Secondary Teacher
Type: K12
Country: Canada
We are a K – 12 school in the Langley school district. We use a blended method of teaching which means for K-7 there is a blend of in school days and homeschooling and for high school there is a blend of in school days and online days. We are a distance learning school and use a Learning Management System to support students while working at home.
I teach the art pathway at our school. Students choose a passion area to pursue in a pathway so I have students grade 10 – 12 working in the art pathway. My role is to facilitate their creative learning journey while they explore various techniques and mediums.
That involves finding tools to help them learn the skills they need to achieve their artistic goals whether that is in animation, painting, photography, etc.
"I wanted to personalize their skills and assignments based on their level"
I needed to help my students learn while they are not in class. The main challenges included finding lesson videos and organizing them in sequence so students could work independently at home to learn and practice art concepts.
My students also have different artistic goals, so they are working on different skills that are outside my abilities. Not knowing my students’ goals ahead of time it was time consuming to research while the course was going on.
My students were not only interested in different areas, I wanted to personalize their skills and assignments based on their level as well.
Learning about FAME at the canElearn digital learning symposium conference opened my eyes to having premade sequenced lessons to teach my students online. These lessons were accessible online via individual logins, and FAME links with WCLN coursework.
FAME provided the artistic skills and knowledge in a variety of domains so that students would be able to pick and learn skills they wanted to.
It also provided drawing basics so I could choose courses all students would take and then they could add on additional courses that were in their interest area which provided enrichment.
Without the background knowledge in the areas of art that my students were wanting to learn, the premade lessons, assignments and rubrics in FAME were enticing.
Our school is smaller so we were only going to need to buy a few licenses. Additionally, the licenses were not based on the student name, they could be transferred without deleting a student’s account.
FAME’s partnership with WCLN allowed the cost to be lower. The personalization available by using FAME was a definite positive.
I do not know other possibilities that are as comprehensive to allow for such a variety of topics within one learning platform such as FAME. The fact that the teacher account is free when paying for students, it is very well thought of; and it just makes sense. Another benefit is the support that is available to the teacher from the staff at FAME.
"Another benefit is the support that is available to the teacher from the staff at FAME"
Some of the lessons that are listed as foundational are pretty demanding, these lessons require more of the students than others, such as anatomy foundations compared to life drawing. Maybe I misunderstood foundations to be more introductory/basic as compared to the other courses offered.
FAME allows students to work at their own pace within the week which is a benefit. The updated teacher view where student courses are listed within their name has made a huge difference in organizing the courses for students.
FAME provided the artistic skills and knowledge in a variety of domains so that students would be able to pick and learn skills they wanted to.
It also provided drawing basics so I could choose courses all students would take and then they could add on additional courses that were in their interest area which provided enrichment.
Without the background knowledge in the areas of art that my students were wanting to learn, the premade lessons, assignments and rubrics in FAME have been extremely helpful.
Many of my students want to learn about animation and so having Vancouver Animation School courses is an incredible opportunity for them.
The success of the art program at my school is supported by the use of FAME. The courses in FAME have opened up the possibilities for students to learn and improve their skills which leads to their success.
Allowing for personalization and flexibility through the courses offered in FAME when learning has also supported the success of our program. Success in my mind is seeing my students choose their own learning journey and apply what they have learned in their future assignments.
As the teacher I have felt very encouraged by having FAME to offer my students as I can see their skills develop over time.
I believe FAME is very valuable to my students and as they are teenagers it is sometimes hard to help them see the value of something when it requires time, patience and work.
Although the students who are interested in animation utilize the courses and find courses that interest them on the site which I see as valuable.
"I can see my students' skills develop over time"
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