Using Minecraft in the Art Room

Using Minecraft in the Art Room! baby steps...

         and here's a link to Kyle D's castle!
Scott and Kyle S's castle

This was a sketchbook homework assignment for 5th grade.

Create a 3D castle (sand, Medieval, fantasy, outer space...) showing all the parts of a castle. Must include the elements of texture and value.

3 options to create:

• Minecraft,
• Google Sketchup 
• or traditionally drawn in sketchbook

Minds were blown. About half of my 5th graders (boys and girls) chose Minecraft. They spent hours creating their original castles and were so excited to share the final product with me.

Here are some ways they shared. The kids came up with these methods, btw. 

• sharing the screen via Skype (fyi: parents were present at home, and I had another teacher in the room with me)
• Video capture via Frap, delivered on a Flash drive
• Print screen images emailed to me
• photos printed out and hand delivered (less popular option)
• filmed on a tablet and phone which was brought to me for viewing

Some responses to Reflective Questions I asked:

Patrick's Magic Tower

• "If you had drawn this in your sketchbook, would you have spent this much time on it?"  Nope.
• "Would you have included all this detail and thought?" Nope.
• "How many hours did you spend on this?" Everyday for a week, for a few hours each day. 
• how much of that was chasing Creepers? I don't know...

Connor at work 

Donald Student Art Show!

Hanging the Student Art Show: The Good, the Awesome and the Stressful.

Ready for some cool stuff? Here is our annual Student Art Show. Every student in the school has one-two works of art representing them. I LOVE covering the walls and filling the display cases with their beautiful art.

The kids love it, the teachers love it, my administration loves it (my principal even invites other principals over the see it!), my parents love it and the community loves it. I love it...after it is all up. My husband and my kids? They don't love it as much. Wonder why...naw, they're fine!

The most important thing I do is mount the work, label it and try to hang it so it looks professional for the WOW factor. It works.

 ...but this takes awhile and requires a lot of organization. I keep track of what every kid has up and and kids and I double check it. I make mistakes and forget to put something up. That really stinks and I feel like a total ding dong. I also rely on my art club to come in during recess and hang the work. Takes about 2-3 weeks. And some late nights and weekends.

Worth it.

I am so proud of my kids. They took these ideas and RAN with them:

Oaxacan Inspired Ceramic Birds: 3rd grade

1st Grade Bubbles!

Pizza Box Puzzles, featuring  Impressionist (and Post) Artists (and Dr. Who! Yeah, Whovians,  the "Sunflowers" vase  says "for Amy". Ahhhhhhhh!) 5th grade

The Art of Ed-WOW!

Awesome resource for Art Teachers and Parents:

http://www.theartofed.com/

I got to listen to Jessica talk about blogging in the Art room and she is amazing. She is a powerful advocate and resource for us. 

I am already in love with this site!

here is a sample article:

 http://www.theartofed.com/2013/03/04/keep-the-cookie-cutters-in-the-kitchen-2/

NAEA CONVENTION=MIND BLOWN

Friends. Art teachers. Join now! SERIOUSLY.

http://www.arteducators.org  

I had the best time at the Fort Worth Convention! I met so many awesome fellow art educators and artists from all over the country. So inspired! So happy.

And guess what? They are all having the same struggles as I am! go figure. So I don't feel like such a ding dong. Which is nice.