Lesson Plan Review: "Great Moments in Art"

The lesson plan "Great Moments in Art" by Harold Olejarz (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddv49vkt_20fcpctfdm) has 6 - 8 grade students link relevant dates in artists' lives with the locations of their births, deaths, and great works. This lesson plan uses Google Calendar, and which automatically links locations to Google Maps. The lesson plan has students either share one google calendar, or all access each other's calendars to learn about the lives of artists.

One of the aspects of this lesson plan that I appreciate is that it uses technology and social networking (tools of the present) to connect students to people, places and artworks of the past. This is a great example of how to make a connection between the centuries. The interactive quality of this lesson plan is also very engaging for students. Using Google Maps/Earth, students can understand the distance and proximity between locations, and really get the effect of a virtual field trip. These tools are far more effective the the pull-down maps resembling window shades that we used when I was in school.

However, there is an area where I see the lesson plan is lacking. As an artist myself, the most notable critique is that the lesson plan devotes most of its energy to dates and locations (the very details that put students to sleep in an the average art history class). In my opinion, the ART is the most important aspect, and the dates and places (while important) will always be secondary. I want my students to explore the imagery, composition, style, materials, social and historical context, and then pinpoint it to a date and location. After all, its the image that has the power to inspire and convey meaning. The dates and location certainly influenced the style and imagery, but they do not have the same effect as the image itself.

Perhaps a way to remedy this would be to add a requirement to the lesson plan that requires students to have 5 - 10 direct links to images at the museums they choose. Having the images become the centerpiece changes the focus from the location to the pieces themselves. When students enter their description, I would require that the first paragraph be devoted to an actual analysis of the piece of art (composition, style and technique), and then have them go into the historical details of the artist's life. It would be a shame to title a lesson plan "Great Moments in Art" without talking about the art itself.

How do we embrace technology, but still honor the past?

As a young person embarking on the shores of teacherhood, I can already feel the the currents pulling me in two different directions. As a child I was an avid book reader (and still am), I loved learning cursive in third grade, and I relished in the excitement of a 15 pound dictionary. But I know that the world is changing, and that to have any trace of obstinacy towards technology would be a foolish waste of everyone's time. I know this. I get it. But change is hard.

And I am not the only one facing this challenge. In fact, I am sure there are more teachers out there, especially those who have been teaching for decades, who are far more vexed by this technological super highway. Every time they learn a new software, it is already outdated. How frustrating! Yet there is no time for frustration in the age we live in. We must embrace the technology, and love it for all it is, but not become attached. Because before we turn around it will all be outdated.

How does a teacher in the 21st century deal with these rapid changes in technology? The answer lies in flexibility, open-mindedness and the willingness to learn. The best thing a 21st century teacher can do is to have a willing and positive attitude towards technology, even if it may be a bumpy and frustrating road. The worst thing a teacher can do is to avoid technology, nay, to pronounce it unnecessary. Because, let's be honest, the stubborn hold-outs are always on the wrong side of history.

As for myself, I especially struggle with the idea of the e-reader. But I know that the battle is already over. Sure, I might have a deep love for turning the worn-out corners of old books. Not to mention the fact that I studied traditional hand bookbinding techniques in college. Yet I cannot disagree with the fact that an e-reader can provide an instant forum for book reviews, definitions of words, and take a load of weight off of a student's backpack. But there has to a place for both in this new world. Yes, I will eventually get an e-reader, but I am not ready to surrender my library card. Not yet, at least...