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"In business and at every level of government, we hear how important it is to graduate more students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math, as our nation's competitiveness depends on it. The Obama administration has set a goal of increasing STEM graduates by one million by 2022, and the "desperate need" for more STEM students makes regular headlines. The emphasis on bolstering STEM participation comes in tandem with bleak news about the liberal arts - bad job prospects, programs being cut, too many humanities majors. As a chemist, I agree that remaining competitive in the sciences is a critical issue. But as an instructor, I also think that if American STEM grads are going lead the world in innovation, then their science education cannot be divorced from the liberal arts."

"Well, here's one of my best 'teaser' ideas… We've all seen iMovie, but have you used it to make the first five minutes of your art lesson engaging? In the classroom iMovie trailers can be used as an exciting hook for techniques and processes. While the story lines do not automatically match the content you would present to students, with a little creativity and artistic licence they can lend themselves to many useful areas in the art room. Have a look at this one…"

"Through the arts, students learn to observe, visualize, manipulate materials, and develop the creative confidence to imagine new possibilities. These skills and competencies are also essential to scientific thinking and provide a strong argument for transforming STEM education by integrating the arts"

"That computer mouse that fits so nicely in your hand, the way your iPhone reacts to your creative way of spelling, the "so simple why didn't I think of that?" processes you encounter every day -- these are the result of design thinking, a sequential process embraced by innovative companies and entrepreneurs. Design thinking, or human-centered design, is an empowering way to solve problems and design products and solutions by starting with discovery, moving on to ideation and rapid prototyping, then testing, and finally execution. How can this high-level, innovative style of problem solving work in a classroom or after-school program? Quite well, actually. The West Michigan Center for Arts + Technology (WMCAT) engages urban high school students in a best-practice after-school program that is grounded in design thinking. I'll share our journey so that you can find ways to enhance your own learning environment through design thinking. "

"You're spending an afternoon browsing the exhibits at an art museum. If you're anything like me, you'd probably appreciate the art a lot more if you could bring someone along that could explain the history and nuances of the pieces on display. Now imagine pointing a device at the painting and seeing it morph into a dynamic video giving you all the information you wanted about the art. Welcome to augmented reality. Virtual reality replaces the real world with an artificial, digital environment. In contrast, augmented reality alters your view of the real world by layering it with associated digital information. Augmented reality uses your device's camera to view the immediate environment and display media when it sees an object it recognizes. It has been utilized as a marketing and informational tool by many industries. Using an augmented reality app, you can point your device at an advertisement in a magazine and get detailed product demonstrations. Aim it at a sign outside a house for sale and get an after hours virtual walk-through the property. There are also many ways augmented reality can be used in education."

" This week I've been collaborating with Year 4 students, and their inspiring classroom teacher and fellow ADE Dan Aivaliotis-Martinez (@martinezgeek). We developed some ideas for teaching and learning that connected Sphero devices with art-making practices - in a nutshell, programming a Sphero ball to move with the coloured light turned on, recording the trail, or 'light painting', photographically. These cross-curricular lessons drew upon elements of the curriculum in science, maths, technology and the arts, as students created 'light paintings'."

"Every child deserves the opportunity to shine, whether academically, through the arts, in sports or via community service. School districts throughout our country work to fulfill their mission to provide these opportunities, first by offering the most robust curriculum possible. Financial strains, however, can often limit extracurricular activities. Yet we can all remember from our own experience that schools, at their best, provide an array of performing and visual arts programming and a wide variety of sports and community service clubs. Numerous studies support engaging students in such a broad range of activities. In fact, as noted by John H. Holloway, a consultant for the teaching and learning division of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in Princeton, New Jersey, limiting outside activities can have a negative effect for students:"

Today was Dr. Davey's first Maker Day, and an amazing one at that! Here's a look at our day. All of the Grade 1-Grade 7 students participated in today's Maker Day. Students attended two of seven different sessions based on their interests: Minecraft/Coding, Collaborative Art, Beautiful Junk, Positive Graffiti, Making Music, Lego/Blocks, and Egg Drop. Staff members paired up together to facilitate the learning at each of the sessions, and the students directed most of the learning based on their interests. I (Aviva) worked with an amazing Grade 4 student that led the Minecraft/Coding session, and even worked with small groups of students on coding the Arduino. It was really quite incredible! After two sessions, students reflected on the day and on their learning, and then extended the "Maker Learning" back in the classroom. Today was all about the Learning Skills, problem solving, creativity and critical thinking. As you can hear in our video reflection, there were also links to our classroom learning including Science (Structures) and Math (shapes, figures, and non-standard measurement). There was also a lot of Arts learning today (with creating music and creating works of art including the elements of design). What an amazing day!"

Very neat collection of online art creation tools.

"One of the great things about the iPad in a classroom is that it enables students to pinch and zoom to see artworks in more detail than they would find in most text books. The following five apps allow students to do that and more."

"Where do you begin the search for art apps for the classroom?  Many websites have some excellent lists and we've put some of the best all in once place."

"Let your students amaze you with their mathematical minds as they create art with turtle geometry!"

"Imagine you're babysitting two 12-year-olds, one boy and one girl. Which is more likely to be playing video games, and which one is painting a picture? Thanks to gender stereotypes, tech is often seen as boys' domain, while arts and crafts are assumed to be for girls. STEM-the acronym for science, technology, engineering, and math-doesn't exactly conjure visions of toys and games. But a recent survey by Two Bit Circus, a Los Angeles-based engineering entertainment company, shows a significant gender divide between boys' and girls' interest in STEM that experts hope can be closed by child's play: in other words, finding ways to make school more fun and engaging for kids."

"Google's Data Arts Team came up with a series called "Virtual Art Sessions" that documents the Tilt Brush experience in a way so that people all over the world can see the actual virtual reality experience, even when watching through flat screens."

"For those lucky enough to have an iPad in the art room, there are a number of creative apps just waiting to be enjoyed. We've done a round-up of just some of the fantastic ones out there. But before you dive in, remember to set up a free account on Creatubbles, so that you can store and share all of the great results!"

"This is the second year that our 4th graders have created superhero posters with QR code audio stories attached. This project is a perfect blend of art, technology, and writing. Our 4th graders remembered listening to these stories last year, so they were highly motivated to create interesting characters, attractive posters, and clever stories."

"The free app, KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese "Dinner, Not Art." offers you not only macaroni to place and move around, but also you can color those noodles. Much easier than having to have all those little Dixie cups on the table, each with their own colors."

" 669Share on printShare on email2 Lesson Plans and Resources for Arts Integration"

"With math equations that analyze brush strokes, new discoveries about the world's greatest art are possible. It took X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy and a painting algorithm to reveal the hidden portrait of a peasant underneath the painting of Vincent Van Gogh's "Patch of Grass." And that feat, accomplished in 2008, was just the beginning."