ROCHELLE — Students still learn about various artistic skills such as painting, drawing, and working with clay, but new innovations are helping to open a flood of creativity.

Rochelle Middle School art teacher Bob Donovan has starting integrating the Smart Board, tablets, digital cameras, and photo printers received as a result of the Farmers Grant. With the new technology, students are able to choose projects that are more appropriate for what their skill level and interest is.
Donovan said before the technology he would demonstrate how to do a painting and the students followed. Just recently the students were assigned a “value drawing” project and with the assistance of technology, the creativity expanded.
Donovan said through research the students began with answering questions about what value is, how artists use value and how they might show dimension and contrast. Then the students were instructed to find three examples of value drawings and save it to their Google Drive.
“Here is where you start seeing the difference. Kids will start looking at what they are interested in. Instead of me doing a demonstration they have the freedom to draw something they want,” Donovan said.
The students had to research videos on value drawings, and while watching the artist draw, or how they might have shaded areas of the drawing, it made it much more personal. After making their own drawing the students took a picture with their tablet to make a digital portfolio along with the regular portfolio they have.

Making a plan
Some of the goals Donovan hopes to achieve in the next couple of years include animation and moviemaking. For now, students are doing some digital photography and using the tablets for research. Currently the art students have been assigned to design their own fictitious band posters. Using an adjective and a noun of their choosing, the students researched designs on the internet. Donovan’s student teacher, Tim Roloff, also had students research different styles of letters to incorporate in their design.
One of Donovan’s goals is to start talking about the many careers available in art. Speaking about his good friend and local sculptor Fran Volz, along with another friend who designs items for Chicago festivals, Donovan wants to show students there are many options for those with the desire to work in the arts.
“A friend of mine designed posters, pamphlets and stages for Chicago festivals. These are the kinds of technology things I want to get them used to and talk to the people that are actually doing that for a living,” Donovan said.
Donovan wants his students to be aware of the visual culture of the times, and how everyone is surrounded by art from the clothing and jewelry to the shoes they wear. The appeal of product design and advertising affects how they make purchasing decisions.
Team effort
Donovan and the fine arts team at RMS are looking at several ways to implement the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) concept across the departments. When students take their picture in art class, it is saved to their Google Drive where it can be accessed when the students are in computer lab and used to make a photo collage.
Another project discussed among the team utilizes a Google program that allows students to post their creations and artist’s statements online and critique each other in a constructive manner.
The Rochelle Elementary School District is beginning to align the arts curriculum with new common core standards.
“In the new common core, art is not going to be all about just creating things. Creating is only one. There’s also connecting and responding and talking about the process of how you came up with your idea,” Donovan said. “I don’t want the technology to be just something extra they have to do. I want them to embrace it —as this is how they are going to make this a more personal experience. They are going to make this their project.”