One of the things that stood out to me during out class discussion was a feeling of control we have when living through or technology. We discussed a feeling of frustration some may get when transitioning from a day on the computer to interacting more naturally and in person with another human being. When we work on a computer or communicate with someone using a smart phone, we are experiencing things at a high speed. There is no such thing as grey, only black and white. The technology you use performs how you tell it to, how you expect it to. We have control over the situation.
When interacting face to face with a friend or stranger, we have no way of predicting what they might say or how they might react to what we say to them. There is an awful amount of grey. Sometimes things get in the way of our regular life which we cannot control, such as the weather, or moldy bread.
It is understandable how this can be troublesome for someone who spends a lot of their days navigating through life via technology. I started thinking more about this idea of control.
What exists in this world that not even technology can control?
I also found it interesting that most students in the class felt uncomfortable by technology changing so quickly and reminiscent on forms of older technology that we brought in to class. I wouldn't expect people of my generation to feel this way about technology. For me, I do miss some of the older forms of technology which required us to read books made of paper and purchase full albums instead of just the top hits. However, I also feel excited by new technology. I try to understand how it can make my life easier or help me to see things in a new way. Often times a change in technology has opened my eyes to information I didn't even know existed.
2. Give an account about how you implement technology in your daily practice.
The most used piece of technology is my iPhone. It is often the first thing I look at in the morning and the last thing I look at before going to bed. It has allowed me to be in constant communication with those in my life. This is a blessing and curse. Other than communication it is full of tools ranging from a calculator, to a flashlight, to a web browser, to a map, to a camera. And within each of these tools there are multiple options. I remember a world before smartphones, but I am often asking myself "what did we do before they existed?".
Other forms of technology in my daily life are my laptop, electricity (a very important one), the subway, television, tools such as a blender, a coffee grinder, and the oven.
3. While having been with your computer/digital device for a while, decide to leave it and turn it off. Find artful ways to exit the online world. Monitor closely your Turn-on/Switch-off experiences and make them be the beginning of a creative experiment.
By switching off the technology I use in my life, I became very aware of the sounds around me.
I realized that I am often trying to cover up the natural noise in my life. I'm sure this is due to the fact that I live in an apartment building with thin walls within a noisy city. However, I didn't realize my constant habit of using my headphones or putting on the radio until I forced myself not to.
I compiled a list of all the things I heard over the course of a day:
-Jazz musicians practicing in 3D
-Someone playing the radio on the 6th floor
-The beep of someone coming in an out of the apartment
-Upstairs neighbors walking around
-People talking in multiple languages
-Subways racing
-Sloshing through the wet snowy streets
-Shaking salt on the ground
-Cars driving by
-Cars beeping
-Cash registers
-Laughing
-Sniffling/Coughing
-Typing on keyboards
The following painting is a visual documentation of these sounds:
4. You brought a piece of technology into class. What was it? And how could you use this piece of technology creatively in an (art) class? How would you want to explore it with your students? Create a lesson plan that introduces your choice of technology in a way that approaches it meaningfully and creatively.
The piece of technology I brought to class was an iPod. I think the biggest difference of listening to music through the iPod vs. the iPhone (which is what the average person uses today, and most certainly young students) is the fact that one doesn't have as many distractions. While listening to music through an iPhone the music can frequently pause due to receiving a form of notification. One can listen to music and check social media at the same time. An email can be sent, a transaction can be completed, and a picture can be taken before a single song is even over.
The iPod allows someone to focus more on the music.
This relates to my experience with turning off technology and becoming less distracted and more away of the sounds around me.
I would use the iPod to have students listen to a song and create a painting based on the music.
My lesson plan is as follows:
Through painting using acrylic paint, paint brushes, and an iPod filled with songs without lyrics, students will learn that they can represent sound and emotion through color, texture, and shape.
maybe you could flesh out the lesson plan a little more beyond the basic idea. having said that, your other entries were quite elaborate and thoughtful.
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