reflection 4

From reading this article I gained a new perspective of looking at everyday objects. I had never realized all the different ways to look at something as simple as a chair and the symbol and image a chair can create. It is interesting to realize that something with a certain use can enrich a room it is in by the looks of it. In fact, a television with the right look to it can even act as an accessory fitting into the room. However, if it looks different from the rest of the room it changes the whole feel of the room. I think it is important for kids to start looking at functional things in this new light with using the seven ideas because it shows them all the different ways the object can be viewed as by other people.

Romare Bearden

This website is cool to look at because it shows how culture plays a huge part in creating art. Growing up in a place you are able to get the ins and outs of the space around you, but once you go away like Romare did in his travels, you can look at your environment growing up in a completely different way. You realize things you may have never realized before.
I also think its interesting to read how he made "The Block" and with what materials he used. Looking at it from a distance you wouldnt be able to really tell there are different materials. But once you notice the different textures used you see the collages and drawings and ripped up colored paper. The colors really make this work stand out and brings out the rich culture of Harlem. The different shapes also make certain parts stand out, yet all the 8 pannels come together and fit perfectly to form a block looking street. He exaggerated the size and colors of certain things to make them stand out more to the eye. By looking at "The Block" everyone will see different things in a different way. It is meant to carry your eye from inside the apartments to outside gatherings.

This artist was cool to look at because he really took the culture around him and made it his own and how he viewed it by making it into this artwork piece.

Islamic art

Islamic art conveys the truths about the Islamic culture. The culture is portrayed by their artwork and each symbol has different meaning. In the article of Islamic art as an Educational Tool, it shows that an octagon represents the four elements of the universe as being water, earth, fire and air. Calligraphy is also apart of the Islamic culture. These symbols are placed on an entire object. There are six types of calligraphy mainly used in the Islamic culture. Calligraphy is an art form. Rearranging shapes in a geometric pattern is a way art is conveyed as well as color. Art classes are a good way for student's cultures to come out and for them to express their cultures. Learning about what the art of a culture represents gives great insight to the history of the culture nad is a good engaging way to learn.

For students to actually make their own art creating geometric shapes of their own help to connect with the Islamic culture as they learn about it. Before students try anything they need a background of information about the topic of the Islamic culture. Using compasses and rulers they will create geometric designs. Geometric designs are apart of the Islamic tradtion. A circle is the foundation for Islamic pattern, as told in the article. The circle plays a huge role in calligraphy that is so widely demonstrated. These shapes create all different sorts of intricate designs that identify with the Islamic culture. And understanding the shapes and designs helps to indentify with the culture.

Comics

The idea of graphic novels creates a whole new way of teaching that I never even considered. I would think the only use of graphic novels were to help students who struggled with reading to read like it said in the article, but I never imagined actually teaching through this device. Students would be more interested with this type of learning because it combines reading and visuals in order to completely understand a subject matter. Like with the math lesson explained in the article, students could learn the material at their own pace and question things and have it all right in front of them. It is sometimes hard for students to take notes and gather all information that a teacher voices out so this is a good way for them to have it down infront of them.

As for the blog, I think it is interesting that there are comic conventions that people go to because they are so interested. Many people post about comics especially when controversy is brought up within comics. Comics can show social and politcal issues in them in a different manner that catches people's attention.

I find these articles insightful in the classroom.

The Image to Word-Word to Image project is an excellent way to help kids put writing and art together. If kids are visual learners it is nice to have them be able to create their pictures then put words to their pictures to create a story. This is a very creative way to get the students involved in writing. Having them put words to the pictures is helping them to learn to write without them even noticing. It also can go the other way, if kids do not use art or visual learning techniques they are opened up to it with this method of teaching.

Growing up when I was reading the teachers always said to picture in your mind what you are reading. This helped me understand the reading much more. If you can visualize what is going on in the book, then you are really understanding and engaging with the text.

Tattoos

I found this article extremely interesting because I myself have two tattoos. I found the first few paragraphs to be completely stereotypical. The stigma that goes along with tattoos is very far fetch. I do think that people get tattoos to make their bodies unique and to show their indentity. I have two irish tattoos and that clearly shows that I identify with the irish community and not at all a symbol of "ethnic hate". I think that the ethnic hate tattoos talked about in this article completely takes away from the meaning of tattoos. The fact that people would get tattoos to show hate for others is not right for both parties. I think tattoos are suppose to be about you and you only, not to bring someone else down. And when people don't know what their tattoos mean I think they should have never gotten it. Tattoos are suppose to mean something to you because after all, you do have to live with them forever. I don't think tattoos portray a meaning of deviant behavior or homelessness, I think they mean something special to the person who has it.

I think using tattoo designs in classrooms opens up new doors and ideas of art to students. Tattoos are just another form of art around us everyday. Darts' understood that tattoos interest teenagers and then engaged them in a lesson by using tattoos. This is a good way to exhibit students interests into lessons to keep their attention.

Comparing the two authors

I think both of these articles were interesting to read. The viewpoints on autism are portrayed differently, yet have almost the same message. It is important that we realize, especially as teachers, that different people have different needs. It is made clear in the article on "Not Thinking in Pictures", that people view the world differently than others and understand things differently. This person in the article explained how they were able to enhance their world by learning a different way to view objects, rather than just in pictures. How things did not make sense at all to them shown without pictures.

In the same respect, the other article argued that people need to look at what autistic people can do rather than what they cannot. As teachers we need to pick up on the strengths of those children, along with all students, to accomodate them to succeed. The way the autisic individual in the other article learns and understands things directly relates to this view because this individual learned a lot and could see things other than just pictures and could see objects for what they truely were. Seeing autism as just a different way of looking at things rather than seeing it as a problem or disadvantage will help these students excell.

the role art plays in my life

Art for me started in elementary school. Every other day each week my class would attend art class. This is where my interest in art first began. Later on I took an art class outside of school. It was a painting pottery type thing. I still do this from time to time on my own time. The latest thing I have painted was a plate.