This semester the use of the blog format for assignments has provided a new and alternative class structure that allowed a constant visual and verbal record of my process and projects. The act of reflecting on assignments through written posts and including my thoughts behind them has created a rich backdrop to enhance the work produced. It also echos many of my Learning Objectives, as it asked me to think critically about making art and using technology, question the medium, process or text of the assignment, and familiarize myself with the new technology of the blog, which, although simple, is something I have not used in the past. Interweaving both verbal documentation and photographic documentation of my projects and processes was also a good practice, and something I often forget (and regret forgetting!) in my own personal art making. Considering the two modalities (written and visual) seems imperative when working with a large group of students, who can be expected to have a variety of learning styles and needs. While writing skills are highly valuable, they are often over-emphasized in academics, or alternatively, they are completely left out of the art room. Providing multiple ways of communication that students can practice and utilize has become something I think is of great importance over my first semester in the Art and Art Education program.
LINKED TO VOCABULARY
On account of the nature of the a survey course, we were exposed to a lot of new material over a condensed amount of time and with each new week came new mediums and their provided terminology. Visiting an old baby-sittee this past weekend who is now in Middle School, we had a thorough discussion on how Scratch and Makey-Makeys were used in his class projects, and how his love of video games has gotten him interested in understanding the programming that goes into them. I would not have had this literacy without the course. This links to the following of my Learning Objectives: attain new information and familiarize myself with new technologies.
FOUND MULTIPLE POSSIBILITIES/I PERSEVERED THROUGH THE WORK
Part of the nature of this course was trying a significant amount of new things, and as a result, there was little opportunity to rest on my wheel house. Because every week posed a new challenge, there was plenty of perseverance required with the learning curve, and often the many possible ways to accomplish each assignment. One way that multiple possibilities were demonstrated was through the group projects and the reflection on peer assignments. The course had a well-integrated aspect of collaboration, sharing of knowledge and peer feedback, which helped one to constantly consider possibilities other than your own personal response. This links well to my first Learning Objective, which asked me to constantly learn from my professor and peers. Also, some assignments asked for multiple approaches, such as the Digital Photography and Scanography assignments, which allowed me to think in multiple ways independently, and then to further stretch that thought process when we shared out as an entire class. Perseverance really came through in the second half of the semester when we started to integrate technologies that were less familiar and didn't tap into my previous knowledge. Assignments such as the Laser Cutter, Scratch, and Circuitry were things I was approaching for the first time, and thus I had to approach them with patient understanding, knowing that challenges would inevitably rear their heads. These concept touched on almost all of my learning objectives: part of the process required to attain new information, new concepts challenged my previous knowledge, working through challenges helped to familiarize myself with new technologies, and problem-solving the hiccups required both critical thinking and questioning during the making process.
ELIMINATED CARELESSNESS
To reflect on the most personal-level, carelessness is rarely a problem for me, and in fact, it is usually the opposite - I am so careful and controlled that I leave less room for experimentation and don't allow for unexpected mistakes to lead to new discoveries. I have been trying to consciously loosen some of those perfectionist tendencies to have fun, and throw myself into new things, even if I don't have a perfectly-set plan ahead of me. I believe I was able to continue to eliminate carelessness when precision was required of the project (circuitry, laser cutting and my final project being good examples), but I also wanted to loosen up and explore different ways of thinking about the technologies presented. This best fits my last two learning objectives - question and experiment, and have fun! I think back as scanography being one of my favorite projects of the semester, and I think it was because using a scanner for painting was a totally different way to approach the technology, and that divergent idea led to exciting results.
Upon completing the course, there is little question that technology should be fluidly used in student art making. It is not a separate and distinct category, but allows a variety of mediums that should be added to a student's developing tool kit as a maker and artist. Students should be exposed to multiple ways of creating meaning, just as we are being taught in our Artistic Development of Children course with Dr. Burton, and technological means should not be eliminated from this list. The hope is, as students start to develop their own styles and more maturing perspectives, that they will be able to determine what techniques best get their idea across. Technology also has the ability to connect with students for whom traditional art materials might not be the right fit. The most important outcome in my opinion is to create a love of making within students, to let them know that they do not have to consume what is provided, but can think independently and create what makes sense to them. Technology certainly has the ability to provide students with the means to make their own meaning and thus, better understand the world around them.
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