rhondaviolachurch

my community is one of artists, educators, writers, and performers. I spend a lot of time outside at the river with my dogs and gardening in the yard of my 100 plus year old home. Some of my hobbies include: photography (really all types of art), sailing, hiking in the desert, softball, football, and UFL- The Unicycle Football League (Go Gnarwals!). I am also an avid DIY(do it yourself) gal. I have a passion for Rock Art, I feel a strong connection to Native American prehistoric art and its desert regions. My professional goals are to complete my teaching certification (Dec 2013) and then finish my masters degree in education (Dec 2014). I am currently working as a long-term sub at Hemphill Elementary, In Kyle Texas. Last fall I was a long-term sub for Hays High School in Buda, as an aide for students with Autism. I have been a long-term sub for the past 7 years. Courses I have taught as the primary classroom teacher, for 8 weeks up to almost a full semester, include: Art 1&Animation, Art/Technology (class was dual credit for college), Business Computer and Information Systems BCIS (dual credit for college), Business Images and Multimedia Management BIMM (dual credit for college), Government /Resource, History/Resource, World Geography, and World Geography Inclusion. I recently became a volunteer at the Centro Cultural Hispano De San Marcos (I will be a teacher conducting 2D & 3D Digital Fabrication workshops in conjunction with Dr. Smith from the Educational Technology Department at Texas State University-San Marcos). As a professional educator it is necessary to ask the question “How will students best learn?” To get to the heart of the matter of teaching students, it is vital to know as much as possible about the many learning theories that would be most applicable to the specific content area, ART EC-12. It is important to be aware of the implications of the dynamic interplay between the three influences: personal, environmental, and behavioral, and how it will impact student learning in the classroom environment under one’s guidance and care. Thinking about how to become a better educator is something one must do each and every day, while eagerly searching to find new ways to instill passion for learning to the students that one has the privilege to teach. Furthermore, an art classroom is an ideal environment for inclusion, and use of technology. The use of technology in the classroom allows the teacher to make accommodations to allow for all students at all skill levels. While the specific goals for each grade level and discipline vary, each lesson must help students to acquire and develop these essential 21st Century skills that technology is an integral part of. Moreover, it is crucial to structure lessons to encourage students to express their thoughts and ideas creatively, while challenging their imagination, fostering reflective thinking, and developing disciplined effort and problem-solving skills. Art projects and lesson plans must challenge students to rely on their perceptions of the environment, developed through increasing visual awareness and sensitivity to surroundings, memory, imagination, use of technology, and life experiences as a source for creating artworks. I am currently working on building an open source platform to help address the financial barriers to having technology in the classroom.. the future is already here…embrace it.