVvRuvhr_xEEHELvlw7Ug-3fnwdrQvzHVO0P7Dgmp03O5kX0ACtYmyRRdCZBVNUknn80-GVJbRftE_nBVRQfYnsVQri_iWJM1cVOTcl7MSvDBnDigfCloR0u4B_G6b17bW7mIgnv0Xy-dplvkyy7GfO23G4U#c7779811929603395353

http://meheml29aed398.blogspot.com/2010/03/self-portrait-inspiration-and-technical.html?showComment=1271371974506#c8287653397367336800

http://seifjm59-arteducation398.blogspot.com/2010/03/b9-selfportrait.html?showComment=1271374699685_AIe9_BGFpu6eR4cJz8BtcXBQ363E8YAMP_BcYnwWDv5dTALV-9bdMRDt5DJB0t6nVpsqqOBrSDznCiJRMXRAXJ1So6z0LWSclQTgA7w5YtAyqiAXTCJFNZogrzfBl2jQ6xW1ti-fRH0t_7U6j3EXmuYLmaP7kPi8m1kqN-JRk_0v3U0IU-NCff5Zl85pKH8Ea9qmSAzT0EnDs7eZizltExzAAZH49ByGxlhuUgDI0_UyW_5mmDZfQuE#c3217045437620032638

websites

http://www.adobe.com/education/solutions/k12/crosscurricular/
I would definitely use Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator in my classroom. I feel it is important for students to learn how to create artwork in digital programs. I would introduce them to Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. I would collaborate with the class and create a digital story.

http://www.apple.com/education/shop/
I would have mac computers available for the students to work on. I feel the Mac is the best computer for creating design and artwork. I would try to have the Macs available if it was in the schools budget. The Mac computers are easy to use and are designed to be energy efficient. There are also educational discounts for the schools if they purchase several computers.

http://www.edutopia.org/project-learning
I would use Project Learning. I think this is a great way for students to connect with other students and explore real world problems. Students will be able to gain self-direction and research skills as well as hands on experience. Students will be learning several different skills that will help them later in their life. I would have the students focus on what they can do to be more earth friendly and green.

InDesignCS3

I found the InDesign tutorials to be helpful, but much of what they went over I already knew. There were some slight changes made from CS2 to CS3. I learned how to create a bleed within the document setting. Often times I would want my images to extend right to the edge of the paper and need to create a bleed. The colored lines help you differentiate your document from your bleed and slug. I am use to using layers in Photoshop and Illustrator and the layer in InDesign are very similar. I thought it was interesting how you can select text boxes and move them to other layers by sliding the small blue square on your layers palette to the layer you want it to go on.
I found it helpful that the control panel switches when you move from text to images. The top area makes it easy to change size, effects and other options quickly. The keyboard shortcuts can really save you time. I like how you can modify the key commands to your own customized setting. I have used master pages before. This helps if you want something to remain in the same spot on all of your pages. This feature saves you the struggle of making sure things are perfectly aligned on all the pages. I am drawn to being able to create shapes with the shape tool and experimenting with the graphics.
For the upcoming projects I would definitely use the text wrap feature if I were working with a text heavy document that also has an image. The text wrap can really make the page look intriguing and well thought out. I would also use the object style to customize effects to multiple images. This can be great for changing both the attributes and the effects of images.

Resource for Photoshop

I found this video on making an urban collage self-portrait. I thought it was really fun and interesting how it showed the different layers and effects being made to the photograph. Although I don’t think I am going to use such an urban theme to my work, I feel this video gave me ideas on how I can change my background and add swirl designs to enhance my piece. Since I am familiar with Photoshop I new what effects he was using, but if you just started to learn Photoshop you may have trouble following what the steps were. I like the idea of adding several images on top of one another to create depth.
For my self-portrait I want to keep it minimal in overall design, but use subtle effects to change my original photograph. I may use fabric to incorporate in the background of my image because I like the idea of fabric collage being intergraded.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTOK4fSCZAY&feature=channel

If the link isn't working for you type this in the browser :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTOK4fSCZAY&feature=channel

Examples- Self Portrait

I chose these two self-portrait images because I felt they really caught my eye and experimented with unique styles. I thought the typographic self-portrait was extremely interesting. I like how she incorporated a biography of her life to make up her face outline. I am impressed how it came out so realistic. I also chose the more abstract woman self-portrait. I like how she used different materials to make up her face. If you look closely you can see there are music notes in the background, which show that she really enjoys music, or is a musician.
I will use both of these examples to help me with my own self-portrait. I am going to experiment with unique approaches. I like the idea of adding type in a creative way. I am also highly influenced by the use of fabrics into the work to give it a more handmade feel.

Self Portrait

Self-Portrait Questions

A self-portrait is a representation of a person. It can be abstract or realistic, however, it expresses who they are. A self-portrait can be made in any medium.

I feel that there are many distinct things that make me who I am. I am tall and have long brown hair and blue eyes. I am interested in photography, painting and graphic design. I love to travel to new places and I enjoy teaching young children art.

I want people to see me as someone who is kind, passionate about art, caring, and ambitious.

I feel I can express my different sides at different places in my life. If I am in school I tend to be very diligent and eager to learn, where as if I am hanging out with my friends I tend to be more open and free. If I am working I am become immersed in my projects and need to be quite to concentrate.

You can reinvent yourself after overcoming something huge in your life or having to change due to something that happened in your life. Many times it can be good to reinvent yourself. You may decide that who you use to be isn’t who you want to be anymore. You have the ability to change yourself.

I think it is easy to see how you are changing when you look back to the previous year. It may be hard to see change from day to day, however, by looking at it more long term you are able to clearly pick out the changes. You may change due to a new job, new partner or by trying something different.

I want to become a great art teacher in the future. I want students to be able to understand and create art. I also want to someday have a family of my own and be able to teach my children different things. I want to become someone who is happy at their job and who enjoys going to work.

Photoshop CS3

I found there to many several changes from Photoshop CS2 to CS3. I think one of the best upgrades would be the quick selection tool. Now you are able to click the “w” key and then click in the area of the image you want to select. If you don’t want to select a certain part of it you use the alt key and then click. This feature makes it very simple to take a certain part of the picture out and to place it on a plain background. In the past I remember spending a lot of time trying to perfectly select on object, this was much more difficult before. You are also able to use refine edge to view the object on multiple backgrounds such as white and black. This can be very helpful if you are working with displaying products. The smart filter was another feature that I would definitely use. With this you are able to use multiple filters on a single image and you can change the stacking order to create unique views. It is also interesting how you can us the blending controls for each filter. I think the exposure feature would help when adjusting the lighting for photographs. By using the smart object selection you can really adjust the shadows and highlights of certain areas. In InDesign I thought the tool called frame fitting would be particularly useful. Sometimes your picture can be brought in and be way too large; this will help fit it proportionately to the page size. The multi place tool could also be effective when you are working with many images at the same time.
I think the video on making and refining selections was the most helpful to me. If you don’t know about he quick selection tool you can really have a hard time trying to select a certain object out of the whole picture. I felt the first speaker was very clear and had a good pace. I noticed the woman speaker to be too slow and to have a slight lisp. The last male speaker was harder for me to listen to because of his strong lisp. I felt these tutorials were very useful. I feel that I need to upgrade my Adobe Suite because I am missing out on great new features of the programs.

InDesignCS3

I have used Adobe InDesign before, however, it was mostly in CS2. I am much more familiar with Photoshop and Illustrator, but I have made magazine layouts and booklets before with InDesign. I learned a lot of new tricks that would really help me design more quickly. I can remember times when I had to manually move my text around a picture. I will briefly summarize what I have learned from these six videos.

I was familiar with how the direct selection and selection tools work. It is different from other programs the way the frame resizes and the image doesn't. I also find it useful for me to group objects when I am trying to keep certain images together. I think I would use the optical curning to adjust the spacing between my text and try the optical margin if I had a story. I find the style sheets to be extremely use full when working with a large amount of body copy. It seems as though many new buttons have made it very simple to use features such as bullet points and numbering text. It is useful how InDesign will know to keep the numbers in order if you insert of delete a bullet point. With the text wrap there are so many options that are accessible to you with just clicking different buttons. When you have text covering an image it can be difficult to make it flow just as you wanted, however, now you can choose different alignments and it will change the placement. I would use the detect edges feature for the text to be close to image and follow the outline. It can be hard when you are working with so many different pages, but if you mange your pages well you will find it to be easier. The speaker recommended to go to the panel options and turn off "show vertically", this way you will be able to see all your pages side by side.

The last speaker with managing pages was my favorite, I felt he was very clear and had a good pace. I found the speaker for the text wrap to be too fast and the speaker for text styles hard to understand because of the lisp. The woman speaker for making selections was good, however, I preferred the more calm and clear male voice. I found the text wrap and text styles videos to be most helpful. There is so much to learn when it comes to working with multiple page documents. It is best if you make the style sheets early in the beginning so you can change whole sections of type to the way you want.

elements & principles of design

http://s873.photobucket.com/albums/ab296/eahalliday/Elements%20and%20Principles%20of%20ART%202010/?albumview=slideshow

http://s873.photobucket.com/albums/ab296/eahalliday/Elements%20and%20Principles%20of%20ART%202010/?albumview=slideshow

I chose not to have a particular theme to represent my photographs for the elements and principles of design. I am extremely interested in photography and bring my camera with me every chance it get. I like to focus on nature, buildings and people. I find the most captivating shots to usually to candid approaches. I used my digital camera for all of the shots. Some of the elements and principles were more difficult for me to represent than others. I took a more abstract style to my work. I enjoy seeing what different effects you can create with the camera. For some of my pictures I moved the camera as I was taking the shot to get a blurred look. I think it is really cool when the colors blend together and create a product that looks like it has been manipulated, however, it has not.
I liked this project a lot because we were able to pick the subject matter. I think if the teacher gave us a theme that we had to focus on it would have narrowed my creative thinking. I am sure all of our photographs will be very different, which will make them more fun to watch. I think using your own photographs is a great way of experimenting with the camera and your creative thoughts. I would definitely use lessons on photography in my class lessons. I think most students will have or be able to access a digital camera.
When taking a photograph I always am thinking about the picture as a whole. I want their to be a balance created, however, I tend to use asymmetrical balance. I find asymmetry to be more intriguing and unique. You also have to plan out how you want the style of your photograph to look. Many times I blur the background of something and then have my main focus very clear. I have taken several photography classes in high school as well as college and feel that my strengths are in finding ordinary objects are making them eye-catching and appealing. I am happy with my final slide show and feel that it really comes together in the end even though the photographs are of vastly different subject matter.

Logo Inspirations

http://www.logolounge.com/

I have several LogoLounge books that I use to help me with inspirations for making logos. I decided that I would check out their website since I knew that they were a credible source. LogoLounge contains many modern design approaches to making logos. The ideas are often conceptual, eye-catching and innovative. I am mainly interested in these new age designs. I felt this website gives great tips for beginners on how to make an effective logo and keeping in mind all of the essential factors such as, who is the target audience, why you choose certain colors and when you should combine text with image.
I thought it was helpful how they have in the archive on the right the trends of year dating back to 2003. It is interesting to look at how design trends have changed over time. I am drawn to the design style that is called Encrust this style incorporated the swirls and flower patterns. The like who the colors create such contrast when the artist uses a bold color against white. This also creates a flowing pattern since the object then seems to have openings around it, which creates a unity with the white of the background.
Another style that I think is neat is the Candy Stripe. If this is done right I feel it could be very effective, however, you have to match it up with the correct product or company. For example a company for medical supplies or a more serious product would probably not work well. I think it would be fun to pick out of color palette that works together and see what you can come up with.
I was also drawn to the Doily style. I an intrigued by how many different Doily styles you can create and how unique each can look. Sometimes it is okay to make a detail logo, however, it depends of the scale you will be using it for and the message you are trying to create. This effect could be made by turing your drawing into a brush pattern so it will repeat itself around the circle. I will try several different approaches for my own logos design keeping in mind the styles that I thought were effective.
I would definitely recommend this website to anyone interested in logo design. There are so many possibilities that this site helps you decide what you prefer and explains that meaning of different kinds of logos. What is also is is the fact that you are able to see all of the different Logo books if you click on the left hand side. It lists the price and lets you purchase them directly from Amazon.

Adobe Illustrator

I have had several courses on Adobe Illustrator; however, I am more familiar with CS2 than CS3. I have worked with CS3 when I was at my last internship, but I only have the student version of CS2 at home. I found that watching these tutorials was helpful in picking up certain details that they changed with the new version.
I will summarize what the presenters when over in each tutorial. The regular selections tool is for selecting objects and the direct select tool lets you choose anchor points. You are able to select certain anchor points and apply effects for only the selected points if you wish. In order to have all the tools on the screen at once you can tear it off and have the palette with the options available for you. You are able to click on a tool and then click on the page where you want your shape to be. By holding shift this will constrain the proportions. If you hold the option key it will start from the center of where you first clicked. And if you are working with the premade shapes you can use the up and down arrow to adjust how many sides you want your shape to have. The eraser tool can erase only a certain area if you select that object or you can erase anywhere by not selecting anything. With the pen tool you can click and drag for softer edges and you can modify your anchor points the direct select tool. You are able to convert your anchor points to corners or smooth them out. With the pen tool you can use add or delete anchor points. When you are using the brush tool you can adjust the fidelity. With having low fidelity you will create more anchor points as you draw. Or you can change it to high fidelity if you are looking for a more smooth flow with less anchor points. You are also able to adjust the smoothness of marks. Something that I found really interesting was that you are able to rework over paths by having both keep selected and edit selected paths checked. This is something that I would use frequently. This also goes for when you are using the pen tool. By holding shift you can scale objects proportionately. If you double click the scale tool you can change the numbers around and do a preview of what it would look like. If you are using the shear tool and then free transform the object you can distort the objects perspective by holding the command key. There are two types of text; point text and area type. With area type you will see a frame defining it. You can look under options and align the text and add things such as drop shadow. With typing on a path you have starting and ending points. This enables you to control where the text falls. You are able to create different effects while typing on a path.
I am familiar with all of the tools that the presenters went over, however, I did learn a couple new tricks. I found that the presenter in the beginning tutorials was much better than the later ones. I found the speaker in the Point and Type tutorial to be extremely fast and hard to understand. Since I am familiar with most of what was explained I didn’t really find one tutorial more helpful than another, but I was able to pick up different tips that I will use from many of them.
Illustrator is my favorite computer program. I find myself creating drawings and logos often in this program. I feel the hardest thing to do when first using this program is to learn how to control the pen and brush tool to get your anchor points exactly where you want them. With time you are able to pick up on mastering this and incorporating the adding and deleting anchor point tool. One of the best things about Illustrator is that it is vector based and you are able to make objects or type larger or smaller and it won’t look pixilated. We can’t say the same for Photoshop. I remember one of my first mistakes as a beginning designer was creating text in Photoshop and resizing it. We all learn from our mistakes.

Helpful Lessons

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/lesson.htm
This is the website

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/links_grades_kindergarten_12/lesson_plans_elementary_middle_arts.htm
This is what I focused on in the website

I have already went over how to write lesson plans in my classes and feel comfortable doing so, so I decided to search for a site that would help me with future ideas for lesson plans. I am focusing on elementary and middle school students because this is the age range that I would like to teach. I was able to find a site that had several lessons plans to choose from. You were also able to choose what grade level you were interested in. I went into elementary/middle and then chose art. I focused on the first lesson called A Mask for All Seasons. I was drawn to the way they laid out the lesson plan and explained how the activity related to what they were studying. Also towards the end of the plan there was section called evaluation, which was a series of questions the students would have to answer about the project. I feel it is extremely important for teachers to make sure children understand the lesson that we are teaching and that they are able to understand how it relates to them and why it is important. If children do not understand these then they may not be motivated to do the project or will not put their full imagination and effort into it.
I also looked at lesson two called, Pintura: Art Detective. This lesson was interactive and made the viewer become the art detective. I feel something like this would work well to keep the children’s attention and to have them thinking along as well. This would be a good idea was a WebQuest if you wanted to focus on a mystery theme.
The lessons that are shown are all very different and use various types of materials. I think it is important for teachers to create their lessons over the school year in many different medias so students can try a broad spectrum of materials and figure out what they are drawn to.

Animation in PowerPoint

http://www.ellenfinkelstein.com/powerpointtips/powerpoint_tip_animation_tutorial_best_practices.html

I was able to figure out the basics of PowerPoint through the class presentation and my playing around with it. I was really interested in how you could add animation to the lesson. Animation works on several different levels. It can grab the viewers’ attention (especially with children), it can illustrate a progression or it could be strictly for amusement purposes.
I focused on the tutorial at the bottom on animation that shows progression. Ellen shows us an example of a seed starting out very small and growing larger and larger. I felt this idea was very interesting and could be used to show many different progressions in the classroom. It looks like it would be very difficult to do, however, the steps did not look too complicated. Rather than using Clip Art as she suggests, I would do my own drawings in Illustrator and import them into PowerPoint to make them more personal and unique. I think using animation takes the lesson to a whole new level and I am positive the students would love it.

Vist to Albright Knox

Which artworks do I feel a connection with and why?

Georgia O’ Keefee

Green Patio Door 1955

Oil on canvas

I feel a deep connection with the painting Green Patio Door. I like the fact that the painting has a minimalistic quality to it, however, it seems as though there is much more meaning to it. When I look at this work it reminds me of the sky and sand. The turquoise square in the center makes me feel as though we are looking though an opening and viewing the sea. I think several metaphors are being portrayed here.

William de Kooning

Gotham News 1955

Oil on canvas

I fee a connection with Gotham News because of the raw style. De Kooning seems to be very open with his thoughts. I like the abstract style of the work and the variation in line quality. This piece makes me feel a sense of self-expression. I am instantly pulled into this work because of the unique quality of the application of the paint.

Jackson Pollack

Convergence 1952

Oil on canvas

I have always felt a connection to Pollack’s work because he was breaking away from the normal and experimenting with new techniques. Not only am I in awe by the significant size of the piece, however, I am fascinated by his thought process and desire to create.

Mark Rothko

Orange and Yellow 1956

Oil on canvas

I am connected to the work of Rothko because I love how he brings deep associations to his work and the world around him. Many people don’t fully understand his pieces and feel that they could make them. However, I understand that the orange and yellow work has much more meaning behind it. I am interested in color field paintings for their beauty and meaning behind them.

Robert Motherwell

Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 34

1953-54 Oil on canvas

I feel connected to Motherwell’s paintings because I am captivated by his use of extremely large brush strokes. I think it is most interesting not to paint in a realistic manner, however, for you to interpret events and emotions through your own abstraction. Motherwell is able to communicate and document important events by using his own imagination.

Which artworks make an impact or impression on me and why?

Piet Mondrian

Composition No. 11 with Blue, Red and Yellow

1940-42 Oil on canvas

Mondrian has always made a great impact on me. I am drawn in by his use of white space and primary colors. His work reminds me of stain glass windows. I like how the piece is broken up in such a way that I am able to find unity in the asymmetrical layout.

Wassily Kandinsky

Fragment 2 for composition V11

1913 Oil on canvas

Kandinsky’s work makes a definite impression on me. I am mesmerized by his bold use of colors. I enjoy looking at his abstract forms and trying to figure out what they could be. Kandinsky has a great energy to his work that I find captivating.

Salvador Dali

The Transparent Simulacrum of the Feigned Image

1938 Oil on canvas

Dali seems to leave an impact on almost every person who views his work. The surreal quality is so unique that it creates an almost dreamlike state. The viewer is then forced to use their imagination to enter this strange world that Dali created. He can create images that seem believable from afar, however, when you come closer you realize many things are out of place.

Paul Cezanne

Morning in Provence 1900-06

Oil on canvas

Cezanne’s work leaves a lasting impression. He creates a beautiful flowing sense of real life scenes. I am intrigued by his idea of using the small square strokes. He was starting what came to be known as Cubism. I like how he was breaking away from the traditional Impressionism style and creating his own views.

Paul Gauguin

Spirit of the Dead Watching 1892

Oil on burlap and mounted canvas

I am so interested in the way Gauguin uses pattern in his works. He is able to blend colors beautifully and create a narrative from his imaginative ideas. Gauguin was not painting from real life; however, this whole sense was made up in his head. It is fascinating to see what he came up with.

Which artworks would I like to know more about and why?

Clare Woods

Failed Back 2004

Enamel on aluminum

I would like to learn more about Woods approach to her work. What kind of process does she go through and how does she execute it? I see a resemblance to trees in the work and would like to know if she finds herself with this theme often?

Tara Donovan

Untitled Mylar 2007

Mylar and glue

I have never seen anything like Donovan’s Mylar pieces. I would like to know what inspired her to create these and also how many has she created? I really like how they have such an organic quality to them.

Polly Apfelbaum

Reckless 1998

Synthetic velvet and fabric dye

Apfelbaum’s work Reckless is so unique and beautiful. I thought it was interesting to see it on the floor. I would want to know if she places her instillations in various different areas such as ceilings, walls and outside. Also I would like to know if she gets her pattern ideas from animals.

Jorge Pardo

Untitled 2008

Silkscreen on MDF

I really like the colors and overall shape of Pardo’s piece. I would like to know how he creates the star forms. Does he use a tool to make them so precise? It is so interesting how these forms create three-dimensional illusions.

Emilio Perez

Drowning on Dry Land 2007

Acrylic and latex on wood

I would like to know how long it took Perez to complete this piece. It is such a monumental work of art. Also what inspired her to create her images? And was she references the sea?

Prensky Article

I felt that the Prensky article on Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants was extremely interesting. Marc explains the difference between Digital Natives (the technology based generation who learns at a fast pace and is very visually stimulated) and Digital Immigrants ( people who grew up before the computer and texting boom who tend to not be as familiar with the rapid change that technology brings.
After reading this I feel that it is true that the new generation thinks and learns differently than past generations. I feel it is necessary for a balance to be created with teaching from the past and teaching that is more interactive and visually based. I am a visual learner and feel as though many classes I took in middle school and high school would have been easier for me if they had made them for like playing a video game. Memorizing has always been difficult for me, however, I have found that with actually creating something or turning it into a mind game it had helped me.
I think I would be placed in the Digital Natives category, but I definitely feel that I am highly influenced from the Digital Immigrants. I would characterize myself as this because when I was in high school I feel the digital wave was really starting to begin. I find myself fascinated in learning in different ways and wanting to take part in activities rather than just sitting and listening. We are now taking the knowledge from the past and working with it to create a more modern style. Today many teenagers and young adults would not be able to go a day without their cell phones or Facebook. New inventions and new technology is not a bad thing, however, we have to remember to create a balance and to make sure that we aren't getting carried away with technology running our lives.

Why I want to be an art teacher

I have always had a passion for art ever since I was a young child. In high school I started experimenting with photography, painting and the computer arts. I recently graduated from Buffalo State College in the field of graphic design. Soon after I realized that I wanted to put both my passions together by combining art with teaching. I returned to Buffalo State this past semester pursuing my teacher’s certification. I have worked with many children in the past, some of which were through volunteer summer camp programs, babysitting, daycare programs and creating my own art program for inner city children. Not only am I experienced with different mediums of art, however, I also love working with children.