Self-Portrait

Homework - Self Portrait

Resonpse - Growing Up Online

For me, the ideas expressed by Steve Maher and Parry Aftab were the most relevant to our experiences as teachers. Media and technology is a huge part of our student’s lives, and it is a loosing battle to take a stance against it. It almost seems against the nature of culture today to exclude technology from education. The trick is using technology in a way that is beneficial to the students and the teacher.

Maher also made an excellent point about how remembering information is not as important as accessing and assessing information. Part of our responsibilities as teachers using technology in the classroom is to educate students on how to access and use information. Furthermore, if teachers are going to be using technology I think it is important to discuss moral and ethical issues as related to the internet. For example, what should be kept private vs. what should be public? What are good practices for using information found on the web? What is needed is an open and ongoing discussion between students, teachers, and parents about how they use the internet for both social and educational purposes.

I was also struck by something that Eve Skinner said in her follow-up interview. Eve questioned how the prevalence of technology in young peoples lives is affecting their sense of being in the moment; they are going through life as viewers and not as participants. It is now more important to record an event than partake in it. I think this issue is real, and needs to be addressed. How do we get students to reflect on the value of an experience as an active participant when it has become the norm to be a viewer?

Response: Growing Up Online

I think it’s very important for teachers and parents to embrace the fact that kids are growing up online, while arming the students with knowledge about how to be safe and responsible. I believe that the generation gap and lack of understanding of the importance of the student’s online identity is what leads to the most danger. With open communication between adults and children, the internet can offer creative outlets for young people that were not available when I was an adolescent. The girl, Jess, who created Autumn Edows represents an entire population of young people. I would be curious to know whether she considered herself an artist or took art classes at the school. Myspace gave her the opportunity to be a photographer, actress, makeup artist and model. The online age is combating the idea that only certain artists can define the period and end up in museums and books. Now, anyone can display personal artwork, receive feedback by the public and even become famous because of it. The artistic self-expression happening on social networking sites provides a great opportunity for art teachers to incorporate this interest into the classroom. To me, profile photos are similar to CD covers and I would love to create an art lesson about it. Online profiles can spark ideas for lessons about the different types of self-portraits, personal symbols, photography collections, graphic design and creative writing. I see this as an age that is opening a lot of doors for art education.

Fun times

Fun times for everyone!

Jenna