Compare and Contrast Ideas: DeviantArt

Link: DeviantArt Site

My Rating: 5/5

      This is an extremely well known website for artists. It is one of the most widely used places to share your work. It is a great community for finding similar art, for getting feedback, for finding inspiration, or perhaps even for being discovered and launching a career in art. 

     The standard DeviantArt community is free to join, share, and browse. 

Here is an example of a grouping of art from different artists, all inspired by the show Parks and Rec.
The site sorts similar work into categories.

This shows how many categories there are for finding and sorting the art.

Compare and Contrast Ideas + Sharing Ideas & Opinions 

       This website is great for the instructional strategy of sharing ideas and opinions because it is a place where people can do just that. It is also great for comparing and constrasting ideas with other artists. As a teacher I could use this app for assignments. I could tell my students to find 5 images that have commonality and for them to create a piece that fits into the same category. I could also use it as a place to have them share their work with each other or create portfolios. 

        The limitations that this website might create is a lack of passion/motivation. When the students get a look at all of the talented people using DeviantArt they may get discouraged when they compare their work to others. However, I firmly believe that we should not compare our work to others in such a way that it ruins our confidence because we all truly have something unique to bring to the table. I would hope that DeviantArt would be inspiring for students if I was to use this site in my curriculum. 

Share Ideas & Opinions: Drawing Pad

 Link: Drawing Pad App

My Rating: 5/5

       This iPad app is great for artists. It is a digital canvas where they can experiment with different mediums and practice drawing, painting, sketching on a digital platform. It allows them to have all their tools with them wherever they go, totally eliminating the need to carry around paint, brushes, pencils, markers, paper, water, paper towels, ect. This makes if fun! Artists have a studio at their fingertips. When inspiration strikes, they can simply turn on their iPad and start creating.

        

       This app is only one payment of $1.99! 

This provides an example of what you can create with the
app and how cool and realistic the tool drawer is!

This shows how much detail you can actually create with this app
and that it is not just an app for kids but also for skilled artists. 

Share Ideas & Opinions

      This app is perfect for the instructional strategy: sharing ideas and opinions. It allows people to create and share their work. It provides a drawer of supplies that realistically mimic the feel of the tool/ the resulting mark of the medium. As a teacher I could use this app to do demo's and have my students try to mimic me, perhaps when trying to educate about a certain technique. For students, it allows them to learn about different artistic tools as well as create and share their work. This app provides a way to share work through social media as well as downloading it to your computer. 

      

     The limitations that this app might create is that students might become more comfortable using the tablet (since they are most likely already spending a lot of time on tablets outside of class) and they might overlook the art of actually getting your hands dirty and making messy 3D art. As an fine artist, I value getting my hands dirty. This would be unfortunate to see in my classroom if my students ended up enjoying the app more than the actual art class. And another obvious limitation is that it requires an iPad.

History of Technology in Art Education

For my subject field of art, I have chosen the pencil as the most influential technology. The pencil has allowed for never-ending inspiration and documentation of life in and outside of the classroom.

Link:  History of Technology in Art Education

Pew Survey Results: Teachers' Technology Use

     After reading the Pew Survey Results I have a lot more insight into today's middle and high schools. Having spent no time recently in middle or high schools (because my decision to become a teacher was a recent one) I am surprised to learn how much technology is entwined into education below college level.  I remember the boxy television on the rolling cart and a computer lab full of big, bulky computers. I was surprised that students now access (79%) as well as submit (76%) their assignments online (whereas I feel like a lot of my work was done on paper). I was not surprised to learn that wealthier school districts have better access to technology and more education on how to use it properly. I can understand why some of these teachers would feel that this is leading to disparities between schools and students, and also to a widening of the educational gap (56%).

      In comparison to the respondents in this survey I would  'rate' myself as being tech-savy. However, I would also say I can side with the teachers who are less willing to learn/conform to new technologies. The artist in me prefers everything to be on paper and hands on. As much as I know technology is incredible, I also have a strong attachment to old traditions. This is my weakness but I am actively trying to keep up with technology. Having gone to school for Graphic Design I used technology constantly. This was a contributing factor to why I would consider myself tech-savy.

      In my experience I have noticed myself being more tech-savy than some teachers who are significantly older than me, especially in some of my design classes. I have also seen my peers struggle with getting work done because they didn't have the proper technology at home. The information and statistics in this survey seem very reasonable judging by what I see in my educational experience.

Reflection on Influential Technologies.

         As technology advances we broaden our horizons. Technology makes tasks simpler and puts communication and learning right at our fingertips. The three technologies that have impacted me the most are my laptop, my smartphone, and my digital camera. My laptop allows me to design, communicate, research, explore, and share my passions. My smartphone allows me to quickly research, communicate, and photograph when I am away from home. My digital camera allows me to take high quality photos for classes and portfolios. It also helps me tell stories through images and capture memories. In the YouTube video, 'Learning to Change, Changing to Learn: Student Voices' (4:23) from the Consortium for School Networking, students share their experiences with technology and how it has been a learning tool for them. As a student I see both similarities and differences between myself and these students. Technology has been a very positive influence in my life as well as theirs.

        I first got my laptop in 2009 for my first semester of college as a Graphic Design major. I began exploring its endless possibilities. I had the ability to communicate by email, instant message and video chat. I was able to research and gather information all in one place. It allowed me to make connections in the art world but most importantly my Mac allowed me to create my graphic designs. In the YouTube video previously mentioned, six of the students talk specifically about their experiences with computers. They use their computers to produce music, explore their hobbies, learn languages, and to create and explore. One student mentioned using her computer to learn japanese (1:45). I often use my computer to translate words from one language to the next. In addition, before submitting essays I have my computer read my essay to me as a final step. How incredible is that?

         I bought my first smartphone three years ago. I've been through a few smartphones since then and I now have a Samsung Note with an attached stylus pen. Having this smartphone allows me to communicate with people wherever I am. It also allows me to take pictures, write notes, research, and surf the internet when I am away from home. If I am ever questioning something, it is as easy as saying, "OK Google, why is the sky blue?" and my phone will have an answer for me. If I need to send a last minute email, I can do so within seconds. In one of my classes, I needed to create a notebook full of examples of typography. My phone was incredibly useful for this. I  could simply snap a picture of type (wherever I was) to later be used as an example for my notebook. In the YouTube video, three students mentioned how their phones have been a beneficial form of technology in their lives. One of the female students also uses her cellphone for photography (3:11). 

      My digital camera is my third ranked most influential technology in my life. It has been very useful in my graphic design and artistic life. For design work, students must use high quality original photography. My camera allowed me to take pictures for my designs. For one of my photography classes I needed to tell the story of who I am through a series of self portraits. My camera and a tripod allowed me to do this. The process taught me a lot about what makes me me. In addition, I often use my camera to photograph my painting portfolio which gets uploaded to my painting website. Similarly, one of the students in the YouTube video felt that his video camera was beneficial to him when doing music, video and sound production (0:12). 

        Technology allows people to expand their knowledge and indulge in their passions. For myself, my laptop, smart phone and digital camera have been the most influential technologies in my life thus far. They have allowed me to learn in many ways as well as dive deep into my passion for the arts. A male student in the Youtube video states that technology is "...paving the way for us to move forward as a species and a civilization" (2:45). Technology allows us to keep moving forward. I find many similarities between myself and the students depicted in the YouTube video, we all seem to agree that technology allows us to expand our knowledge and explore our interests. It makes me wonder if my top three technologies will be the same three in ten years when technology advances at such a fast rate.

                                   

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAkWtSxKYaI