iPad n Classroom/Curriculum Idea – Art HD

When I was in the classroom, I taught middle school Spanish.  One of my favorite things to teach about was Hispanic art.  Through much trial and error, my mom and I perfected the classroom scavenger hunt as a great way to expose kids to various pieces of art in a controlled way in a short amount of time.  However, this entailed a lot of prep work on the part of the teacher.  I had to buy/locate art prints, hang them around the room, and create an activity guide.  The guide required students to match a description of the piece with the appropriate poster/picture.  While finding all the art prints could be daunting, this allowed me to simulate a true museum experience.  The kids loved looking at the art work once I gave them a structured reason to look at each piece.  The iPad now gives you the same experience but with many more images at your finger tips.  Two artists are represented so far: Picasso HD and Van Gogh HD.  Both Apps allow students to view the 100’s of images in HD, to magnify areas of the paintings for closer looks, and to obtain educational information about each painting.  This includes the title of the piece, the original year and location in which it was painted, the method and tools of painting, the dimensions of the painting, and the paintings current location and ownership.
Now for Classroom Connection:
Getting kids to experience art can be hard, so it is crucial that you structure their viewing experience in a way that ensures they view each picture in a meaningful way.  Consider using art prints as writing prompts in an English or history class.  For instance, when studying the rise of the Nazi Party as part of World History or European Studies, many teachers glance over the Nazi raids in Northern Spain.  However, it was in Northern Spain that the Nazis perfected their Blitzkrieg strategy.  Picasso’s Guernica gives students an alternate view of the devastation of the Blitzkrieg strategy – one that can not be duplicated by even a photo.  Using the iPad allows students to view easily the way that Picasso used the cubist style to depict human emotion in war time.
Image above from: http://thevisualpoetssociety.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/picasso4602.jpg