A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words and More

My Students

Looking at small 8" x 11" reproductions of paintings and sculptures is the only way, on a daily basis, my students get to experience art. We need technology in the classroom to bring the outside art world into our learning environment.

The students at my school come from all diverse cultural and academic backgrounds.

They are eager to learn regardless of outside limitations. We provide a safe learning environment where everyone can excel. We are an inner city urban charter school, teaching grades K - 8.

My Project

Technology resources are limited and there is no LCD projector available for the art program on a full time basis. On occasion, the students will watch a DVD about an artist or period of art history, but that is the extent of the available technology. I provide the students visual references from books or small copies of reproductions of paintings, sculptures, and any other art related imagery pertaining to our study. There is a bulletin board in the front of the classroom where I display visual information for each class study, however, I do not have enough room to display all the visual references for each class I teach. I usually walk around the classroom holding up a book or photocopy for the students to view. I have taught this way for years. Field trips to museums are costly and with budget cuts these trips are not a priority. Technology will help to bring the art world into our classroom. My project is to provide the entire school art program access to the art world outside of the classroom by using an LCD projector. Having a projector will enhance my lessons by using the Internet as a vehicle to view paintings, sculptures, environmental art, as well as videos on artists, and art history. The projector will aid in an expanded learning experience for “every project” that each grade studies, which will make the donation a long term investment for the good of the overall program. For example: The 6th grade can take a virtual tour of the caves of Altamira, Spain and then recreate their own cave paintings which will naturally broaden their learning experience taking place in social studies, as well as in art. The 1st grade, while learning about patterns in math, can view Islamic architecture which incorporates the elements of patterns, color, and utilize that information as inspiration to create their own buildings based on those concepts. Students will have the chance to go on virtual tours of museums both nationally and internationally. The possibilities are endless.

My job as a teacher is to provide each student a variety of resources that will enhance their learning experience.

Learning has become much richer with the use of technology and I would like to bring that to my students. An LCD projector would enhance and broaden my students experience in learning about art.