Using RSS Feeds

e-flux shows

One of the feeds I subscribed to is "e-flux shows", an international network that connects "more than 50,000 visual art professionals" daily through an email list, website and special projects. I think this feed would be incredibly useful as a future art educator. I think one of the expectations of art professionals should be to know what is going on in the art world...we cannot truly understand art unless we see the context.

All too often students feel disconnected from the professional art world. Visiting this feed on a regular basis would allow me as a teacher to incorporate current art shows into my lesson plans. I think that planning lessons around certain events in a way invites students to be a part of a greater art experience. Using this feed as inspiration, I could create lessons in which students use the featured artist as inspiration, which will give them something to compare their own work to.

The Art Teacher's Guide to the Internet

Another feed I subscribed to is "The Art Teacher's Guide to the Internet", a blog that serves as a continuation of Craig Roland's book, which the blog is titled after. The feed provides updates on "ideas, tools, and resources for teaching art and design in a post-digital age."

Although teachers can surely benefit from their own research on internet tools for teaching art, I would find it very helpful to have a site where I can depend on continuous updates on how I can utilize online tools to enhance my teaching methods. By the time I am a teacher, I will have a classroom full of "digital natives," and having a tool like this feed to keep up and keep their attention will be vital. Learning the newest ways to incorporate videos, websites and other online tools into lesson plans can ensure that both my students and I are engaged in learning.