Summer Reading, Watching, Listening, and Learning

Points of interest wrapped up in one blog post

The information in this blog has come across my desk from a variety of sources and people. I have rolled it into one post to make reference easier for you… I am guessing there is at least one story here that will peak your interest.

• A 5 minute+ film about John Baldessari created by Tom Waits. He is recognized for his height 6′ 7″ and his white beard and hair.  He is been called the Godfather of conceptual artist, surrealistic for the digital age. He has had over 200 solo shows, and 1000 group shows and has received many awards. You can learn more about him and watch the entertaining 5 minutes and 55 second video by clicking here. John has a great website as well – http://www.baldessari.org/.
• While looking at the Baldessari film I discovered the website called Short of the Week which contains links to short videos. The topics are varied. This might come in useful as a resource for you and/or your students.
• Thanks to MAAI teacher leader, music teacher at Aetna-Dixmont Jen Nash who sent me this info. I talked to Kern Kelley, who is the technology integrator for us. He shared this blogspot link with me and in her words: “The students picked a piece of art and had to put a video together. They had to talk about the different aspects of the piece of artwork and incorporate music. I thought that this would be neat to share.”
• Will Richardson is one of those people who I find very interesting. He encourages me to think differently about school. This is a TEDx where he talks about young people and learning and starts out by referencing his daughter playing the piano.     
• Eight schools across the country were selected to receive over $14.7 over a three year period to integrate dance, music, theater, and visual arts into the curricula. The President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities working with the US Department of Education hopes to prove that failing schools can be impacted by encouraging the expansion of creative expression. Public Radio has an interview that you can listen to by clicking here. And you can read more about the Turnaround Arts Initiative.
• Not to long after I posted Eagles Have Landed about Suzanne Goulet’s art classroom at Waterville High School being the center of the viewing stage for the new born eagles someone sent me this video of young robins.
• Mystery of a Masterpiece was aired on Public Television in January 2012 and tells the story of a painting that was sold for $20,000 in October of 2007 and now is thought to be a Leonardo da Vinci worth more than $100 million. Cutting-edge imaging analysis solves the mystery. You can watch the 52 min. program by clicking here. Thanks to Wiscasset Middle School art teacher Molly Carlson for sharing this information.
• Playing for Change Day – changing the world through music. All over the world on September 22nd there will be people collaborating to inspire people to support music education. Portland is one of the locations, planned by the Maine Academy for Modern Music, and it will happen at 8:00-11:30 PM.
• The photographs are amazing! Starstruck: The Fine Art of Astrophotography at the Bates College Museum of Art provides local teachers a FREE resource to explore a meeting point of art and science. 36 photographers from around the world are included in one of the very first exhibitions to examine astrophotography as a fine art genre. Starstruck opened June 8 and will be on view through December 15, offering ample opportunity for science and art teachers to plug in. Companion shows at the Bates planetarium are an option. To learn more or to schedule a tour, contact ashostak@bates.edu or cjones5@bates.edu. A full color catalogue with essays by the jurors is available.

ARTICLES

• How and why a middle school teacher approached collaborative learning in his classroom from Education Week, May 30, 2012, written by Rob Kriete called No More Whack-A-Mole: My Conversion to Collaborative Learning.
• How are you doing incorporating technology into the arts classroom? This is an article on how one teacher tried twitter and facebook and what they found. Published online in Education Week, May 30, 2012, written by Paul Barnwell called Why Twitter and Facebook Are Not Good Instructional Tools.
• If you are out traveling this summer and happen to be in Kansas you might want to drop by the National Teachers Hall of Fame. Read about the recent inductees (5 each year) in this Ed Week article from May 14, 2012 written by John Wilson called National Teachers Hall of Fame is a Gift.
• Grade the Work, Not the Behavior. Not sure if that is language you’ve been hearing or not in your school but it is being discussed across the state in many schools. And that is what this article with that title is all about. From Education Week, May 8, 2012, written by Cindi Rigsbee.
• This article called Curriculum the Missing Ingredient in School Reform, Book Says reviews a book just out argues that the part that is being left out of the reform conversation these days is the curriculum. The book called Tyranny of the Textbook: An Insider Exposes How Educational Material Undermine Reforms written by Beverlee Jobrack. Missing Piece published in Education Week, June 14, 2012 and written by Erik Robelen.
• Read about what teachers are saying on specific topics for professional development in the Education Week article called Roundup Post: Characteristics of Meaningful PD, June 4, 2012, written by Leanne Link. Be sure and check out the discussion topics on the right side of the webpage that has the article.
• Travels in Education
• Study: Teacher PD Needs More on Emotions
• Shifting Assumptions About Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning
• Let Teachers Take Charge of Their Learning