My first idea came from looking at "Pinterest" (which I cannot live without) and coming across a project that another school had done - having each student create/draw/color a flower to add to a vase. I loved the way it looked and thought we'd try it. It turned out great and we already have one hanging in the hall. Eventually, each class will make one. In the meantime I had been trying to teach myself how to use the ipad. (Our framed art show with Artome last year, raised enough money for the art department to purchase 2 ipads.) I started looking at all the art apps and trying to figure out how to use 2 ipads with up to 32 kids in a class. The funny thing is I ended up not using any kind of drawing app.
I wanted to take a drawing lesson based on Van Gogh and add expand it. Here's what I came up with....
I have 7 tables of 4 students each in my room. I gave each table an assignment that required the students to communitcate and collaborate with their peers. For example, one table had to learn facts about Van Gogh, select one of his portraits that I uploaded into the Funny Movie Maker app on the ipad and record themselves "being" Van Gogh. This app allows you to use a photograph of a face, cut out the mouth, film and record your mouth saying words - so it looks like Van Gogh is talking. These were hysterical!
*The other assignments were: "If Van Gogh's palette could talk what would it say"?
*Act out this joke...the one about the robber who did not have enought "Monet" to buy "Degas" to make de "Van Gogh". One group used the Puppet Pals app - very cute!
*Compare and Contrast "The Potato Eaters" to "Starry Night" using the Explain Everything app. I pretty much said "Hey guys, I found this app - I know how to do 3 things with it - see what you can do with it." THEY TOOK IT AND RAN WITH IT! It was a great presentation of kids discussing works of art on the fly.
Lastly, we acted out a current event. In September of this year, a painting that had been in an attic for 60 years was authenticated with x-rays and a chemical analysis and proven to be a true Van Gogh. We used our TV studio and the green screen to act it out.
So my students did all this awesome stuff using the 4 C's and technology and I can't figure out how to share it with you. Stay tuned...