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.