University of Nigeria Virtual Library

Serial No

Author 1

OKPARA, Chukwuemeka V

Author 2

Author 3

Title Reforms in Education: The Place Of

Technological Advancement in teaching and Learning in Art Education

Keywords

Description

Educational Reforms and the Attainment of Millennium Development Goals

Category

Arts

Publisher

Publication Date

2007

Signature

REFORMS IN EDUCATION: THE PLACE OF TECHNOLOGICAL

ADVANCEMENT IN TEACHING AND LEARNING IN ART EDUCATION

A PAPER PRESENTED AT THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE

ORGANISED BY THE FACULTY OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSIW OF

NIGERIA, NSUKKA

ON THE THEME:

EDUCATIONAL REFORMS AND THE ATTAINMENT OF MILLENNIUM

DEVELOPMENT GOALS

VENUE: PRINCESS ALEXANDRA HALL AND UNITY THEATRE

UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

DATE: 7TH - 10TH AUGUST, 2007

This paper discusses the various ways of expanding ,, ,, ,,,,,, ,, ,,,,,,,, arf t e a c h g and learning possibilities throug? the incorporation of the ever advancing techncllogy in our various art institutions.

It is about how technology is redefining the role of art teachers, placing them as mentors or catalvst rather Zhan dictators of art teachinq methods and directions.

It is ab( enhance or trar more advanced

It shows ernbracing thes learning and pi^ - - _ - - d - -

aduate art students who are self motivated, creative, and possessing

~ecialized skills in desigq-ring, digital imaging, multimedia and animation are

r ~ ~ g h l y needed in the areas of social developments. From interiorihall decoration,

procluc: packaging mc' advertrsement to web-designing, the graduates of art are

in high demalc" in every society.

Our industy driven economy needs workers who could conform to its

demand and value for standardization, it is also important to note that the

prevaili~g nubiic attitude towards art-education is c+anging as learning in the art

is no 'oqger treated as an eiective but as one of the core or professional subjects.

For the reasov that art teaches the relationship between the use of the essential

technicel means and the achievement of a desire end, it is therefore, the

responsibility of art teachers to find the mos, 1 f

new technologies into their teaching methods or currlcuiar pro

T '

I hrs paper intends to discuss ways art educators can lnrroauce ana

incorporate new technologies into their programs. It does not intend, however, to

suagest :hat the acvansing technological developments replace older ari tools,

o l o y as Expressive A? Veclia

Transforming power of technology is a force not only in the economy but

in arts as well, according to Roberty (1999). Teaching and leal

an involved and adaptive operation where the function of stude

cuurse content are open, flexible and endlessly changing.

Among the tools and materials more r,ommonly used

media in c'assrooms today are brushes, chalk, clay, constructic

m;ir'<ers, pastels, perici!s, scissors, and water-based paints. The popularity of

t'iese mecria according to Craig (2001) ref!ects for the most part, certain

economical and practical issues as well as the preferences of teachers who hold

traclitio~al art practices in high esteem. Urfortunately, some young students

wifh trxlitiona! art media. They often get discouraged when their initial attempts

ar represernarlmar arawmg seem ro pe vtsually unrewaramg. I-or art teacners

~,v110 are sensitive to this problem, the computer of'ers a possible solution. By

using cclmputers and other new technologies to expand the range of possibilities

for creat iv expression in the cTassroom, each student has a better chance of

find in^ a rmdium that works well for him or ing in

les avail: ~rtistic

exoresslons are transformed or e ~ t r e l y new means of expression are developed.

les - computers, digital cameras, projectors, scanners,

I L W s UI 1 I W rrlu,:i-media and telecommunication equiptnents have become

an important part of today's art studios and classrooms. The most recent

practice of usir.g cornouter in art ciasses to teach and do assignment has been to

help students emulate tile traditional means of 'creative expressions on the

computer screen. This approac'7 has helped students to create digital images

which are fur?her enhanced or manipulated sometimes using conventional art

media. However, the interface between technology and traditional art media

reveals that

"Making pictures on computers with digital paint software has certain

adva~tages over traditiona! art media, as it appears to spark s tude~ t interest arid

excitement. The novelty and ease of the digital-imaging process releases

inhibitions. Stidents who are afraid of drawirg with a pencil are often quick to try

?heir hand at drawing with a computer. Students can quickly create images that

are stored in !he computer's mernory or on disk. They can then try out different

ideas ard easily "unclo" them if they aren't pleased by the result. This feature is

thought to make the cornpu!er more conducive to experimentation ahd risk-taking

than other trad'tional art media". (Craia 2001).

As electronic media represent the marriage between art and science, art

students need to understand both the creative and technical processes involved.

Techno!ogy is providing art teachers and their students the opportvnity to

transform the images, motifs, symbols they are using in their work into digital

forvat. It helps students to store copies of their works, transfer and display then

in medium such as the internet. There are other numerous creative tools,

syrnbok and motik available for educators anc! their students to manipulate,

,lour, pattern, shape, line and other qvalitative elements of design use in

creative ait processes now com?ete favorably with quantitative command codes

in the computer.

The use of slides and power-point r~rojectors has helped art educators and

sttldents to facilitale teaching ard !earning in art classrooms and studios. This

?as made practical demonstrations a lot easier and increased the ratio belvdeen

the instructors to an increased number of stucfents. It also increases the

instructors oufnut within a very short lecture time. The slide projector offers the

shrjents the opportunity to paint 3r draw models, landscapes or objects that are

enlarged and projected on the wal! without having to go out to confront such

landscape or hair models who may not be sready or model for a long time.

Creation of real-tin~e atlitnation arid motion graphics with sound

accompaniment are gradually replacing the traditional manual cartoon drawing in

the graplic art. Craig (2001), further stressed that "whatever technologies are

brought to bear on the creative art process, students niust learn to use the tools

and rnsleriais they have availab!e lo think, to imagine, to create, to play with

ideas, to explore, and to feel what it rneans to Se human. As teachers, seeing to

it that this kind of authentic learnhg takes place in our classroorr~s may be the

greatest investmer?t we can make in our children's future".

Tec l i no loy as Sr>~rrccs of Infor lmtion for Ar.t Education

TC7e advancement irr tttchtlo1ogy offer art teachers and their students

wonderful opporlu:iities for assic!ing in the practml and theoretical, iristn~ctions

avd study of art conk-it. In many x t Institutions today, students and teachers

are able to view research and discuss or reproductions of art works, workshop

and conference materials, artic'es arid other art publ~cations through the interne?,

recorded video tapes programs, slide sho~vs on artists, art techniques, and art

historical periods. These new technoloc!ical developmetits in the form of CD-

ROMs and the WJorlci Wide Wcb, offer an enormous wealth of digital resources

designed to support art instructions and learning in both the studios, the

c!assroom and the hotnc. Students are cble to read about at-tists and the history

of at t In books, rragazrncs, jourrrals and otfier p r i ~ ~ t e d materials. Many a ~ t books

come with CD-ROMs which car1 be down loaded into the computer and viewed at

the stvden!~' convenience. 7Fier-e ale also a number of att related CD-ROMs

avaihble in Inany art shops which can setwe as a star:ir\g point for art lessons, as

a wpp!ement to an a;? !esson, or as stand-alone resource vsed by stuclent for

individual rescarc!! and study. II is a fact that CD-ROPJs are able lo store large

databases of high quality plioloyraphic reprocluctions, documcntr-~ry M s , video

sey:ne!its with ils attendant text, sound ar;d voice clips. Tlwy are not only

attractive and easy to carry brrl. also allow art s i~dcnts lo take control over Ihe

presentation o l art relatcd !-r!a:c?r-i::!s. Craig (%r30? j , cxplair?cd that one of the most

popular art-related C9-ROIVls useri in elementary classrooms today is With Opeu

Eyes: Images frorrr Art Irrslitrrie of Chicago which contains high-quality lull-

screen graphics of over 200 works of zr l from the world-class collection of

Chicago's Art Institute along with accorqmnying sounds, music, and spoken

exylanai,ions. T-I? se!cclion of works C:OI-IS~S!:; of a var-iely of images from

E~yp!ian mummy cases to !"icaso portraits and is searcliabie by geography or

time period. Other features include an automated slide show option, a zoom-in

tool for examining smal! details in works, a scrapbook which can store selected

works for later viewing, and a number of interactive games which reinforce

:earning in fun and ingenious ways.

Another C3-ROM found in many middle - and high-school art classrooms

today is A Passion for Arl which provides a in depth look at the private collection

of Dr. A!bert Barnes which features art from the Impressionist and Post-

Impression!st periods. The CD offers a number options for exploring its contents,

including a virtual walk through t3e twentytwo rooms of the Barnes Foundation

Co:kct~on, guided tours, a timeline, zoom tools for examining individual works up

close a slide show feature for creating.personaltzed tours, and a detailed index

page for retrieving specific works and information. One also has access to Dr.

Barnes priva!e papers, documer~ts and cor.res;clondence that were thought to

have beeq destroyed years ago.

Techrlo'oc_~y as Atrmitiisfrative Tool in Art Education

Another implication of this advancement in technology is the evolving

reversai in the iature of administrative work and working. There are indications

of changes the presence of computers, the internet and other technological

equiprnents in most departmental, faculty and other administrative offices are

Sri~ging about. These techno!ogical equipments have greatly reduced the

nurnSer of administrative worker who take orders am! work in unison at an

erldless repetition of job. On the other hand, tClese advancing technologies are

empowering few workers wbo can make critisal judgment, who can weave their

way through novel technical envii-onnient, who are quick to spot new technical

rela!ions!lip in an environrwnt of a rapidly growing lechnological change. Some

of the advantages of the preserce of thes-. technological equipments in our

adminisll-ative offices inc!ude an increase in standardization, specialization,

concentration, maximization, and better recording and storage facility.

Like teachers in other subject areas, art teacl~ers today have an inordinate

amount of paperwork that usually must be generated from their desks, according

to (Craig, 2001).in ti?is area, computers equipped with software programs like

AppleWorks or Microsoft Office llave become vaiued art leacher tools for a

number of administrative tasks including keeping student records, supply

inventories, slides lists, and glaze formulas, in addition to writing letters to

parents, tests, c u r r i c u ! ~ ~ ~ ~ docur?ie~ts, and so on. Uti!izing the computer for these

types of management mplications enable art teachers to minimize tasks that are

often tedious and tinie-consuming; thus, allowing !hem to spend more time with

their s:c!der\ts. T!le recent advances in hardware and soft ware capabilities have

g!-ea?ly expanded the possibilities of using cmp~! te rs for creative expressions,

visual comnunicaticns ar?d adn3nistrative work. As educational institutions

embraces there tecl- nol logical i~170wtions w!iir;h is herping to improve teaching

and learning in a ~ t ec!ucation, parents shoc~ld encourags their children to take

advantage of these innovations to study and practice art as an occupation since

the initial concep!ior7 of art as an e l~ct ive rather than a core subject is rapidly

chancing too. These changes should also b? made to reflect in our secondary

schcol educat!ona! levels where the stud en!^ are nurtmxl arid made to take a

whole life decisions on which subject or career :o pursue in the university or for

their entire life. They should be made to understand tliat technology is recasting

the face of the study or career in art education that the advancement of

technology is exgaoding leaching and learning in Art Education. Perhaps the

most perplexing of technology's implications of art education is that students are

preparzd for many creative jobs that are not yet conceived. That is to say that the

advancement: in technology will bring about certain level of creative thinking,

concept and processes that are so advance and may be abstract to the society

today but relevant and easily underst.ood n the future. Adaptation to such social

and creative changes and derwnds should be the focus of the present teaching

curriculvm in Art Education.

According to Jenny (1995), curriculum developers and classroom teachers

have cngaced in forms of art education based on a model tliat assumes that

there is no body of- know!edge inherent. in tlie discipline of visual arts that can be

taug!it in 2 linear, chronological or&r. She agreed that by presenting a

s!ructured and teacher directed classroctn activities, arts students become part

of a passive Tear-ning process tlmt does rrot give the students much room to use

their own initiative in a creative art process. This type of education does not

have a las!ing significance to the stur!ents. According to her, it does not

encourage zr! st-rdents to question knowledge by questroning the ideas that are

presented by Ih--.ir teachers by engaging iv liea!tlly debates and art focused

dia!og~re. It does not tr-ansfmn the ways in which art students and society think

about artworks m d art educalion in oerieral. She believe that students need to

construct their ow-1 knowfedge bases, be able to identify concepts, explore ideas

and art issues and develep collaborative and research based creative skills that

can he!p them access and acquire knowledge.

This advansement in technology is bringing about a process of teaching

and learning in Art Edc~cation t i a t support active participation and self directed

l e a r n h ~ rather than an all teacher directed learning. It also recognizes the prior

knowledge, interest and experiences of individual students in lhe art class.

The technological advancerneut is also going to rebefive the role of the art

teacher as they will soon become mentors or cdtalysts in the aR learning

experience. Alt!ioug!~ this inr-tovations may be difficult for some art teachers,

however, it huld promise for developing new pathway-for teaching and learning

art education whit? will be both futuristic and socio-economically based. Art

studer?ts will be made to anticipate the direction and rate socio economic, visual

creative and envircrmental changes are occurring.

Art teachers, their colleagues and their administrators must realize that

they, Iike their students, are caught in a !ifdong pursuit of learning in the face of

these technological d~anges. Tliey must, therefore, make efforts to keep up with

this advancement In technology, cimngir tg curricu!ar, changing teaching methods

m c ! changes in the reai world outside Ilicir classrooms and studios.

Bates, A. (1995) Classifying Techrloiogies, the Bellingham School District, U.S. Retrieved from worldwide web (http:/lwww.bham.wednet.edu/tcomp.htrn)

Collin, 6. (1997), Strategic issue within Art and Design units. Exeter School of Arts and Design. Retrieved on February 4, 2005 from the worldwide web (http://~vww.ag0cg.ac.uk/rep0rt/graphicsM1lappendix.htm)

Craig, R. (2001). The Role of Technology in today Art Education, Retrieved on January 20, 2005 from worldwide web (http:llplaza.ufl,edu/roiandc/arted/ro!e~o~~technology.htm!)

Craig, R. (2004), Computer in Art Education, Retrieved on January 20, 2005 from world wide web (http:lfpiaza.ufl.edulrolandc/a~ed/coursesfar245G.html)

Senr?y, G. (1995), Art Education: tzaching the visual arts Technology and the V i s ~ ~ i Arts, Depaement of Education (Victoria). Retrieved on January 20, 2005 from the Vdorldwide web (http:llww.ds~.vic.yov.au/artvce.htm)

Marc, C. (2004), Digital Arts: Where computing and art meet, an article published for the British Computer Society. Retrieved on February 4, 2005 from the Worldwide web (l~ttp://v1~\1w.bcs.0TS/review04/arl.icles/multimedia/digitalhtm)

Mattiew, J. (1 998), Computer and Art Educatiorl. Eric Digest, Published for Eric clearing house for social studies/social science education Bloomington IN. Retrieved on Jaquary 20, 2005 from worldwide web (i~ttp://www.ertcd~gests.or~ll998-1Iar-t. htm)

O'Connor, S. (1998), Two studies predict positive outlook for certain jobs - Michigan I-leaith and I-lospital Association. Rcttrieved January 20, 2005 from worldwick web.

Robert, F. (1999), Technology's implications for art education, an article originally written for "Trends", a hard copy, yearly publication of the Texas Rrf Education Associat~on, Fietrievsd January 20, 2005 from the worldwide web. (!itt~://coristruct.liaifa.~c.i~l-ttkachlart2000/articles/techarted.htm

Tamasin, C. (1994), A new approach to teaching computer-based design skills, retrieved Javuary 29 , 2005 from worldwide web (~~tp://wwv\1.agocg.ac.1~kigraph~csl26/node4 .him)