Week+one

Module Five Group Four Top Ten
 * Informal Learning Environments**

Refworks link for articles: http://www.refworks.com/refshare2/default.aspx?r=references%7CMainLayout::init&session=WOG-XB-sVCPtLoTBZsWPPOTqYOAqSgpbFhp8L9PeQc93Pai3JcWBHbJ2JbDlQES3Paj6J9Q8Po5fPoY7QcSu&subscriber=2106&site=021061133413200000/RWWEB107276611/week%201

**www.artsconnected.org/toolkit**: This website is not too complex, yet gives a fantastic foundation for learning about art and its creation. It has two videos of artists as they narrate the creation of their art. Also, there is an encyclopedia of different art terms with illustrated examples, e.g. the balance within a canvas as shown through the way an artist creates a triangle for the eye to follow in a painting. It also has a tactile element allowing students to click on various tools and play, e.g. color, line, shape. **Flipping the Field Trip article:** **(if you're having trouble getting to the article as some of us were, here it is in PDF form:) **  This article focuses on the transition many museums are making to create virtual access for classrooms. The main drive in creating this resource is to cut down on the disconnect of //museum// //literacy -// the difference between museum vocabulary and teachers' knowledge. The article cites several examples of museums and explains their virtual resources. A quick read and full of good resources to explore. It also reinforces the idea of reliable resources online, by showing the wealth of information a student can find on a museum's website. **http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/prado**Google Earth provides an incredible opportunity for students to visit one of the most famous museums. The Prado, located in Madrid, is home to some of the most famous paintings and artwork of Spanish artists. Like many museum sites, The Prado is exposed and students are able to see some of the incredible artwork still in the collection. While there are no links to "help" worksheets or guides to use with your students as they explore the museum, it would be fairly easy as a teacher to create a "guide" for students and what you would like them to see while they are "in" the museum. What a great way to explore a museum that is incredibly famous and across the Atlantic Ocean! **J. Paul Getty Museum **  An online resource for teachers and families that includes extensions of current exhibits and ways to utilize their resources either in person or in the classroom. It includes suggested books to read for children who are new to the arts, events and activities, etc. The “Resources for the Classroom” section includes suggested lesson plans that connect to the visual arts, language arts and social studies content areas for elementary as well as secondary levels. While it references connection to standards in California, where the museum is located, there are resources here for all teachers. The PDFs of art are fabulous. The first link here (“Art Scoops”) is a fun page that could be used in many different ways.  []  Education portal/K-12 Teachers and Students/Resources for the Classroom:  [] **The Grammy Museum** In a nod to Grammy season, The Grammy Museum has several terrific resources for the classroom tied to the Civil Rights movement and to the connection between music and politics. A section introducing musical genres, songwriting and the recording process uses the movie //Bandslam// and its cast members to make connections between history and music. An example from a 2010 Black History Month celebration of “Music that Inspired the Movement” links to YouTube performances at the White House. This example refers to an injunction against all marches in Albany, Georgia in 1962 and the Rev. Samuel Wells’ call to march to city hall singing, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn me Around.” A song that had previously been known as a spiritual transformed into a new song of freedom. Here’s the youtube link mentioned: [] And the Grammy site link: []
 * Engaging Young People article:**  Published in the // Review of Research in Education // in 2006, the author, Vadeboncoeur, explains how and why informal learning environments are crucial to a students learning. Interestingly, she provides numbers, deviations, and a lot of research to support her belief that informal learning environments are important in student development. Vadeboncoeur also allows the reader to see where funding and money comes from and goes with regards to the informal learning programs that take place outside of school. She does an excellent job of defining for the reader the differences between informal, formal, and non- formal learning, providing charts with examples. Vadeboncoeur still focuses on the value of structured time but in an informal setting. Ultimately, I found the article to be a fantastic way to understand the various learning opportunities to which students can be exposed.

The Museum of Modern Art website offers a user the opportunity to look at the ins and outs of this great museum. The user can easily navigate through the different collections as well as see behind the scenes. The website changes weekly with different videos and blogs so that an educator could use it again and again depending on their need. One of the videos that changes weekly is the Ten Minute Talk that is a "weekly series of short talks focusing on issues related to the medium of print and the sustainability of ideas". The website has a wide variety of ideas that can help encourage a teacher to update their material. **Museums on the Internet** [] If a teacher wanted to incorporate museums into their lessons, what a great place to start! This internet site gathers not only museums in the United States, but also in other countries. A user could easily find a museum that would enhance their lesson whether it's in NYC or Denver, Colorado. If a foreign language teacher wanted to show a student a museum in Germany (for example) to show their art, they could click through to that country's list and pull up a museum located there. With over 400 museums listed the possibilities are endless..... **"Learning Anytime, Anywhere: Advanced Distributed Learning" article:**  I truly enjoyed reading this article because it showed how important informal learning can be on our students academic achievement. The "advanced distributed learning" is a technology based curriculum object, which allows students, parent, and other stakeholders to access learning at anytime. Teachers also can place their instructional materials on this computer based program and tailor it to fit the needs of their individual students. The program also can offer students hands-on learning and virtual tutoring. I also think this article speaks to the learning theories of constructivism and multiple learning. It allows students to be engaged by adding" graphics, animation, and video clips", these objects are very interactive for students. ADL can also help students become adult learners by helping them understand distant learning, which is a new phenomena for many adults. This article proves that educational technology can be both formal and informal learning and also allows parents to have more access to their childs education. Parents can log on and support their child in the process and know exactly what their child is doing. This artil was very helpful for me as I try to find ways in our after school program to integrate more technology. Currently, at my school we offer credit recovery for high school students throughout the year on a program called Odesey Ware and students can access this program on the computer at anytime.
 * MOMA** []
 * Culture and the Arts article:** This article discussed the ways in which sociology and arts aesthetics can impact culture and social movements. This article suggests that using art forms as a way to communicate have been much a part of societies culture. It is important to understand the various forms of art and utilize it in a positive way. The arts can be used to teach a lesson like learning to value formal education. Many writers, singers, activist, poets, and artist used these various forms of art in the 1960's to help us to better understand why education was so important. Now students can go to museums that showcase these significant moments in history and learn about social movements. The article suggests; " Music or artistic forms have power over bodies insofar as they provide structures, patterns, parameters, or meanings to which bodies semiconsciously latch on—or more consciously try to work with to constitute themselves or particular states of being." Understanding the affects that art has on our life is key because it influences how we think and view the world. I think it is very important for educators to connect arts education to the curriculum in an informal way because it can shape a child’s life.

 I absolutely love this website as a resource!!! I get most of my ideas for my after school and summer enrichment programs from this arts site. It offers lesson plan ideas in the various forms of art and also connects the lesson to the national standards. This is a great resource for educators who want to implement more arts into their curriculum. http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/educators.aspx
 * The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts**