Visual Arts Workshop- Digital Technologies in the P-12 Art Classroom

Hey there Art Education majors! I am sure most of you have heard about the class you can take instead of the required Graphic Design. On WESS, it is called Visual Arts Workshop- Digital Technologies in the P-12 Art Classroom. I took this class last fall, and found it incredibly helpful. This blog is about some of the things I learned in class, and why this class is so applicable to future art teachers. If you are not so tech savvy, like myself, this is a great class for you. It teaches different ways to incorporate technology into an art classroom. Art has a lot of hands-on activity, and that is still true when you include technology into your lessons. The major technologies we learned about were using Power Point, podcasts, videos, and blogs.

The first technology source we went over was using Power Point. It is a clean and organized way to present new information to students, and it is especially helpful for visual learners. You could design a lesson that uses a Power Point. Another example is to teach the students how to create their digital art portfolio using Power Point. For those who need to hear new information, podcasts are another great approach. Imagine leaving substitute plans through podcasts; that could help maintain regular class routine even while you are out! You could assign students an artist biography podcast; it sure is a creative alternative to written biographies.

For combining visual and audio learners’ needs, short videos can be used to get a point across. For example, make a video of you presenting a demo and show it to your class rather than present it. That way, you can save on time so the students have more time to work. If anybody is absent the day you show the video, it would be very easy to have them watch it when they come back. In case you did not know already, there is a lot to making a demo video. You need to know how to work the video camera, as well as the program you are editing the video on. It is a good idea to include music in the video, especially for any pauses, or times when you are fast forwarding through parts. Trust me, it is very rewarding to see the complete video. Better yet, it is a useful source that you will always have, and can incorporate to all different kinds of lessons.

Another major way to incorporate technology into your classroom is to have a blog. Having a class blog is a professional tool for yourself. In this class, we discussed the importance and purposes of having a blog. It is where you can choose to put some information about yourself to parents, and potential employers. Some information that would be good to put on a blog would be a brief biography, resume, teaching philosophy and contact information. You can also post what students’ projects are, any Power Points, videos or pod casts that you may have. So if a student is absent, you can have them look it up in the blog. It is a rather nifty thing to have.

It is important to acknowledge how fast technology is evolving, and it is becoming something we can not live without. Students can apply the technological aspects to any class. For those students who are not strong in the fine arts, this can be an alternative for them, one that may catch their interest. It can only open to more opportunities for students to express themselves. After all, practically anything can be art. These Power Points, podcasts, videos and blogs have artistic values and skill that do matter. They can be applied in the art class, as well as the real world.

Technology Autobiography

Technology and I have never been the best of friends, however there are some communications technologies that have definitely made my life easier. The three most influential communications technologies that I have are my laptop, my cell phone, and my digital camera.

The most influential communications device I have is my laptop. It is the device that I access everything involving the internet. There I communicate through emails, facebook, and other numerous social mediums. The newest communication use is AESOP, where I find substitute teaching jobs. AESOP gives me a chance to reach out to these teachers with any questions I may have; and teachers can reach out to me if they so choose to inform me on anything prior to subbing. Besides using my laptop for communicative purposes, it is my main source to learning new information. All I have to do is type what I want to know in a search engine, and off I go, to learning more than I already knew.

I am very grateful to have my laptop, however there are times when it does not work. For instance when I lived at MSU, my laptop had a serious freezing problem. It would constantly freeze up; it would take hours to complete a task when it should have been done within minutes. No matter who I brought it to, it would come back acting just the same. It was so bad to the point where I would strongly consider throwing the possessed object out the window… A broken laptop postpones schoolwork, and that is never a good thing!

I mostly use my cell phone to call and text people. I am not a huge fan of texting, but it has come in handy numerous times. I text to contact people when I am not in a good place to call them. Texting and calling people on the phone is a huge time saver. If I have a question, or need to contact someone immediately, I can ask them and usually get a response within minutes. It sure beats waiting until the next time I see the person face to face. The only problem I have with my cell phone is when I have poor connection. I hate it when my phone looses connection, especially when I am on the phone talking to a potential employer. It is embarrassing calling them back like that.

The third most important communications technology I have is my digital camera. One of my favorite art mediums is photography, so I do take a great deal of photos. Sharing photos is a way of communicating using a few, or sometimes no words. I usually will share my photos on facebook as a way to let close friends and family see what is going on in my life. In case you do not know, some digital cameras have lots of buttons, switches and features. Like any other device, I learn how my digital camera works by using it, and doing some trial and error. Whatever I can not figure out on my own, I can learn by reading the directions or asking other people. Honestly, I have not had many camera problems. I think the worst thing that can happen is the battery dying, or the camera physically breaks.

The students in the video brought up tons of different aspects to using technology. I would say that I use my three devices similarly to the ways that the students do. Most use their devices even more than I do. I agree that technology has become so important in our lives that it is going to help us evolve as humans, for better or for worse. Unlike the student that mentioned they would not care if their devices were glued to them, I am very opposite of that. Despite how helpful technology can be, I like being able to put my phone down and have some time for myself, not worrying about who is trying to reach me. I most related to the girl who was ranting about the abbreviations with texting. I loved her comment, “I am a person, not a computer.” I have had text and email conversations with people that were very abbreviated and short; it’s just not professional. It is a very different feeling having a conversation via text or email compared to face to face. Even though technology can be easier at times, it takes away a very personal aspect to conversation.