In Kylie Pepper's article, I was struck by the emphasis on the distinction between Arts with a capital A and arts with a lowercase a. The number of opportunities for learning increases greater when we redefine what "arts" are: if it includes games, blogs, photographs, videos, music, learning will no longer have the stigma of rigidity. As an educator, I think I will always struggle with making learning enjoyable, especially when teaching digital technologies. In line with my personal objectives, I hoped to master the technological basics of each program / medium, and truthfully did have trouble learning how to use each program. Only when I was motivated by my own creative vision, and sincere enthusiasm to use that tool to make a project about a topic I actually enjoyed, was I involved to master the steps. The hunger to learn came from within instead! Going through this experience myself, I believe will help me relate to my future students.
Today there are many famous YouTube, Instagram, Blogger stars in their teens and the level of video and photo editing prowess they all display is remarkable. Even programs like Scratch have produced amazing games, and allow for collaboration and creativity. I have actually read Tavi's fashion blog before and her blog's aesthetic is truly remarkable. Interest-driven art (with a lower case) is a something I hope to encourage in my future classrooms, especially since the Internet (and having a computer) is a relatively low-cost entry method into the world of the arts. Sometimes traditional Arts supplies can be limiting (for instance, oil paints are extremely costly), whereas downloading most programs online are free--this provides access to lower income students and allows them a platform to express themselves creatively.
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