Saturday, September 05, 2015

Technology Review: National Gallery of Art

The NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART’s a website and apps that provide a wealth of resources and activities for youth of all ages.
The website Education area provides access to areas including Teachers, NGAkids, Families, and Teens.
The Teachers area is a place where educators can connect to useful educational resources including lesson plans, teaching packets, and videos. Teachers can also download posters and artwork. The NGA Images link provides access to 45,000 open access digital images for use in teaching and learning.
The NGAkids Art Zone includes over a dozen engaging art interactives for children including Sea-Saws, Brushster, Faces & Places, Jungle, Still Life, Dutch House, Photo Op, Collage Machine, Flow, Paintbox, Swatchbox, Wallovers, 3-D Twirler, Mobile, and Pixelface. These easy-to-use online learning activities focus on art and art history.
Eight of these interactives are also available through the NGAkids Art Zone mobile app. There’s also an app focusing on the Hobby Horse exhibit.
The Adventures in Art area of NGAkids Art Zone features highlights of the collection presented in a kid-friendly, interactive style.
The Families area contains resources of interest to youth of all ages. An Eye for Art is an online resource that explores 50 artists in the collection and Family Guides online booklets share insights into the collection.
The Teens area provides links to current exhibitions and installations. It also connects with audio and video programs associated with art and art history. Many of the interactives from the kids section would be of interest to teens too. The Your Art app provides information about over 130 popular artists and their works.
Librarians will find a wealth of resources for use in the art curriculum. Also, consider this resource when designing STEAM activities that connect art with science, technology, engineering, and math. Weave artwork into social studies and history classes through the use of the NGA Images collection.
To learn more, go to http://www.nga.gov.