Think like Artists throughout the learning process

What would it look like if twenty percent of our time in a school setting was dedicated to exploring and learning about things that interest us? What would it feel as educators if this was embedded into our work week?
 
What shifts would need to occur for us to encourage students and staff to document their individual learning processes and provide them with the tools in order to do so? The result is worth the effort and would yield a grander authentic audience with an endless supply of ongoing educational inspiration.

Documentation of "process" is not a foreign concept to society. Artists did not keep their paintings locked in studios but instead shared the product for others to see. As a result, a domino effect of inspiration ensued. The exposure to artist products and "documentation" resulted in others beginning to think as a result of the art they experienced.
 
In the post-pandemic world, we have an opportunity to shift the focus from What we learn to How we know, all while having the ability to share and inspire others. Over the last two and half years, technology and its impact on communication have pushed the boundaries of class learning and work environments. The key for us now as educators now find ways to use the changes in communication to provide ownership and depth within our learning our educational communities today as we transition to in-person settings. The quicker we recognize that we must move from a "require" mindset to a "desire" mindset for students, teachers and school leaders will be able to successfully promote & create opportunities for students to explore and develop their strengths and interests.
 
If we think like artists and harvest our interest as we strengthen our craft, we have endless opportunities to inspire others as we share our learning with the world.

 

 


New Lens -Same blogspace

In 2013, I was seven years into my teaching career and interested in creating a space for sharing and collaborating with colleagues globally. This is where this blog, Refrigeratorgood.com, was born. The blog became a space for me to connect and share lessons with my learning community and fellow educators I had never met across the nation. I did not know how to build a website, design custom widgets, or read HTML code at the site's creation. I remember spending hours researching websites and reading about the "how-to's" of web design. Watching the site grow taught me that it's not the product but the process that allows us to learn about ourselves and makes us grow as educators and leaders. 

Fast forward. Nearly a decade later, I transitioned to a new district and worked in different schools within my new school district, serving in three vastly different roles. My experiences ranged from a High School Teacher, Varsity Coach, Assistant Principal, and Elementary School Principal. Truth is, if it weren't for the skills I obtained through creating this site, I don't know that my professional path would be the same.

When we are not with our students, as educators, ninety percent of our time is spent reflecting, listening, and searching for ways to do things better. The educational leadership market is saturated with fantastic literature, podcasts, and TED talks. Still, most recently, I love the statements and questions posed by well-renowned superintendent Joe Sanfelippo. He states, "When we say we are just a teacher, we devalue our work and allow others to do the same." He points out that it is up to the educator to share their narrative before others write it for us. Sanfelippo poses the following question in many of his talks, "What tools do you use as educators, and where do you find the time?" The tools are all around us; we just need to remind ourselves that we have the confidence to dip our toes into uncharted water. We will continue to find out what we are capable of and what the learning "process" will teach us about ourselves.

Thank you to the mentors and leaders who provide the extra push to get back into the water and revisit the process @@DrGeorge_MU

Displaying student work

Displaying student work, is one of the most important aspects of a successful art program within a school. Over the years I have found that students enjoy the process of mounting, hanging and naming their class displays. In my early years of teaching,  I would label and hang the work myself, but as time went on I realized that the students loved selecting the pieces and deciding how they would be displayed as a class. Allowing them to have more ownership over the display process seems to provide them a sense of pride once the work is hung...followed by a traditional group photo.










Photoshop Tutorials for Photo I Course

Looking for a basic intro lessons for a Photography I course:
Below are four tutorials I created for an intro I class.

Medium: Adobe Photoshop
Time: 1-2 days {One day dedicated to class demo and practice editing} 
Grade: 9-12 
Objective: Develop a basic understanding of Photoshop Processing
Materials: Photoshop & Sample images provided by teacher or students

I typically introduce my photoshop basic editing tutorials in the following sequence:
  • Intro to Color correction
  • Intro to Basic Color Edit
  • Color Selection
  • Dodge and Burn

Lesson: Intro to Black and White editing in photoshop
1. Go to layers palette--> Duplicate layer
2. Go to --> "Black and white cookie" -Adjust LEVELS
3. Go to --> "Black and white cookie"Adjust COLOR BALANCE
4. Go to --> "Black and white cookie"Adjust Brightness and Contrast
   *You can modify adjustment layer by painting on it with a black brush.
5. Dodge and Burn {only if needed}






Lesson: Intro to Color selection or "color pop"
1. Command+J
2. Create a black and white mask above you duplicated image
3. Using a black paintbrush, paint on the layer mask {the areas you want to come back in color}
4. If you mess up you can use a white brush to bring it back.





Lesson: Intro to Hue and Saturation adjustment layer 
1. Go to layers palette--> Duplicate layer
2. Go to --> "Black and white cookie" -Adjust Levels
3. Go to --> "Black and white cookie"Adjust Hue and Saturatoin
4. Go to --> "Black and white cookie"Adjust Brightness and Contrast
   *You can modify adjustment layer by painting on it with a black brush.
5. Dodge and Burn {only if needed}





Lesson:  Intro to Dodging and Burning
1. Go to Layers palette-->Duplicate layer by hitting -->Command + J
2. Go to--Layer-->New Layer
3. Select Overlay {CHECK OFF, fill with 50 grey}
4. Dodge and Burn on the new layer

Coming soon... RG Video series!

The beauty of teaching is that with each year new exciting expectations come about. In my experience, most school districts roll out district initiatives every couple of years. In my district we adopted the use of Google Classroom/Drive! 


After attending two google workshops this spring and basking in sensory tech overload I will simplify one of my new favorite classroom applications called Screencastify. The app allows you to record your desktop and embed the video on google drive or other video sharing application. The perk of the app is that it is compatible with google drive..which means easy saving, linking and posting to google classroom!

Excuse the audio.. (still working out the kinks) Stay tuned for a new video series that aims to help photography one teachers with the basics of photoshop.


Lesson: Basic Color edit
1. Go to layers palette--> Duplicate layer
2. Go to --> "Black and white cookie" -Adjust LEVELS
3. Go to --> "Black and white cookie"Adjust COLOR BALANCE
4. Go to --> "Black and white cookie"Adjust Brightness and Contrast
   *You can modify adjustment layer by painting on it with a black brush.
5. Dodge and Burn {only if needed}

Digital Photography Lesson // Abstract Light Designs


Medium: Adobe Photoshop
Time: 1-2 days {One day dedicated to class demo and practice shooting} 
Grade: 9-12 
Objective: Develop a basic understanding of Shutter Priority Mode to light paint
Create an abstract design using Multiple light painting images
Materials: Digital camera/Photoshop

The focus of this lesson is to master the use of slow shutter speeds to create light pairing images.  
Using a dark room, students use their the students use their iPhones as a light source and work in pairs to generate abstract light images in a dark room. The images are then edited in photoshop and combined onto one NEW photoshop file.  This unit usually peaks the interest of most students and is a great warm up to the stop motion lesson.

Untitled








Below is the Step by Step guide for creating on composite abstract design in Photoshop:
Post tutorial, I print out a copy of these directions for students to use while working at their own pace.



1. Edit your shutter images using: Brightness/Contrast and Hue and saturation.




 -->save edits as .JPGS or merge the adjustments


2. Make a new Photoshop Document:
           FILE NEW> 8.5 by 11, 300 resolution. BACKGROUND COLOR BLACK







3. Paint bucket the background of the new document black.


4. Select a soft edge brush and lower the opacity to less than 75%



5. Open edited shutter image. {Make sure it is .jpg} {Make sure they are merged command+E}


6. Click on Quick mask option in tool box


7. With your brush {soft edge-75% opacity} paint on your shutter image


6. Click BACK ON Quick mask option in tool box


7. Your selection should appear {marching ants}


8. GO TO TOOL BAR > SELECT INVERSE


9. Go to move tool, mouse over selection, click on it. Drag it and drop it to new black document.



10. To change the size of the shutter image on the new document: HIT command+T

11. Repeat steps 4-9.









      Teacher: Meredith Hudson
      Class: Digital Photo I
      Grade: 9-12
      State: NJ
      Teachers Blog: [Website]






Digital Photography Lesson// Shutter speed


Medium: Adobe Photoshop
Time: 1-2 days {One day dedicated to class demo and practice shooting} 
Grade: 9-12 
Objective: Develop a basic understanding of Shutter Priority Mode
Photograph, capture & stop motion photography.
Materials: Digital camera/Photoshop

I typically introduce Shutter speed as a unit. One light painting lesson {1-2 days], followed by stop motion photography. Both lessons focus on mastering the use of Shutter Priority mode. 
Students are encouraged to experiment in pairs with their own "stop action" compositions and subjects.







shutterspeed





      Teacher: Meredith Hudson
      Class: Digital Photo I
      Grade: 9-12
      State: NJ
      Teachers Blog: [Website]


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