The landscape of education has not only changed dramatically in the past six months, but it is also safe to say that with the fast-track of students learning online, education has changed forever. Educators everywhere are doing what they do best, adapting to the needs of their students, and so are we. With this, The Art of Education University is proud to announce a new course offering: Teaching K-12 Art Online.
The development and release of this course was not only in response to the influx of online learning needs now but also with an eye on the future. Art teachers are constantly refining their skill sets. Our mission at AOEU is to equip art educators with what they need to succeed with their students today and what skills they will need for the years to come. We are here for you.
Fast Facts about Teaching K-12 Art Online:
- Duration: 3 weeks
- Graduate Credits: 1
- Frequency: Monthly
- Pre-Requisites: None
- Levels Addressed: K-12
To help answer some additional questions about the course, we turned to the instructor and primary contributor to the course, Jim O’Donnell, who has experience in distance learning for almost twenty years.
Jim O’Donnell, Adjunct Faculty, The Art of Education University
Who should take Teaching K-12 Art Online?
Anybody who works with any age group. We will be looking at all grade levels, at all ability levels, at all media backgrounds. Wheather, you’re coming at it from a novice point of view or you have some digital background…I think Teaching K-12 Art Online will really help you to do what you’re already doing even better.
We built the course with what is going on in mind right now. Many teachers have been asked to “build the plane, while you’re flying it.” So we are tailoring this to people who are in a situation where they’re needing to transition quickly to something totally new. But we also want this course to be evergreen and allow teachers to be equipped for future skills.
What can educators expect to learn in the course?
Course participants will walk away with more confidence in their abilities to teach online and have the tools to close the feedback loop from students. We will examine best practice and professional standards while keeping art at the center. There will be discussions, resources, readings, and, most importantly, community. Regardless of where they are, the skills acquired in the course will help teachers be “disruption and future proof.”
In the long run, Teaching K-12 Art Online will benefit teachers in a lot of different ways. It is a valuable skillset to have to make teachers more marketable. This course will be extremely useful for their teaching, whether they want to create things for sub plans, snow days, maybe even private tutoring, or setting up their own online studio or gallery.
What part of online learning do you think art teachers are struggling with the most?
Teachers are struggling with and looking for meaningful connections with their students. We want to show you how to connect, in many cases, re-create connections, and keep the connections. Most of us genuinely like being in the classroom and interacting. In the online classroom, teachers are not sure how to establish a workable cadence that is more than digital lesson plans, but also a safe space for creative learning. A space that is organized and works for different teachers’ styles. We want to equip course participants to transcend the screen and impact students’ lives from a distance.
How can the course be applied to the classroom?
Any work completed for the course can directly be applied to current or future teaching. While there are a lot of resources and everybody volunteering to help teachers right now, it is hard to sift through and know what actually applies to art teachers and their unique needs. The structure of this course will allow you to take the same kind of structure, relevancy, and support you can’t find elsewhere back to your students.
As the instructor, what are you most excited about with this course?
Connecting with the teachers. I look forward to seeing what they are thinking and worrying about and helping them get to a better place. It is exciting to teach a new course like this and opening people’s minds to the possibilities out there. Let’s get started!
Register for the course here.
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What online skills and practices are important for students?
Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
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