2nd Entry

     My topic is Art History and my audience is adults, specifically graduate students currently in EDU 511 (because that is who I have access to). After all the positive feedback I am extremely excited to start this experience. I chose this particular topic because I am a future art educator and I believe that at the very least everyone should know their art history. Especially with adults, people have an idea of what they can do and what they can't do. And a lot of people are turned off to what they believe they can not do. I suppose that is why (in my project proposal) I kept referring to adults that have "lost their passion for the arts" or those that "have negative connotations as a result of previous experiences" because unfortunately that happens as we get older, and we hold on to these experiences and come to the conclusion that "I am not artistic" or creative or what have you. Of course I would not assume that that is the case, however, I am prepared to tackle that obstacle should it come up. In fact, I would love for it to come up so I can attempt to change someone's view on art. As educators isn't that what drives us? Isn't that one of our goals; to obviously cater to and nurture our students who are interested and talented but more importantly, to affect those that previously had no interest or even "hated" our subject area? To alter or maybe even enlighten a person's view on something? As for myself it is one of my goals. I went into teaching because I wanted to be there for students who think that they don't have anyone on their side, that feel lost and totally disinterested in school. I believe art can be a great outlet for those students, I believe I can make a difference for those kids. 

     I believe it is important for all educators of all subject areas to be knowledgeable in art history. It will enhance their own subject areas whether they be math, english, social studies or science. It is more realistic for adults that may be "set in their ways" to be open to art history instead of creating art. It is also easier for them to envision a link between art history and their own subject area. I hope to learn the best ways to implement an online experience and also the best way to reach individuals through distance education. I expect to go through a lot of trials and errors in finding the best way to introduce art history to adults via DE. Of course, I will be conducting surveys to begin with in order to decipher their interest in art history, their knowledge of it and of course their history with DE, I suppose I would work from there. 

Why I am interested in distance education

     Technology is not only invading our everyday and professional lives, but it is becoming a necessity in our classrooms as well. It is extremely important to be versed in technology as a teacher, because in today's world children are more experienced in technology than most adults, every generation has more technology surrounding them as they grow than the previous generation. It is hard to keep up, but that is a teacher's job because they are dealing with students every year that are more technologically versed than the year before. Although online courses and distance learning has been around for years, it is always improving and being enhanced. It is not enough to simply know that distance learning is a possibility or that it is available, teachers should be experienced with the latest options. 

     I expect to learn a lot from this course because I have already learned so much just from last week's class. I expect to learn about the endless possibilities and the differences we can make through distance education. Before I knew about this class, I honestly had not given teaching through video feeds or online classes in elementary and secondary schools much thought, I did not know online classes were even available for students other than those at the college level. Unfortunately, it is natural to teach the way you were taught, and I did not have those experiences, so I suppose that is why I did not previously think about it. 

     I am looking forward to learning about the possibilities I can take advantage of in my future classroom. After I become settled in my first year or two of teaching, I predict I will experiment with distance education. I would love to collaborate with neighboring schools in the district to start, and it would be fascinating to then communicate with other classrooms around the world. I would prepare and experiment before implementing this of course, and I am confident that the students learning experiences would truly be unforgettable as a result of it. 

     Currently I am still waitressing and hosting at two different restaurants in Pacific Beach. I plan on looking for part time teaching and substituting jobs in the near future. I aspire to be a middle school or high school art teacher, possibly specifically in sculpture. Even though I am certified K-12, I would rather teach secondary. 

     Although I have taken an online seminar before, I have not take an online course. I am specifically interested in designing online courses for my future students, I believe it is extremely important in involve technology in a classroom, other than simply searching on the internet for documents or images. There are so many other possibilities that I need to learn and master so I can share them with my future students.