5 MYTHS about art education & FACTS that refute them.
By Eric Gibbons www.artedguru.com 

MYTH: Students will not have access to art supplies.
FACT: Art is more than paint & canvas. Artists create with what they have around them; sticks,  leaves, coffee-based paint, and more. The poorest counties where people are starving create awesome art with very little. We recycle and re-purpose in art, strengthening ideas about ecology and biology. 2 + 2 in math is always 4, but in art there are many solutions to a problem that can be done with any material. https://youtu.be/kh3Peh4W2SE
 
MYTH: Art is enrichment, we need to focus on academics.
FACT: Art incorporates academics more than any other subject. When we grid, measure, and draw—we use geometry. When we make sculptures—we use engineering. When we mix colors—we reveal information about physics. When we create illustrations for stories—we learn about literature. When we review the styles of art from da Vinci to Banksy—we teach history. When we teach ceramics—we teach chemistry. When we write about art—we strengthen writing skills. When we create works of art, we solve complex visual problems in creative ways. 
https://goo.gl/wik68T and https://goo.gl/CBMB3R and proof that art helps grow neural pathways.
 
MYTH: We need to focus on Core Content.
FACT: Core content is STRENGTHENED by art education. Students who take art outscore their non-art peers significantly on standardized tests. For example, art students score 100 points higher on their SAT exams on average. More research-based information can be found here: www.artedguru.com/home/is-art-a-waste-of-resources
 
MYTH: We can get back to arts education after the pandemic.
FACT: Now more than ever, art education is necessary BECAUSE of the pandemic. NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) has definitive studies that show art does the following:
1. Art filled occupational voids & distracted thoughts of illness; improvements in flow and spontaneity, expression of grief, positive identity, social networks. 2. Improved well-being by decreasing negative emotions and increasing positive ones. 3. Improved medical outcomes. 4. Reduced stress and anxiety. 5. Reduced distress and negative emotions. 6. Reduced symptoms of compassion fatigue; increases in healing, well-being, and sense of purpose. 7. Improved focus on positive life experiences, self-worth, and social identity. http://bit.ly/ArtBenefits
 
MYTH: Families are overwhelmed, adding art is just too much right now.
FACT: Families are asking for non-academic resources for their children, for the therapeutic reasons mentioned above and for beneficial, on-task activities. http://bit.ly/ArtBenefits2

PRO N95 Mask DIY by Teacher & Inventor

I offer this for free for anyone to use and make a mask for themselves. I AM NOT a medical professional, but I am an award winning inventor, author, and teacher. N95 masks really should be in the hands of medical professionals during this Covid-19 pandemic. I had one from a long time before this crisis and wanted to backwards engineer one for myself and share with you my process. If you use the information here, please give me credit with a link to my blog www.artedguru.com or my publisher www.firehousepublications.com . Liking and subscribing will help me make more content for my students.

Here is the info about citric acid in N95 masks: https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf8/K081923.pdf

Materials :

1. Plaster Gauze: I got mine at Nasco Here: http://bit.ly/2W7Q7C4 search "plaster gauze"
2. Hot Glue & Glue Gun (High Temp)
3. Flexible Metal
4. Wire, Paper Clips, Nasco has it too, product number 0400461
5. Pliers
6. Elastic about 20 inches per mask.
7. Water
8. Table cloth & paper covering
9. Lemon Juice & Spray Bottle
10. Silicone tool or something non-stick to press hot glue
11. Foil
12. Liquid Soap
13. Filter Material: MERV 13 or higher HVAC Filters OR HEPA Vacuum filters rated to 3 microns.

I have an idea I want to share with you all... and I think this may be an artful and potentially healing idea... I have this and many more home-bound resources on my "Remote Lessons" tab, or click HERE.

Art teachers could have students work on altered books over their homebound studies to record and reflect their experiences. This may be more appropriate for upper grades, but what is happening NOW is going to stay with our students as they tell their grandchildren.

My idea is that each week students create a new section in an old book. (See if your library has any to donate) and each week students submit an image of their progress to be "graded," and perhaps a written componant to explain their work. My Students see me for about 7 hours per week in block scheduling, so I am requiring each section look like about 5 to 7 hours worth of work. It should reflect their experiences, both good and bad.

I think, exhibited together, this could be an important point of reflection. It is the assignment at the bottom of this LONG post of what I am giving my students on what may be our last day. (You may wish to save this post to see updates.) I am also preparing baggies students can fill with supplies, crayons, markers, etc, and each will get 10 sheets of drawing paper. I am giving them older supplies I would not miss and I will ask those who have plenty at home to not bother taking anything. I will tell them they can return the supplies when we come back to school,

I have written up weekly assignments, but this Altered Book assignment will be my standby alternate that I think many will choose.

This is what I am giving to my students. We graduate students at the end of May so I only need about 10 weeks of lessons.

The "workbook" I use is one I created: www.amazon.com/dp/1463749449T

____________________________________
Weekly Assignments For Art

ALL projects will be due on Fridays. There will be a Google Classroom document available to open, insert an image, and write an explanation of what you created. You can finish/submit early, but the work needs to look like it took 5 days to complete, that's about 7 hours worth of work. If your final image looks like it took 5 minutes to make, then your grade will reflect that.

March 23-27:
Research paper 
DETAILS HERE

March 30- April 3
Workbook Page 41, 42, 43
www.artedguru.com/home/alphabet-illustrations

April 6 to 10
Workbook Page 88
Pick a theme and create an artwork based on that. Enter a photo and description on Google Classroom

April 13 - 17
Workbook Page 99-101
Create a comic book cover. Sample and required elements are on the bottom of page 101.

April 20 -24
Complete Art Quotes G-Z, Photograph and submit. Check Google Classroom to see if I have a template available for you.

April 27-May 1
Workbook pages 132 -136
You can get all the information from these videos http://bit.ly/ArtStyles
OR you can use the internet to research on your own. (Videos are easier)

May 4-8
Workbook Pages 138-144, Photograph and submit the matching assignment on pages 141-144

May 11-15
Workbooks Page 166-168
Find 6 art history videos on Youtube that are MORE than 10 minutes long. Complete a short video notes page for EACH video and submit.

May 18-22
With any art supplies you want, create a work of art expressing how you feel with the current situation in the USA (Covid 19). You interpret that anyway you want. Be sure your work is "School Appropriate" and expressive of your point of view.

ALTERNATE Altered Books ASSIGNMENT:
March 30-May 22.
Look up "Altered Books Art" on Google, videos and online resources.

Find an old book you can destroy. Each week create a new section in that old book to represent your journey through this Covid-19 situation.

Record the good and the bad. Keep it "school appropriate." Every Friday upload your work and a written explanation of your work. You can use ANY materials you like. When you see the samples, you can see there are many ways to interpret the situation. Each submission should look like 5 - 7 hours of work. Decorating the cover counts as 1 week too.

I have created a video playlist here as I go through the process of making a book too. Follow along and make your own! LINK HERE

Please click the "Remote Lessons" tab for a growing list of resources you can use during this Covid 19 Pandemic.
 
FREE RESOURCES:
1. Google Classroom: Create a class, have students join with a code. Upload assignments, links, etc, and students can submit their work as images within Google Docs.
2. Facebook Group: Temporary School Closure Support
3. Facebook Live: Live videos of you teaching. Many can watch at the same time.
4. SeeSaw is recommended for lower grades, like K-5
5. Google Hangouts where you can have live conversations
6. Create packets of simple lessons that can be done at home with minimal supplies like pencils and copy paper. Many blogs offer free lessons. List of Art Ed Blogs HERE.
7. Arts and Culture on Google offer daily art exposure and potential lessons
8. Khan Academy - An Academic approach to art.
9. Some districts have "CANVAS" built into their school dashboards for remote teaching. Your district may have additional information on that. I understand Google Classroom is easier, but some districts mandate Canvas which may connect to your grading platform too.
10. ZOOM is a program and app that allows you to host meetings. The free version allows for 40 minute sessions, but I believe that teachers in closed schools can get full access for free. (Comment below if you have details on this.)
11. Loom is a tool for screencasting and as of today, the pro features are now free for teachers and students ... forever! Kathleen Morris uses it and uploaded a tutorial here. She also updated a screencasting comparison chart in her MEGA Guide to teaching online due to school closures...
12. HUGE list of companies offering free resources while schools are closed HERE.
13. FREE Resources for teaching online HERE. (Tutorials and MORE!)
​
Free Videos:
I have many free videos you are welcome to share HERE. Some focus on short lessons, art history information, and more. I have another page with more than 100 video links you may find helpful in creating remote lessons HERE.
 
DISCOUNTED Resources:
If you are "old-school" in your approach, "Fifty K-12 Art Lessons: Creative Differentiated Explorations In Art" is a book that comes with rights for a teacher to make copies for all their students. Lessons can be done with simple pencil and copy paper, or with any media available to you. If you send kids home with baggies of simple supplies, you can include packets for them to complete, photograph and submit for a grade. Each lesson has a sample, a worksheet, sketch page, and lesson. Many lessons have shortened URLs to videos with demos. You can see inside the book HERE, The title link takes you to Amazon, but you can get it from the publisher for 30% off and Free shipping HERE.
 
If you need simple assessments, quizes, worksheets, simple pencil-and-paper written assignments, "Art Assessments" is great for grades 4 up to 12. This too comes with rights to make copies for your students. The title links you to Amazon, and you can see inside the book HERE. You can get it from the publisher for 30% off and Free shipping HERE.

Advice from Eddie Blass
Founder, Director, CEO of Inventorium at www.inventorium.com.au/
Teaching online for more than a decade.
Originally posted on Facebook HERE.
 
6 Tips for online teaching success:
 
1. Do not pre-record any video sessions for students. Either say it live (you can record live sessions and repost them), or put it a written document of some form. Pre-recording video is the biggest time waste because you spend so much time editing and fussing with it. Just record, go live, and save what you got.
 
I'm advocating that you video record live sessions only so that those who can attend synchronously benefit from Q&A, and those who can't benefit from watching the Q&A, which hopefully provides greater equity to those synchronous and asynchronous. Also it saves you time, stops you burning out, and ensures you build on what is already there rather than repeating it.
 
2. Use YouTube! There are millions of great videos on YouTube. We curate from YouTube for our online resource for everything except task introductions. Someone has already said what you are going to say (unless it’s a live conversation) and they have probably said it better than you would.
 
3. Do not run 1 hour sessions from start to finish. Go for 30 minutes planned, then interaction and Q&A. Deal with any individual student issues in that hour, as you would in the classroom.
 
4. Remember that listening to someone online for 30 minutes is hard work, so break the session down – ask kids to talk, or run a poll, or get them do something and show you, or whatever, but do not talk ‘at them’ like you might in a live classroom. You don’t need fancy tech for this – be creative.
 
5. Don’t get disheartened by non-response. Sit out a silence until someone talks. Once people start talking it will build, you just need someone brave to kick things off. Silence online feels much more uncomfortable for the facilitator than it does in a room where you can feel people thinking. You don’t get that energy online so you need to hold the space differently.
 
6. Try to use resources that were designed for online teaching – such as forums, wiki’s and chatrooms – you can also use what’s posted in this blog post to kick start discussions.

This is a more advanced challenge. I have done this project with food before HERE, but I wanted to see if my Art 2 students might be able to handle something more complex. I thought a shoe is something that might translate well into wire, and everyone has a different style of shoe they wear. I made a sample with a single wire to challenge myself. I have also created some videos to help understand the process.
 
Food is fairly simple, and I have done that with my middle school students, but even for me, the shoe was a challenge. The only way to get there was to have students create some small wire sculptures to build up their skills. (I got my wire from NASCO) I created a list of 10 things they should attempt first:

• Coil
• Cube
• Sphere
• Cylinder
• Cone
• Ladder
• String of pearls
• Spring
• Their name
• A 3-D letter

​All these items might become components of a shoe. I told them I would grade these for attempts, not successes. If you tried all 10, you got a 100%. I also looked at their work, those who truly struggles I said to try the shoe, but they could opt for a complete meal (All food groups, drink, and dessert.) Of my 22 students, 2 did food.
 
Their "homework" was to bring in a shoe to model from. This way the scale would be life-size, and they could translate the lines of the shoe into wire. I tried to discourage using flip-flops, but some did anyway. I had some ribbon too that some used to embellish their work, and some left over spray paint we used on some for color (spraying outdoors).

I also shared this with our technology teacher that does 3D printing as they cover wire-frame images too. She's considering doing a collaborative project with me next year. I always love to collaborate with colleagues. Reaching out is always good for the art department.
 
Below are the videos I created to help students, as well as their finished works. You can find more of my resources at Firehouse Publications that you can use and copy for your own students.

I write this as the Covid-19 (Novel Corona Virus) is making its way into the US population. I have collected information here from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control, plus my own 30 years of classroom experience.
 
There are nay-sayers, and many who feel it not as bad as everyone thinks, but there are things you should be doing during every flu season to stay healthy anyway. A link to the Centers for Disease Control is HERE.
 
1. Wash hands frequently*
2. Avoid touching your face
3. If you are sick, stay home
4. Cover your mouth when you cough, even if you don't think you're sick. (People can be infected with Covid-19 for 14 days before feeling any symptoms, which is why it has spread world-wide.) The CDC recommends tissues as the best option, and disposing immediately.
 
For ART TEACHERS, these are additional tips.
 
5. If a student looks sick, send them to the nurse.
6. Have supplies only YOU use and do not share with students or staff.
7. Disinfect your door handle daily , sink handles, and any surface multiple people touch.
8. If you have the budget, each student could be given a ziplock baggie of supplies they can use.
9. Create and use paper bathroom passes that are tossed when students return.
10. Avoid non-essential travel in confined spaces (Airplanes/Trains) and areas where large groups of people meet when there is an epidemic.
 
*For hand washing, the CDC says, "Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol."
 
I stock up on Rubbing Alcohol, over 60% by volume. I buy 6 bottles of Rubbing Alcohol at the big box store for about $2 a bottle. I put a spray nozzle on it and spray tables, doorknobs, bathroom passes, keyboard, and my own hands throughout the day.  I disinfect when I arrive early at school, or at the end of the day so there is enough time for the odor to dissipate. Consider moving to paper bathroom passes instead of passes that are handled by many people.

6 bottles of rubbing alcohol last me a year. It has made a huge difference in my health. Your individual district may have particular guidance for cleaning supplies, but this is what I have done for years. Alcohol is the active ingredient in hand sanitizers without the gel or fragrance.  That is also a plus for me. If dryness is an issue, a little lotion goes a long way. You can even make your own hand sanitizer by mixing rubbing alcohol with your favorite hand lotion, but test it a little bit to make sure it's stable. Use an old pump bottle, or your next empty sanitizer dispenser.
 
If you do get ill from Covid-19, a mask at home may help sick people from spreading the illness, but do not prevent you from getting it. Traditional masks are not perfectly sealed against the face. Hording masks means that it's hard for healthcare professionals to get them. 80% of people who get ill from Covid-19 will have mild symptoms. 15% will have more severe reactions that are like a very bad flu. 5% will need hospitalization. Deaths have been mainly in populations with compromised health issues and the elderly at a rate of 2% on average for the virus.

This 2% figure can be a bit misleading though. Ages 0 - 40 seems to have a similar mortality rate as the flu, at about .2%; that's 2 tenths of 1%. Very small. At 50 - 60 years of age, it is closer to the 2% figure. At 60-70 years of age it is closer to 4% mortality, 70-80 is 8% mortality, and over 90 approaches 15% mortality. Those in critical care have a mortality rate of between 49 and 61%. (Info from reports HERE, and confirmed HERE.) 

If you take life-saving medications, some supply chains have been disrupted by Covid-19. You can check the status of your medications HERE: http://bit.ly/RXShortage
 
It is important to get information from reliable sources. Sometimes governments make political decisions not based on reality. I strongly recommend checking updates at the World Health Organization, or the Centers for Disease Control. The  bold links will take you to their pages focused on the Covid-19 virus. Their regular home pages can be found at www.who.int  and www.cdc.gov respectively.