For a number of years, 3rd graders at Conant have completed this collaborative project that connects their work in the classroom and their work in the art room. In class, students choose and learn more about a particular person, through the use of biographies. They write a report, dress up as their person, and present to their classmates. In art with me they create a portrait drawing of their person, to be displayed with their report.
Not only do they create a lovely drawing to complement their report, they also learn the difference between portrait and self-portrait while relating those two vocabulary words to what they’ve learned about biography and auto-biography. They also learn additional vocabulary words for describing types of portraits (frontal view, profile view, 3/4 view, bust, full-length, and group).
I made a short video that introduces these types of portraits. Feel free to use it in your class!
This year, I took it a step further, after learning about the Chatterpix app. When students were finished coloring their self-portraits, they used an iPad to create a talking photo, aka a Chatterpix.
Each classroom teacher had these drawings on display and with them I posted QR codes that linked back to the videos. This integration of QR codes came from a class I took at Framingham State University. (Side note, if you need PDP’s or credits to advance your salary scale, check out what Framingham State has to offer. It’s very very reasonably priced -$179 a credit, AND it’s online. Super cool, and both classes I’ve taken have been great) I don’t think many people scanned them, but I know the more I include QR codes in my displays, the more familiar everyone will get with them. There are many websites to make QR codes. I like qrstuff.com, but also use goo.gl to shorten links and quickly make QR codes.
Initially I hoped the students would be able to make the QR codes themselves using the QR Reader & Scanner app, but I found that with only 6 iPads, that was too slow going for the short amount of time we have in art. It just took too long to create the chatterpix, export it to the camera roll, upload to dropbox, grab the video link, and use that link to create a QR code. So instead the students did everything but make the QR code. Perhaps next year when I am a 1:2 iPad classroom this will be possible. (Yes, I’m getting another 6 iPads via a very successful Donors Choose campaign, and some extra money from the Art Department) Certainly in a 1:1 iPad classroom!
Keep Calm & Teach Art 