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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.
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