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.