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

iPad n Classroom 1 – iTunes U

iPads may be the next big revolution in classroom technology.  The screen is big, typing is a breeze, and it’s so light you can take it anywhere in the classroom.  Oh… and the battery life is also phenomenal.   SO, is the iPad just another techno geek tool, or can it be used to enhance student learning (ohh… and maybe teacher learning too)?   Not only do I say a resounding “YES” to the previous question, but I also contend that iPads might be the “inexpensive” answer to the one-to-one computing initiatives many districts have.  However, we’ve got to prove that they are worth the dollars we spend, especially in these budgetary times, so I’m going to highlight at least one iPad/iTunes tool a week with a curriculum focus.  Since many of the tools are interchangeable with an iTouch or iPhone, be sure to check out these ideas for even the smaller devices.

iTunes U Downloads– This might be Apple’s greatest gift to education so far.  You may have read about this or even explored it, but there is something magical about FREE!  This week’s Oz Buzz curriculum focus was about one such podcast found in iTunes U - Moments in American History.  Students and even adults can be overwhelmed by too much talking, too many images, and too many ideas presented at once. Short and quick is the name of the game for many resources in iTunes, and Moments in American History sticks to this rule.  Check out more at: http://theozbuzz.blogspot.com/2010/05/itunes-u-moments-in-american-history.html .