Interactivity #2

Showing effective and exciting films in the classroom will inspire students and teach them that
learning new things is an on going adventure!

Interactivity #2

 1.    When viewing the video about the history of technology in schools from 1900-1990 there weren’t really any specific technologies geared toward art. I would have to say out of the ones that were shown in the video, film has had the most impact on art. The act of making a film is something I consider to be an art. Films were used in the classroom when teachers needed to show their students things that they may not be able to view in a classroom setting or as a way to reiterate the lesson. It is a way for the students to travel or explore without leaving their desk. Film could assist students who are visual learners who need to see more demonstration. It could provide supplementary information to the class as well as visualize certain subjects for them that cannot be found in writing or with words. Films can be quite creative in the way they teach children too. 

     The video really illustrated for me that without making improvements and alterations in the way that we teach on a constant basis then there is no room for growth. This means that if we cannot embrace new forms of technology and teach them to our students how can we advance and invent new forms of it if there is no previous knowledge? The students we teach are our future. They will be the creators and the inventors, why wouldn’t we want to keep them up to date and expose them to a multitude of technologies? From these technologies will come new, better, and more innovative ideas and inventions that could better or lives one day. Isn’t that the purpose of technology anyway? If we as teachers don’t give them all of the tools available in order to learn we are stunting not only their learning but their technological growth.

2.     Although I think the Internet has a large impact on all subject areas the one technology that I believe has the greatest impact on my subject area, would have to be film. With the use of film I am able to provide my students with a supplemental source of information to the lesson I am teaching. Like I said previously I believe film to be an art form itself and a lot can go into making a film reach a desired group of viewers. Film can be quite a successful learning tool if it is created and used effectively. It is a great way to introduce a topic or subject as well as echo what you are discussing in class. Showing a short film in class can take the students on a visual journey depending on what you will show them. You may want to show something that will inspire, something that will inform, demonstrate, or even question the meaning of something. All of these things can help you get their brains geared toward a particular lesson. When discussing the Internet we know that it contains an endless supply of information as well as countless visuals, which may definitely assist in the classroom. My only issue with that, as well as what was discussed in the article about the history of technology in schools, is that it tends to take away the creative process due to the fact that everything is right there. Art to me is an exploration of what you know, what you don’t know or what you want to know. If the Internet was my primary source as a technological tool in the art classroom my students would be at a disadvantage. It is important to have more than one source when trying to teach. I want my students to see, feel, and experience. I want to teach my students that their art is something that they need to experience and feel emotion towards, not something they can google and try to recreate. The article stressed the fact that technology has been something that has been somewhat forced onto the school curriculum. As we advance in technology we must implement this in our schools, as it is important to move forward. We just need to have a better way of integrating it into our lessons. More training needs to take place so that teachers are very comfortable using these different technologies so that they may be able to show students how to use it to better their education. 

Interactivity #1 Technology as Autobiography

    

Olivia can be compared to a lot of the youth found in urban districts. She doesn’t have complete access to many of the technologies that some more fortunate children may take for granted. When it comes to teaching I know that I will be dealing with students who have little or no access to some of the technological programs and devices out there. In Olivia’s case she found outside sources to provide her with different technologies. Instead of being shown these technologies she learned about all of these devices and programs on her own and taught herself as well as others how to use them. Olivia describes technology as a major part of her life and she can’t imagine life with out it. It is important to know that technology can be a vital and important part of a student’s life. As a teacher I would like to provide as much access and knowledge I can about these different programs as well as promote further exploration in the technological world. Technology is constantly changing and it’s important for me as a teacher to keep up with what kids are using so that I can better relate my lessons to them.

The 3 technologies that have the most impact on my life right now would be my iPhone, Facebook, and Instagram. Since I got the iPhone I feel as though I barely use my laptop computer. Everything I need is at my fingertips and can fit right in my pocket. I can send emails, look up information on the web, call, text, and facetime. Mostly everything I can do on my computer I can do on my iPhone. I barely use my digital camera now that I think of it. The pictures and videos my iPhone takes are so good that I do not really have a use for my digital camera anymore. My facebook and instagram accounts are something I don’t think I could live without at the moment. Through facebook I am able to stay in touch with people who live far away such as my family, or my friends who live in different cities and countries. I am able to follow groups that hold my interests, I am able to find out about different events going on, and I can also find out more about people I know little about.  Through instagram I am able to take pictures and edit them with different filters and effects and post them. Its almost like a picture diary. People follow and are able to view your posts, and you can follow people and do the same. It has become a recent addiction of mine. I am constantly on the look out for interesting things around me that I can post on my instagram.

The kids in both videos use technology as a part of their everyday life. Like Olivia I use a social networking account on the regular. I think we both use it for similar reasons; to talk to and follow our friends and to express ourselves. Like the others in the second video I depend a lot of my computer, my ipod, and my phone. They are tools that I use multiple times a day, every day. I use my computer to research things that I know little about, and I am constantly experimenting with the endless amount of different programs that are so easily accessable to us. My instagram and facebook, although I enjoy using these programs, tend to distract me at times. While writing this post I probably looked at my instagram twice already. I think that facebook and instagram are excellent social networking programs, but at times I feel as though they may detour my attention from things that may be more informative and educational.