This course has not only given me the opportunity to work with technology creatively in my own work, but also to reflect about it through class discussion. It makes me excited about using technology in the classroom as a teacher. Through technology there is so much to offer in terms of helping students to better understand themselves and others. I do believe that most things students learn from a technology specific project, they could also learn through traditional materials. However, these days I feel it is important for us to teach children to be comfortable with technology.
Through art we can let them explore, be creative, solve their own problems, and feel at ease with different software. We can help them discover differences and similarities in interfaces. We can create a problem in which students will naturally turn to technology for the answer, guiding them to learn more about it instead of forcing them. We also have the unique opportunity to incorporate traditional materials with modern technology. By not providing these experiences for our students, I feel we are doing them a disservice.
The teacher I observed this semester found it important to find a balance between technology and traditional materials. She found that some students connected with technology while others became easily frustrated or were un-inspired by it. For example, she described to me a video project she did with her students in which they created a video about their neighborhood. Some students got really into this project and loved talking about it with me. They were very proud of their end result. Others were the opposite and just did the bare minimum to complete the project.
This project spanned the course of nine weeks. While I understand that the neighborhood video is a big project, that is a long time for students to be working with video and video software. I wonder if there was a way to alter the project to incorporate more a balance between video, video software, and more traditional materials.
In doing some online research, I have found that most teachers share my beliefs of finding a balance between traditional materials and technology in the classroom. They feel it is important for students to learn "21st Century" literacy which includes technology. Most importantly, art teachers have the opportunity to teach technology naturally. Other teachers are feeling the pressure of standardized testing and may not be able to incorporate technology in their classrooms the way they would like to. Art teachers can help their students to learn how to use technology in innovative and thoughtful ways.
Dear Hannah,
ReplyDeleteI really love what you have written and researched on the blog thus far. I am especially impressed by your ability to tell visual stories. "Things I Like" reminds me of the things that I like, and I think the power, or the beauty of the film originates from your passion/ interest to communicate ideas about what makes you happy inside in general. I was thoroughly able to feel joy in me through watching it. I also watched the full length of "the Scared is scared," which I thought was awesome.
I say that the overall format of your blog falls in the excellent category. While I find that exercises that we do for class do not give us ample time to deeply explore what we are passionate about as artists and designers, I am also wondering if you could use this blog as a platform to explore your talent as a visual storyteller. I love your color sensibilities and how you compose elements on different media, so I am curious to see you push your aesthetic abilities to create somethings that you really like for your final project.
We talked about different ideas for combining positive energy into one of your final projects, and I am interested in hearing more about your ideas. Having gotten to know you better through observing Ms. Harkey together, I see great potential in yourself as a creative entrepreneur who will pursue happiness and wonderful things in life through making art, teaching art, and working off of art.
While the class blog may not be the best platform for sharing/ developing your artistic capabilities, I am interested in seeing you take on interesting projects that could also serve as inspiration for teaching. Go Hannah! Anyhow, keep up your wonderful work, and thank you for inspiring me with your contagious happiness.
Jee gave you a lovely and meaningful commentary. I much agree. I see you do great work on a consistent basis. Just a challenging thought on your observation, "I do believe that most things students learn from a technology specific project, they could also learn through traditional materials": While I don't think that's wrong, you can also push this a bit further. Consider looking at the specificity of materials. What can photography do that crayons can't do. In which way is the process of scanning distinct from the process of printmaking. How does animation allow us to approach a story versus a series of drawings? Etc. If you go deeper into this, you can make stronger choices and even more connections.
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