This is Patricia’s first year teaching Art at The Gramon School (7-12) and Glenview Academy (K-6), private, state-approved, non-sectarian day schools for students who have educational disabilities which cannot be properly addressed in public schools.
Computers are used on a daily basis in the Gramon School. Every student has a wireless laptop computer and every class has a Web site designed by their teachers, with student access to internal email. Patricia and the other teachers run their classrooms with the focus of utilizing technology to differentiate instruction and assist with classroom management.
Patricia and other Gramon teachers participated in a workshop last summer with IDE consultants Sally Wassel and Jamie Cacciatore which provided teachers with five days of summer training, including the use of Macromedia DreamWeaver for designing their classroom Web pages.
Patricia, with help from her student teacher, Makiko Kamihara, and her IDE consultant Jamie Cacciatore, designed an activity to create Native American Art placemats for the Gramon School and Glenview Academy’s Thanksgiving Day Feast. This activity was an excellent example of global citizenship in that it gave students an opportunity to explore the Native American culture and see the connections between traditional art and celebrations to our Thanksgiving celebrations today. Students develop a stronger sense of self when they know and understand their role in the community whether it’s school, local or global community.
Collaboratively a Web-based activity, called Native American Art, this was designed and linked to her Art room Web site. It involved finding images from Web sites, including museums, from all over the world and placing those images into a word processing document. Next, the students had the opportunity to search the Internet for important information pertaining to the author or the piece of art chosen and write a short summary of what they learned. This helped them to understand that the skills they acquire in school can help them as they process information related to what takes place outside of school and in their daily interactions with people who may be very different than they are, another aspect of how Global Citizenship manifests in the classroom. Also included on the Web page were Technology "How-To" sheets, an Activity Checklist, and a sample project.
Many of the "How-To" Sheets for the technology skills utilized by students and teachers were found on the IDEportal, such as:
- Saving Images from the Internet in My Pictures (Microsoft XP)
- How to Insert a Digital Picture into Microsoft Word
- How to Insert WordArt into Microsoft Word
In what ways do you think technology plays a role in Global Citizenship?
Patricia: "Technology allowed them to learn at their own pace about the different kinds of Native American art, history and culture. They were able to choose what medium they would like to put on their placemat, whether it was painting, jewelry, pottery or clothing. I also think that they saw the value of traditional Native American Art to contemporary artists. Many of the students chose the work of Robert Hook who is not Native American but has a very large collection of paintings depicting Native American life." The students also viewed artwork from Museums all around the world, which, without technology would not have been possible.
Other thoughts?
Jim Perri (Director): "I am so appreciative to the staff, and especially all the students, who worked so hard along side the staff to make this day so wonderful."
Kim Brucale (Instructional Coordinator): "I think this activity is great because the students were able to work collaboratively with their peers to contribute to our school community."
The Glenview Academy students also used print making techniques to create their placemats. The students designed Native American symbols, which were found on the Internet, from various tribes. These symbols were used by many tribes to communicate with others.
All the placemats were then laminated and placed on the tables along with the student-created centerpieces. Many placemats consisted of paintings, jewelry, crafts, regalia (ceremonial wear), and much more! Besides enjoying a wonderful feast, students learned about the cultures and customs of the Native Americans and to saw the connection between art, culture, history, technology and their place in a global society as they relate both to the past and the present.
