Katherine Hicks

Please note that there are clips completed by other artists embedded in my video. I used these as I learned this new skill. The complete link to their videos/ websites can be found below!

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Hand Lettering Blog by Creative Lei http://creativlei.com/love-your-lette...
Practice Sheets by Amy Latta http://amylattacreations.com//2017/01...
Crayola Tutorial by The Lemonade Stand https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_co...
Letter practice by Kevin Macleod https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym9Su...
Brush Stroke Practice by Katie Hicks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU0kX...
Music by Envici "November" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRrp3...

Reflection

As part of the Masters of Art and Educational Technology program at Michigan State, we were asked to learn a new skill using only digital tools as our guide. I chose to try “hand lettering.” When I first started my 4th grade teaching position, there was another educator who had the most beautiful hand lettering skills. Throughout the year, I marveled at the flow and general elegance of her work. She used this skill as she created welcome signs, anchor charts and even daily classroom instruction. When I asked her about it, she told me that it took a while to get the hang of, but it was a skill worth learning. When this project was assigned, the first idea that popped in my mind, was that this was a wonderful chance to dedicate time to learning hand lettering. 

During my journey, I used a variety of blog posts, Youtube tutorials, and hand lettering worksheets to direct my learning. I found hundreds of amazing sites that discussed ways to execute this skill using different materials (markers, paint and calligraphy brushes). I also enjoyed the opportunity to hear a range of tips from novices and experts. I couldn’t believe how many people had published work regarding this skill!

Overall, this was an incredible learning experience for me because it pushed me to analyze my own learning. As educators, it’s easy to get wrapped up in teaching the content that you are familiar with. But we often forget what it’s like to learn something new; to struggle, to overcome and to feel pride in the success. There were many times during this project where I felt frustrated. I would spend hours practicing my strokes, trying to emulate the tutorial and my product didn’t look nearly as polished. However, as I improved, I felt the excitement build as I imagined how I could use this new skill in the upcoming school year. The biggest take away I have from this project is how important it is to be reflective. By being cognizant of your learning, you identify and target weaknesses. This in turn, allows you to strengthen those learning gaps and achieve success. 


What about those hashtags?

As my project evolved I wondered, “how can I tie this into the existing framework of my school?” As I pondered this question, I thought about our International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum which emphasizes “learner profile traits.” These include characteristics such as, openminded, risk taker, balanced, caring, communicator, principled, thinker, knowledgeable, reflective. Looking at this curriculum through a MAET lens, I thought about how useful twitter has been throughout the course. In the coming year, I would like to create signs that have an inspirational quote relating to each one of the IB learner profile traits. By adding hashtags to the bottom of my work, it could encourage my students could use Twitter as a way to document a moment where they embodied that characteristic.