Peer Review

Art Explorer

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: Jun 30, 2009 by Teacher Education

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: The site has systematically organized images and online resources from the Art Institute of Chicago's Impressionist and Post-impressionist collection. There are 250 images and 470 resources of the Impressionist and Post-impressionist era that can be searched. Users can search, view details and create scrapbooks of images for use in instruction and presentations. A list of related relevant links are also presented with each image search such as quick facts, overview, scale illustration, analysis, artist biography, and video clips. Any of these items can also be added to scrapbooks. Users need to sign up/login to create scrapbooks.
Type of Material:: Online image database and resource collection
Recommended Uses:: The site has a wealth of information that supports study, research, and presentations for lesson planning, art and writing assignments, planning a school tour and/online webquest, and summary notes from a museum visit. Because of the rich range of subject matter content and related materials there are many ways to incorporate the images and scrapbooks in cross-curricular work.
Technical Requirements:: Internet access
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The intended goals of this site are to provide educational access to images from Art Institute of Chicago along with supporting online resources and to allow students and educators to create "scrapbooks" of selected images for use in study, research, and presentations.
Target Student Population:: Upper elementary through graduate school students; K-20 educators, student teachers, arts coordinators
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: None.

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: The rich and varied selection of 250 Art Institute of Chicago images is supported by the ability to create personal scrapbooks. Both visual art and cross-curricular connections can be made for lessons, assignments, and presentations. Having both depth and breadth that can be customized for specific user needs is a real strength. The hyperlinks for each and every search provide further information in the form of overviews, details, biographies, video clips, etc.
Concerns:: None.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:
Strengths:: The choices of images cover a broad range of activities and content. Users can use both the images and the scrapbooks to prepare classroom lessons, to create notes for a school field trip to the Art Institute, to assign students to create a virtual exhibition of Impressionist or Post-impressionist artworks, with notes on individual artworks, or, perhaps, work in groups to make a presentation on a given artist or technique. The scrapbook function is powerful not only for collecting personal choices and grouping them, but also for the notetaking. Assignments, key points, focus areas, connections to other curriculum content can be made in this area and saved for future viewing by all. A published scrapbook will generate a URL that can be shared with colleagues and students and/or added to a blog, wiki, or online course.
Concerns:: None.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:
Strengths:: The site is clean, systematic, and easy to navigate. There is an Art Explorer link at the top of each page so you will never get lost. There is a menu bar along the left side with searching and scrapbook clearly noted. Searches can be done by artworks or artists with advanced search, and search help also available. Searches can even be done with words contained in the explanation of the artwork. Information on creating your own scrapbooks, browsing four different scrapbook examples done by elementary students, a teacher, a museum visitor, and museum docent, and scrapbook help are also available. A feedback link is provided.
Concerns:: None.

Other Issues and Comments:: The site is well designed, systematic, and tight in structure. The scrapbook feature elevates this site from simply and image database to a cross-curricular teaching tool. Well done!
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