The Art of Education Winter Online Conference Recap

I just wrapped up the Art of Education Winter Online Conference and I am going to breakdown some of the best things I got from the day! I discovered the Art of Education a few years ago and was hooked! It is my go to resource for all things art education. Information is delivered in handy little snippets each day and it is easy to follow along. They offer classes, PD, conferences and founder Jessica Balsley is always there to answer your questions!

First, the conference started with us getting a swag box delivered to our doorstep! I love getting mail and getting conference swag is even better!

Swag-Blick, Jack Richelson, Speedball, Art to Remember, Scholastic

How does an Online Conference Work? 

We were given a password protected link that brought us to the platform below. 

A view of the online conference

Each presentation lasted 10 minutes and founder, Jessica, spoke between each. The video would show where the conference banner is, and chat was on the bottom with the 1200 people who participated. I chatted some here, but mostly on twitter because it was easier to carry on a conversation. There were some technical glitches, my laptop wouldn't work, but my husband's did. We were given password protected links to all the presentations and handouts to access on our own. While I can't share all the wonderful handouts and videos with you I will share the presenters with you and you can check out their websites! 

I will definitely attend another conference-the information gained and the cost make it worth while. It was only $99. No hotel or transportation costs or sub plans to write!  I got to sit on my couch in pj's, drink coffee and learn a ton! I can't wait for the next one!

Blog love for my fellow art educators
Before I forget to, here is a one stop shop of all the presenters' blogs. 

Mrs. ATHG- Art Teachers Hate Glitter. This is by far my favorite blog for an art teacher related laugh. There is nothing educational/classroom related on this blog, just the muses of an art teacher.

Cassie Stephens - This art teacher dresses up in various outfits representing artists or cultures they are learning about! And she does some pretty neat projects as well. 

Ian Sands -An inspiring art teacher who speaks about how to learn from failure. Very Motivating!

Check out his book- Project Flop:Good Lessons from a Bad Teacher too!

Andrew McCormick - Middle and High School teacher, teaching using TAB. 

Mrs. Knight- Smartest Artist. She presented on student portfolios but has plenty of ideas on her blog to check out.

Mr. E- He presented on bulletin boards- which he loves and are amazing! He is a down to earth elementary art teacher who writes on just about everything, from projects, to classroom ideas a stop by his blog is worth it-you will learn something!

Cheryl Trowbridge - Teach Kids Art- She spoke about a clever fundraising idea. Besides that she has a really helpful blog on all kinds of art projects.

Lisa Phillips- The Artistic Edge- A very inspirational site on how to encourage leadership and creativity.

Erica Stinziani- Art Project Girl - Spoke about how to use play in the art room. She has several project links and ideas on her site!

Mrs. Hahn- Mini Matisse -Tons of ideas and lessons for elementary. 

Ms. Novak- Organized Chaos - The name of her blog says it all, our lives our organized chaos! Not to mention she was voted #1 Art Education blog of 2012!

Theresa McGee- The Teaching Palette-Tons of projects and plans, very organized layout as well!

Great other sites to check out !

Greg Percy- Songs in the Key of Art  His catchy tunes will have students memorizing art elements, artists and more without even knowing it!

Kids at the Core - SO many free resources on assessment, standards, common core and development. Worth a look if you are struggling with the new SLO's, CCLS and assessments. 

Socrative- Set up quick online assessments for you students. 

Nearpod - Another assessment tool to measure growth and collect data.  

Did you attend the conference? What are your thoughts? Another blog to share?