Author Archive

While working with all this technology, I realised that some technology becomes obsolete. Sometimes very quickly.

I introduced the idea of an art project using and recycling materials using ‘old’ technology to the year 9/10 studio art class.

While brainstorming ideas for the large scale outdoors project one of the students mentioned their love of children’s books and their favorite: The Rainbow Fish. The students decided that this would be a good theme to draw together, and interest both primary and secondary students within the school. My brain began to race, how can I fit this in within the recycling materials boundary I had set, and make an attractive large scale artwork for the benefit of the school? What can we possibly use to create the look of the original illustrations and remain true to the originality of the student’s artwork as well? Then it dawned on me! Compact Disks! They would make lovely rainbow fish-scales and use up a load of obsolete, not working cd’s in the school and as it turned out in the wider community.
We are still working on the fish but we will soon have a whole ’school’ of them swimming up high on a wall to brighten up an otherwise dull space. Watch this space to see the progress.

(above) Stage one and two of one of the fish.

(above) Another of the ’school’ nearing completion, we are discovering that the tails need to be reinforced somehow, so they wont weaken and possibly fall off. Serious problem solving is required combined with working alongside the students in systems technology. In the top left hand of the above image it is possible to see the fishes eye being worked on before it is attached permanently.

(above) Just a few more details now and this little fish will be finished. Isnt she cute?

(above) The group that made this fish decided to emphasise the eyes by creating eyelashes

and a eyelid. They trialled various media and methods before settling on this version.

Bright pink fishlips add to the effect. A few more detail to be added and the fish face will be complete

D Regan
Hawkesdale P - 12

As part of the Voices of the World project run by Sharon Tonner in Scotland, we have to complete a different task every month that focuses on using the kids voices. This month I got Grade 2/3 to lend me their voices to say numbers in English and Chinese. Here is the result:

I got all the kids to write a number and decorate it. I then took photos of their fabulous artwork. While they were working, I took my iPod with it’s voice recorder attached around the room and got each student to say a number in English or Chinese. I put it all together in Photostory 3, which is a free download from the internet. I had to adjust the timing of the images so that it matched up with the audio which took a bit of fiddling, but that was all.

To see numbers presentations from other classes around the world, go to the Voices of the World wiki and click on February’s Task.

Jess - Hawkesdale P-12 College