My Webquest

        The essential question of my Webquest is "Which Visual Arts Medium is the Best?" The purpose of the question is not to get a defininite, right or wrong answer from the students, but to direct their thoughts and send them on a quest to explore the innumerable art mediums available to them. What gave me the idea is that I've noticed that many students in the middle school grades get caught up in one material. They might realize that they work best in drawing, so all they want to work with is drawing, and don't develop skills in other areas. Or a student may have a preconcieved idea about what is and isn't art. The purpose of this Webquest is to broaden their horizons a little.
      
         The class will be divided into groups: one will be working with clay, one with paint, one will be working with drawing, and the last will be working in nontraditional materials, and each will research to create a group presentation using Prezi that answers specific questions given to them in the Process page. Each group will be divided into four roles- one member will research the history of the medium, one will research three artists that work(ed)  in the medium , one will research the advantages and disadvantages of the medium, and one will be in charge interviewing his/her group members and taking pictures of all the group's  finished art projects and uploading them to the Prezi.

        

        Each group member will also create their own sculpture, drawing, painting, or other art piece according to the material of their group.  After the Prezis are presented, there will be a class crique in which they will discuss one another's work and an exhibition for other classes to view the finished pieces. Viewers will vote for their favorite piece and their favorite medium. Individual and group winners will receive a prize.

       Upon completing this activity, students will have learned about the history of different art mediums and artists,learned group communication and collaboration skills, and the skills of critique. They also will have practiced the prinipals of design and creativity in creating their own art piece, as well as reading, research, and technology skills.  Hopefully, students will learn that art can exist in an unlimited number of mediums, have a better idea of which medium(s) they prefer and work best in, and will be more open and willing to try new art materials as they advance in art education.

Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments


2 a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity.


     I think this activity best meets standard 2a because it is a relavant learning activity that I can really use in my student teaching. Not only can I use the actual Webquest I made, but I can use the Webquest tool to make other activities. I can change the subject matter and the difficulty level to fit any class or grade. The format helps the teacher to design an assignment that incorporates technology and higher level thinking skills.