When Camille Strode began her teaching career in Addison, she learned to be resourceful. Getting supplies in the hands of her students required out-of-the-box thinking, like trips to local grocery stores to request old Styrofoam. Strode’s determination to provide for her students has again paid off, this time as an art education teacher for grades K-8 at Thomas Metcalf Laboratory School. Strode recently applied and won the Innovative Arts Grant, made possible through the Ruth M. Freyberger Art Educator Fund.
“When I found out I had won the grant, I was just floored,” said Strode, who used grant money to purchase 19 iPads for her classroom. “Donor support makes possible opportunities for my students that may not be feasible with general education finances alone.”
The new technology provides an on-ramp for traditional hands-on creating, while allowing students permission to fail. When students paint with watercolor on the iPads, for example, the colors spread and blend as they would on paper, but errors are easier to correct.
“The iPads provide students the ability to quickly erase or come back from a mistake much easier than they could otherwise do on a tangible painting,” said Strode. “It’s great for those students who are more timid about risk-taking.”
The technology allows for deeper interaction with students’ work and provides alternative answers to how art is saved, shared, and presented. The new technology has also fostered collaboration within the school as Strode and her colleagues have discussed alternative uses for the iPads. Science teacher Mike Jones hopes to use them with his seventh and eighth grade students, who will be able to take notes, draw, and create diagrams during experiments.
Strode is grateful for the support she received and makes sure her students know about the grant. “It’s good for students to know where things come from and to see what they can achieve given the right opportunity,” she said.
