ARTS EDUCATION RESOURCES WEBSITE

ARTS EDUCATION RESOURCES WEBSITE Caroline Jane Firman B.A., University of California, Davis, 2006 PROJECT Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS in EDUCATION (Curriculum and Instruction) at CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, SACRAMENTO SPRING 2010 ARTS EDUCATION RESOURCES WEBSITE A Project by Caroline Jane Firman Approved by: , Committee Chair Karen D Benson, Ph.D Date ii Student: Caroline Jane Firman I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this project is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the Project , Associate Chair Rita M Johnson, Ed D Department of Teacher Education iii Date Abstract of ARTS EDUCATION RESOURCES WEBSITE by Caroline Jane Firman This project is an Alternative Culminating Experience for a Master of Arts in Education: Curriculum and Instruction with an Elective Emphasis on Arts in Education It follows Pathway V: Art Educator as Advocate and Leader Promoting Arts Confident Teachers through Professional Development This project aimed to provide Sacramento area teachers with a Web site to gather resources about arts education and to network with other teachers in order to encourage and aid them in incorporating the arts into their classroom teaching The author created a resource and social networking website for Sacramento area teachers interested in gathering resources for arts education and for learning more about how to integrate the arts into their classroom teaching The resource portion of the site provides teachers with resources for arts education such as relevant articles, a listing of applicable grants, different arts education programs, useful links, and other related information such as blogs and other useful websites The social networking portion provides a place to post lesson plans, photos and videos, to discuss issues and questions in a forum and to be able to blog about arts education related topics such as the achievements they are making in the classroom in regards to arts education After the creation of the site, the author conducted significant marketing in order to broadcast the site to pertinent individuals iv While the initial outcome did not result in a widespread or large audience for the site, it connected the author with important individuals in arts in education and shows promise for a greater following and use if more time is spent marketing and maintaining the website in the months and years to come _, Committee Chair Karen D Benson, Ph.D _ Date v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to acknowledge Karen Benson, my advisor, for all her guidance and effort in helping me to complete the writing of this project and for pushing me to the limits to finish it ahead of schedule I would also like to thank Crystal Olson and Lorie Hammond for providing me with the education necessary to undertake this project and to the three of them for acknowledging that the arts are important and for providing such a program for those who wish to advocate for arts in education My thanks go to Chia-Jung Chung for reviewing my project and website with detail In addition, I would like to thank all those who have made the Arts Education Resources website a success by distributing it and by using it Finally, I would like to thank my husband, Arek, and my parents for supporting and aiding me in the creation and writing of this project and for understanding my passion for arts education vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgments vi Chapter INTRODUCTION .1 REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE THE PROCESS 27 REFLECTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS .37 Appendix A [Website Screenshots] .45 Appendix B [Community Screenshots] .58 Appendix C [Marketing E-mails] 60 Appendix D [e-Newsletters] 62 Appendix E [Flyer] 64 Appendix F [Feedback] 65 Appendix G [Web Analytics] .66 Appendix H [Survey Instrument] 68 References .70 vii Chapter INTRODUCTION Purpose of the Study This project is an Alternative Culminating Experience for a Master of Arts in Education: Curriculum and Instruction with an Elective Emphasis on Arts in Education It follows Pathway V: Art Educator as Advocate and Leader Promoting Arts Confident Teachers through Professional Development This project involved the creation of both a resource website and social networking site for Sacramento area teachers who are interested in gathering resources for arts education and for learning more about how to integrate the arts into their classroom teaching This website provides teachers with both resources for arts education and with a place for them to post lesson plans, photos and videos, to discuss issues and questions in a forum, and the ability to blog about arts education related topics, such as achievements made in the classroom in regard to arts education The resource portion of the site has categories for recent articles in arts education, a listing of grants that teachers may apply for, a calendar of arts events in the area, a listing of different arts education programs, useful links, and other arts education related information such as blogs about arts education and other useful arts education websites This website is important because it provides teachers with the resources needed to learn more about arts education and with the ability to network and learn from other teachers who have been/are successful in incorporating the arts into their classrooms Currently a website of this kind aimed at Sacramento area teachers does not exist While websites that separately provide resources or social networking for arts educators are available, there does not appear to be one that integrates the two into one place Social Networking is something that has come into being in the last few years and is becoming more and more popular every day The researcher provided arts educators with a place to interact with one another, so that they might in turn learn necessary information and gather valuable resources in order to further the learning of arts in their classrooms In addition, many classroom teachers would like to be able to teach the arts in their classrooms, but they not know how to so This website provided them with ways in which to teach the arts from teachers that have already been successful This website is primarily aimed at Sacramento area teachers, but anyone is welcome to participate It is accessible to anyone interested in arts education This completely web-based project draws the majority of its materials from other websites The researcher began the project by surveying several teachers to find out what types of information they would find useful for a website and what sorts of things would encourage them to use it This survey was e-mailed out in order to keep with the web-based context of the project From the results of this survey and from the categories the researcher had already thought about including, a website was created To create this website, the researcher had to conduct extensive research in order to gather the crucial resources and to make her website as informative as possible Using primarily the Internet, she gathered information about arts events in the area to create a calendar, about grants in arts education that teachers could apply for, recent articles regarding arts education, other websites that may be useful to those that use her website, a listing of different arts education programs in the area, different photos, videos or sound clips that pertain to arts education, the California Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) standards, and any other information that teachers may have asked for as a result of the survey they fill out Before making the website live, the researcher spent time making sure that it was informative and once it was ready to go, she e-mailed those teachers who participated in the survey and encouraged them to start using the site The researcher also asked teachers to pass on the information about the website in hope that it would reach as many Sacramento area teachers as possible She kept the website updated as often as time permitted, at least weekly, with new events, news, articles, and important information The researcher had the website up and running by the beginning of July so that visitors would have time during the summer to use it and gain the information they need to begin implementing arts lesson plans in the fall In mid-October to early November, she sent another survey via e-mail to find out if the website served as useful, and if any achievements in regards to arts education were made in teachers’ classrooms This survey also asked teachers to comment on any additions or changes they might make to the website to further its development After the researcher’s initial research was complete, she continued to run the website and kept it updated in hope that it might expand statewide If it proved to be successful such that those who found it useful would continue to use it, she hoped those teachers would provide their students with the arts in the classroom The first section of the researcher’s literature review centers upon theories and practices in arts and education This section includes reading from John Dewey’s book Art as Experience (1934), The Kind of Schools We Need (1998), by Elliot Eisner, Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences (1983) and Philosophy of Education: Learning and Schooling (1967) by Donald Arnstine The second section focuses on the definition of social networking and how it is being currently used in education both for teachers and students Some articles included in this section are What You Need to Know About Web 2.0 by Catherine Imperatore, Don’t Be Afraid to Explore Web 2.0 by John Thompson, Can Web 2.0 Improve our Collaboration? by Rhoades, Friedel, and Morgan, and Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools by Solomon and Schrum The third and final section discusses how to create successful websites and social networks and includes literature by experts in the field such as How to Develop a Successful Social Networking Strategy by T Barkan and The Official Successful Website Checklist Challenge by Matt Jurmann The main focus of the researcher’s research focused upon gathering resources for the Community Signup Page APPENDIX C Marketing E-mails 1) E-mail sent to all arts educators, advocates, and organizations that I knew of in the Sacramento Area Good Afternoon, I am not sure of the demographics of this listserv and apologize if this information is not relevant to you I am currently pursuing my Masters at CSU Sacramento in Arts Education (after graduating from UCD in 2006 with my B.A in music) and for my thesis project I have created a website and social network aimed at providing resources to arts educators, advocates and parents in the Sacramento area Much of the content will be useful to any part of the country but there are sections tailored specifically to the area The website URL is www.artsedresources.com As a leader in the field of arts and/or arts education, I am sending this e-mail to you in hope that you might be able to pass the link to the website on to anyone you feel might find it useful In addition, I am sending out a bi-monthly e-Newsletter with information about upcoming events, opportunities and news about arts education that can be signed up for on the homepage If you have anything you would like me to post on the site, you are more than welcome to send it to me It is my endeavor to raise awareness for arts education in Sacramento and I am trying every avenue possible to get word of the website out to people! Thank you for your help, Caroline Firman www.artsedresources.com (916) 903-7691 2) E-mail sent to members of the For Art's Sake Arts Education Committee From: Caroline Firman To: cjbamforth@gmail.com Sent: Tue, Oct 20, 2009 12:57 pm Subject: For Art's Sake Arts Education Committee: Arts Education Resources Website Dear Arts Education Committee: I hope that you don't mind me contacting you all like this but I was hoping to spread the word! Some of you may have already received this e-mail from myself or someone else, but I wanted to let you know about a website I have created for my Master's Thesis Project that provides the Sacramento area with resources for arts education I created the website in June and it is still a work in progress I am always looking for more information to add to it in order for it to be a comprehensive resource In addition to the website, I have been sending a bi-monthly e-newsletter and there is also a social network tied to the website where people can post events, blogs, videos, photos, and other information This is a very low budget project, so it's not the most fancy looking of websites, but I try to keep it is organized and informative as I can! The URL for the site is: www.artsedresources.com Social Network: community.artsedresources.com I am hoping to get word of my site out to every individual that might be interested in the site and find it useful My marketing efforts so far have not been that successful and I am hoping that some of you may be able to help with that by passing it on In addition, the social network is not being utilized as much as I would have liked it to have been Also, please send me anything and everything that you feel could be essential to the website I can always add new categories of information if you feel it necessary At today's meeting, it sounded like there were many more organizations and programs that I haven't heard of, so please make sure you send me information about your organization to include I would appreciate any input and feedback and if you could pass information on to anyone that you feel this could be of use to I have tried to get it out to the schools, but so far, that hasn't been very successful I have also attached a flyer that I have made if you wish to distribute it in any way Thank you, Caroline Firman APPENDIX D E-Newsletters First e-Newsletter sent July 30, 2009 2nd Design of e-Newsletter, ongoing since August 26, 2009 APPENDIX E Flyer APPENDIX F Feedback E-mails received 1) Re: News from Arts Education Resources - October 15, 2009 Caroline: This informational service was exciting to receive this morning Well done!!! Crystal 2) RE: News from Arts Education Resources - October 15, 2009 Thanks Caroline This is great stuff, I will share it with the Board and staff Vicki Vicki Schaevitz Sacramento Youth Symphony Office Manager 3443 Ramona Ave., Suite 22 Sacramento, CA 95826 vickisys@sbcglobal.net 3) Thank you Caroline, Your website is amazing I've shared it with student teachers and colleagues at UCD Thanks for starting such a great resource Does Sacramento Mayor, Kevin Johnson, know about the site? I ask because of his work with the community to support the arts in Sacramento Anna Anna Kato, Ed.D School of Education University of California One Shields Avenue Academic Surge, #2063 Davis CA 95616 Phone: (530) 752-3401 Fax: (530) 752-5411 http://education.ucdavis.edu APPENDIX G Web Analytics Samples of how Web Analytics pages read APPENDIX H Survey Instrument Survey Instrument I would appreciate a few moments of your time to fill out a quick survey about the Arts Education Resources Website 1) Please enter the information indicated below: By entering my personal information, I consent to receive email communications from the survey author's organization based on the information collected First Name: Last Name: Job Title: Company Name: Email Address: City: Postal Code: 2) How often did you visit the Arts Education Resources Website? (www.artsedresources.com - NOT the Community) Once a day Once or twice a week Once or twice a month Never 3) Have you informed anybody else about the Arts Education Resources Website? If so, who and how? Yes No Comment: 4) What useful information have you gained from the website? News about Arts Education Information about Programs and Classes in the Area Useful Websites Grants and Funding Opportunities Lesson Plans and Curriculum Other 5) Do you find the website easy to navigate? If not, please explain Yes No Comment: 6) What content would you like to see represented on the website that is not already there? Comment: The Arts Education eNewsletter is sent bi-monthly and includes important up-to-date news and events in Arts Education, specifically in the Sacramento area I will need to start paying for the newsletter service so I need to know if this is a useful piece of information If it is not being read or utilized, I will not continue to send it 7) Have you read the Arts Education Resources e-Newsletter? Yes No 8) If you have read it, you find it informative? Yes No Comment: 9) How frequently would you like to receive the e-Newsletter? Once a week Bi-monthly Once a month Never 10) Please make suggestions for content in future eNewsletters: Comment: 11) Comments: REFERENCES Arnstine, D (1967) Philosophy of education: Learning and schooling New York: Harper & Row Barkan, T (2008) How to develop a successful social networking strategy Retrieved from http://www.globalstrat.org Berger, J (1972) Ways of seeing London: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books, Ltd Blog 2009 In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Retrieved August 15, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blog Blog (2009) In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia Retrieved, October 13, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Blog&oldid=319210173 Content management system (2009) In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia Retrieved 16:44, October 13, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php? title=Content_management_system&oldid=3184 55680 Dewey, J (1934) Art as experience New York: The Berkeley Publishing Group Domain (2009) In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia Retrieved, October 13, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Domain&oldid=317281597 Eisner, E (1998) The kind of schools we need: Personal essays Portsmouth, NH: Heinmann Forum 2009 In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary Retrieved August 15, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forum Gardner, H (1983) Frames of mind New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers Greenhow, C (2006) From blackboard to browser: An empirical study of how teachers’ beliefs and practices influence their use of the Internet in the classroom and are influenced by the Internet’s affordances Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA Heo, H (2004, October) Inquiry on storytelling for the web-based environmental learning environment Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology, Chicago Imperatore, C (2009) What you need to know about web 2.0 Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers, 83(9),20-23 Jurmann, M (2008) The official successful website checklist challenge Retrieved from http://www.chromaticsites.com King, K.P., & Gura, M (2006) Professional development as podcast Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com Knobel, M., & Lankshear, C (2009) Wikis, digital literacies and professional growth Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 52(7), 631-324 No Author Art Paper Scissors Retrieved from http://www.artpaperscissors.typepad.com Podcast (2009) In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia Retrieved, August 15, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Podcast&oldid=317495258 Rhoades, E.B., Friedel, C.R., & Morgan, A.C (2009) Can web 2.0 improve our collaboration? 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