Net.art Response

I was surprised that the students Colman worked with had such difficulty with Internet Art. I thought that because students are so familiar with the Internet they would have been able to understand it, or at least discover out how to interact with it and make meaning of it as they went along. Is it because the Internet is something so familiar to them as a non-art form that seeing it used in a new way made such a huge impact they were not sure how to react? Was it just the shock of being presented with the familiar in an unfamiliar way? I wonder, if Colman had started off by comparing Internet art to other art forms would students have had the same reaction?

It seems to me that introducing Internet Art in a visual arts class, especially a technology class, makes complete sense. Introducing students to as many different art forms as possible is part of the job of an art educator. The fact that Internet Art is such a new art form makes it an especially interesting topic to introduce. It is not very often that a new art form is introduced, and being able to learn about a new art form, as it is being explored and debated, is a very rare opportunity for teacher and students. Not only will it enable the students to consider their own understanding of what art is, it requires students to reflect upon the Internet, as well as technology, and its use and meaning in their own lives. The Internet has become another aspect of life that students, and people in general, take for granted. People are used to using the Internet to get information almost instantly. It has become just another routine in daily life. Internet Art, like any other art form, makes you stop and think about what you are seeing and how you are interacting with it. Internet Art is another tool for teaching students to reflect on and understand what they see and experience.