Modern Teachers

Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans
Source: http://www.moma.org

The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) provides a resource site that contains lesson plans, student activities, and images that may be used for educational purposes under a liberal fair use policy. There is also a MOMA iPhone app that features hours, admissions information, and directions; a calendar of upcoming events and exhibits; MOMA audio tours; and an art index of all works and artists featured in the collection. Another great feature from the site is a video which presents tips for engaging students with works of art with demonstrations of each tip.

The MOMA resource site, Modern Teachers, features a searchable database that allows educators to search for art-related lessons by guides, themes, activities, collection areas, artists, and media. Lesson plans may be saved for future reference by creating a username and password to be used to login to the site. Each lesson features objectives, an introductory discussion, an image-based discussion, and activities and projects. Lessons may be printed in .PDF format.

A search of the database for lessons related to the works of Andy Warhol revealed the lesson, Transforming Everyday Objects, featuring the work of five artists, including Andy Warhol. Each artist used everyday objects and popular culture as inspiration for the featured works. The lesson provides a narrative to be used for introducing each work of art, suggestions for leading a class discussion about each work, and art activities and projects to be completed by students.

I Learn Technology

I Learn Technology is an edublog published by Kelly Tenkely. The site provides information about instructional technology and electronic resources. It also includes posts that explain ways to integrate technology into the classroom. Tenkely is a former elementary school teacher, therefore most of the resources are intended for students in grades K-5. However, middle and high school teachers will find some suitable resources as well.

On the blog, Tenkely publishes a collection of I Learn “e-zines” that contain articles related to educational technology. The first issue presents information on mobile learning and features articles on podcasting, Apple iPod learning labs, and features of the various types of iPods. The e-zine also contains numerous links to websites appropriate for students of all ages, including iTunesU which features K-12 educational podcasts. The second issue includes articles on topics such as choosing an iPod for your classroom, computer lab management, and how-to’s for mobile learning. One section presents information related to iPhone apps, categorized by subject. Many of the apps can be used with any grade level, from kindergarten to high school.

Grammaropolis is a fun educational site designed for early elementary students. Tenkely’s Grammaropolis post describes the many features of the site. Grammaropolis includes animated books that feature the parts of speech as characters in an illustrated story. Additional activities include a song, videos, games, and quizzes. All of the content related to the Noun is free. All other characters include an animated description and a free book. Teachers can purchase a Grammaropolis passport for a small monthly or annual subscription fee. The passport unlocks music, videos, quizzes, and games for all of the other characters.

Image: Matt Banks / FreeDigitalPhotos.net