me arts ed

So much life out and about in the snow!

When our children were younger we couldn’t keep them inside when we had snow like we’ve had this week. Three days of snow has been such a gift for snow lovers. We spent many days sliding on many favorite hills and building sculptures. As the boys grew, the hills grew, the sculptures became more interesting.

Now, we walk, snowshoe, cross country ski, still building and unfortunately, not to much sledding. Last week while we were out in the woods, we saw weasel and deer tracks. In four different places we found where the deer had bedded down. In each location there were three or four rounded spots where we could see signs of deer. I took pictures but the deer yards don’t show to well.

The days are getting a little longer and giving us a better chance of getting outside at either end of busy days or on the weekend. I hope you’ve had a few minutes to do so, smile at the snow, go for a walk, breathe in some cool air, whatever makes you happy!

Professional organizations using wikis

Wikis have been around since the 1990’s but I’ve noticed recently that they are getting more use. In fact, both the Maine Music and Art Educators Association boards have recently created wikis and are using them for some of their work.

Wikis are websites where you build knowledge through collaboration. If you are not familiar with wikis and are interested in learning, I suggest you watch a 4-minute video called “Wikis in Plain English” to understand and appreciate the power of wikis. It will not only explains wikis you but it is a funny little video worth seeing.

Yes, the largest wiki in the world is Wikipedia where you can go and of course, read more about wikis, if you’d like. Two popular sites where you can start a wiki for free are called pbwiki and wikispaces. Both have their advantages and small differences but for the most part they have work similarly. I have used both and like them.

It will be fun to have board members make comments below and let us know how the collaborations are going in the wikis. If you have questions about using wikis please be sure and email me!

Art Education 2.0 is a Ning social network began by Dr. Craig Roland, art education professor, University of Florida.

This week is “Open House” on the ning so it is a good time for you to visit! The ning is open to visitors until January 23rd. Click here for the direct link or copy and paste this link http://arted20.ning.com into your browser. You will need to register as a member to post.

This is taken directly from the ning:

The mission of Art Education 2.0 is to develop a global community of art educators exploring uses of new and emerging technology in the classroom. It aims to support this community of practice by promoting:

• professional discourse
• best art teaching practices
• the production and study of visual culture
• collaboration and joint creative work
• curricular projects and student art exchanges
• the sharing of information, ideas and experiences
• other activities deemed important by its members.

Once your registration has been approved, you can participate in forums, groups, blogging, photo and video sharing, and RSS. We welcome newbies as well as experienced technology users.

So many interesting projects now in the works on Art Education 2.0!

Sponsored by Maine String Teachers and Players Association

Normally I post future events under the “Upcoming Events” section that is found on the bottom right side of the front page of the blog. Since this event is taking place for the first time I thought I’d post it here.

The First Annual Fiddle Festival, sponsored by the Maine String Teachers and Players Association, is being held on March 20, 9:15-3:00 at Thornton Academy in Saco. A wide variety of workshops will be offered. To learn more you can see the brochure at http://www.mainestrings.org/. If you have questions please email the president, Mary Eckstein at belgraphica@fairpoint.net or by contact her at 642-4368.

I hope many students attend, sounds like a great day!