Our first hands-on workshop was held this past weekend (March 6) at Massart and featured both an overview of AEC and open studio time to explore this site, digital art, online research, journaling, using the gallery feature here and other issues relating to using AEC to augment an arts classroom. All participants are expected to spend at least three more hours at the site discovering and using the features. (Of course, we hope AEC becomes a regular resource that keeps you 'dropping in")!

Following is the course schedule with links to the features here at AEC and some suggestions for discovery projects. While this has been written for the participants, it could also be useful to others just beginning to explore the site.

The Virtual Classroom: Using the AEContent Network
Workshop 1, March 6, 2004, 10-5pm plus 3 hours virtual participation at AEContent.

Course Schedule:
10am Meet in Virtual Classroom.
Sign-up for accounts and fill out 1099 (for stipend). Brief introductions. Look over the handouts and the Technology Literacy Competencies and the Arts guidelines from the Arts Frameworks. Get some coffee or tea at the cafeteria if you wish.

10:30 – 11:30 Overview of AEContent.
Each major feature will be discussed. Log in with your new nickname and password and navigate the site along with the overview.

11:30-12:30 Assessing Education Material on the Internet.
Choose a website that you think might be interesting. You can choose one from the web links pages, use a search engine such as Google to find sites based on some keywords, or evaluate a website you already know about that you’d like to share and possibly add to AEContent. Fill out the Assessment form. You can choose more than one site.

12:30-1pm Lunch

1-2pm Discussion of the Internet as Learning Tool
Submit the website you have chosen to AEContent (unless you have decided that it is, after your review, not worthy).
2-5pm Open Studio; Begin thinking about your “homework” project
During the rest of the afternoon you can work on one of a few open-ended discovery projects. Think of this time as experimentation and don’t get to hung-up on making something or saying anything really important. Anything you add today can be deleted or edited by you later.

After today, spend at least 3 more hours completing and submitting some content to the site including one or more of the following (These are just guidelines. Discover what interests you the most here, or what might be most useful in your teaching/classroom, and respond to that):

Group Gallery. Using some of the stock images, or something you create from scratch or have brought with you, experiment with Photoshop or iPhoto. Add your creation to a group gallery. You might want to work on a collaborative image with other workshop participants, collaborating virtually. (email the if you need a gallery or nested album set up)

Personal Gallery. Begin thinking of creating a series of images or photographs centered on a theme, process or subject. Complete the series and add it to your album.

Lesson Plan. Create a new lesson plan or contribute a plan you use that you would like to share with the group. Describe what age/grade it is for, whether it is a unit or single lesson, what materials you need, the assessment process, what standards it addresses and anything else you think important. How could new media be incorporated into this lesson? Submit the lesson to the site (Submit Stories and Lessons menu)

Journal. Keep a journal for a few days, centered on a particular question or research project. Make the content publicly accessible to the AEC membership.

Discussion. Begin a forum discussion, reply to others posts. Add a tip, ask a question, create a survey. This section will eventually become the place you’ll go to stay in touch and informally “drop-in” to meet with peers.

Contribute web links. Using the guidelines we discussed, choose and add web links of interest as you find them.

After you have completed your initial content submission project(s) use the Site Feedback form to contact the administrator (Eleanor Ramsay) so I have a chance to review your submission(s) and give you some feedback. Please also submit a brief assessment outlining what you got out of this workshop, you feelings about the usability and features at the site, and what you hope to find there as the community begins to gel. The assessments (or excerpts) will be gathered together into a forum topic for group discussion..

You can use the commentary feature here to ask questions or send feedback/announcements about work in progress, etc.

If you have trouble logging in, or any questions about accessing and using AEC, email

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