ARTS EDUCATION INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
RESOURCES
for teachers, parents and community members who are interested in the arts in education.
A man should hear a little music, read a little poetry, and see a fine picture every day of his life, in order that worldly cares may not obliterate the sense of the beautiful which God has implanted in the human soul. —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Using Technology in Arts Education
Online handout created for the West Virginia Arts Teachers Academy, a free workshop provided by the WV Department of Education.
Contains resource links for dance, music, theatre, visual arts, and more.
Using Technology as an Art Medium
Exhibitions of art created with digital applications.
Using PowerPoint in the Classroom
Resources and tips.
Using Blogs in Arts Education
What are they? How are they used?
Intro to Building Your Own Website
Extras... related to the WV Arts Teachers Academy 2005 theme: "The Arts, the Parents, and the Community"
Why Literature Matters - Dana Gioia, Chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts talks about the critical link between literature and participation in the arts and civic involvement.
Bowling Alone
by Robert D. Putnam.
"Drawing on data that reveal Americans' changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures—whether they be the PTA, church, or political parties [or arts programs]—have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health,, nor had anyone exalted the fundamental power of these bonds in creating a society that is happy, well educated, healthy, and safe."
Listen to an interview with the author from All Things Considered, May 31, 2000. Robert Siegel talks with Robert Putnam who is author of Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Putnam uses an observation about the decline in bowling leagues in the U-S as a metaphor to describe the increasing alienation of Americans from their families and communities, and the political process. One crucial factor leading to the social isolation is television. Says Putnam, "People watch Friends on TV—they don't have them." (7:30)
bowlingalone.com
Visit the website to accompany the book.
Rebuilding the Front Porch of America
Essays on the art of community making.
Better Together
by Robert D. Putnam, Lewis Feldstein, Donald J. Cohen
After identifying the problem in Bowling Along the authors offer a dozen case studies of what groups of varying size have accomplished by cultivating networks of mutual assistance.
bettertogether.org
Website to accompany the research in Bowling Alone and the case studies in Better Together. Check out the list of 150 ways to build social capital.
Gaining the Arts Advantage
The purpose of this study was to identify the conditions and practices that create and sustain district-wide commitment to arts education for all students. The findings of the study are listed here.
Related articles:
New Roles for Artists in the Information Age by artist Jeff Gates.
Preparing Children for the Twenty-First Century - A Rationale for Integrating New Technology into School Arts Programs by Craig Roland, University of Florida.
Art The 4th "R" by Jason Ohler. "In a multimedia world, art is a literacy as basic as reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic..."
Integrating Technology into the Art Curriculum by Harold Olejarz. Middle school art teacher makes the case.
Teaching With Technology by Professor James J. O'Donnell, University of Pennsylvania.
The Role of the Arts in the Digital World
Article from Digital Canvas magazine.
The Role of the Artist in the Lab by Bill Buxton. This is an old article, 1988—even before the Net. But many of the points he makes apply to technology as we know it now. "My central thesis is, therefore, that I believe that there is a vital role for the artist in the laboratory and that this role is equally beneficial to artist and scientist, alike."
