"Collaboration Canvas"

     This week allowed for one more exciting experience with PLAYground. I chose Gregory Henao’s canvas “Introduction to a unit plan on Trees in Nature and Art". The naturalist literary time period came straight to my mind. I found that this would lend an opportunity for cross content collaboration. I noticed that in Gregory’s original canvas he was focusing on trees. He shows how trees are depicted in nature. I allowed his original canvas to challenge my ability to connect Art with English.

       Many additions were made. The images I added varied. They were titles and covers of stories. Each of these stories was written during the Naturalist time period. Each of these images was relatable to trees and nature in some way. I felt as though students could read and connect the lesson on tress in art to the naturalist lesson in English. The images added all relate to nature. The images connect both canvases, and integrated smoothly.

       Also, I added two videos. Both of these videos served as introductory videos. One of which was full of images of nature. This video would better connect both content areas for the expected students. Links to the actual short stories were added as well. These links will be used for students to see the nature on the page. This will give them the opportunity to create images of nature through words. PLAYground canvases are highly recommended. I will continue to experiment and perfect my ability to use them.                 
Canvas Remix  

"Unit Plan Canvas"

     I have used “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” to create my first ever canvas. I was able to add multiple videos, pictures, and supplementary text to support my lesson. These additions were not fillers. The process felt pure. I wasn’t adding videos and pictures to fill space. Each video and picture supported my lesson.

     Using the playground canvas for the first time was an absolute pleasant experience. As the creation began so to did the fun. The entire process was both new and exciting for me. Something as small as adding tags was exciting. Each step was different and a learning opportunity for me. Using this canvas to generate a more creative lesson plan opened my professional mind. In the future (starting immediately) I will continue to work with this new tool. I had an absolute blast with it. I could only imagine being a student and opening one of these before a lesson begins. These can generate and influence the creativity in so many ways. The creation of the canvas was simple and challenging enough to continue to be a fulfilling experience each time I use it. Link to my "Canvas"

 http://www.play.annenberginnovationlab.org/play2.0/challenge.php?idChallenge=2472&mode=view#network6