Instructional Technology Trends 1

What is happening in Instructional Technology: Surprising Trends and their Consequences

Technology in Art and Art Education

Ana Luisa Rincon

IST524 Instructional Technology
Professor Bude Su
October 22, 2013

Where do technology and art blend, and how does this impact art education? The arts and
technology are ever changing fields and decade after decade new trends emerge. While each
has advanced individually, they have also intertwined and the results are broad and surprising.
Technology impacts art in numerous ways: in how it is viewed, displayed, taught, and in
providing fertile grounds for the creation of new forms of art. In this essay we will focus on the
effect that technologies such as digital photography, digital imaging, and graphic design, have
had in art and art instruction. We will talk about digital cameras and image editing software
programs. In regards to art education, we will discuss how technology does not replace art, or
art education, it can only enhance it. It is my intent to point out, that art and art education have
been directly influenced by technology in various ways, with many predictable and
unpredictable results. For this essay, I will be using personal experience and other resources to
support these perspectives.
Digital cameras and Image editing software
The invention of numerous image editing and graphic design programs such as Photoshop or
Corel Draw, and several free programs such as Gimp, Windows Paint, Paint.net, and Phoxo
(Techradar.com) have revolutionized the way we work with images. In photography, it used to
be that we had to use film, develop our photos in the dark room, and print them on paper. Now
it is all editable at the touch of a button new, amazing artistic photographs are created. So much
so, that Pamela G Taylor and B. Stephen Carpenter believed that students of today are no longer
the same at the core, in comparison to how students were 10 years ago. Taylor and Carpenter
assert that students demand different forms of educational engagement informed by their
constantly changing digital landscape. (Taylor, P, Carpenter, S. 2007 p. 85).
When I taught photography at Miraval Life in Balance Resort in Arizona, our classes, explored
the 35 mm camera use and the creative side of photography in approximately two hours. In class
we discussed light principles, the mechanics of the camera, the lens, shutter speed and aperture.
We studied creativity and design principles. Occasionally, students brought their digital cameras
to class, and we as instructors saw the need to expand our knowledge and understanding of
digital cameras and digital photography to meet their needs. As soon as we felt ready, we began
to offer digital photography classes as an alternative choice. Surprisingly, sooner than later we
had to completely transition into digital photography and only offer manual camera workshops
in private sessions. The reasons were twofold: most guests had a digital camera and wanted to
learn how to use it, and the technological capabilities of digital cameras facilitated so many

aspects of our instructional sessions, that it was unwise not to embrace these benefits. For
example, we were finally able to show our students immediate results as they learned to
manipulate their manual modes in their cameras, and had visual validation of their experiments
at the tip of their fingers. We were able to experiment with aperture and shutter speed, zoom
and white balance, and many other options.
We also had to improve our photo editing software skills. Our guests/students wanted to learn
how to access their photos and get them ready for printing and also requested assistance with
basic photo editing skills, such as modifying the brightness or contrast, or removing a red eye. In
time, we improved our skills, and our individual sessions became very popular. We had an
opportunity to confirm over time, that the technology does not make the artist; there is still the
driver behind the machines or software programs, responsible for the original thought, concept,
design, and artistic idea.
In the video, Is Photoshop Remixing the World? (PBS Digital Studios) the producers explore the
debate about whether projects created in Photoshop can be called true art, and how the ability
to manipulate images has opened the doors to new ways of expression that include artistic,
comedic, and political topics. Prior to image editing software programs, people resorted to cutand-paste methods to make collages, and manipulated the images attributes (such as color,
brightness, contrast, etc.) in the dark room. Photoshop moved the darkroom to the computer,
and exponentially expanded its capabilities. Whether it be a 35 mm camera, or a digital camera,
it is the photographer who chooses the frame, the lighting, time of day, and subject matter. The
camera translates that into a manageable medium that optimizes the original image.
Art Education
In art education, technology has significantly altered the way students are able to access
information. While years ago art history students had to travel to museums and exhibits to view
original artworks and expand her knowledge in the subject, slides and projectors are now
utilized in classrooms to illustrate design styles cultural movements, historic sites worldwide and
their architectural applications, murals, and original works of the masters. The information
sharing that technology has permitted is of tremendous educational value, and has expanded to
distance learning as well. In the article Constructivism and Technology in Art Education (National
Art Education, 2001) Michael Prater sheds light on the fact that the resources made available to
students via the internet and other visual technologies, significantly alters the scope of exposure
a student will have in their learning experience. Michael states:
In art history, interactive hypermedia resources, such as the internet and CD-ROMs
about artists, support the construction of meaning for work as a part of their historical

context better than traditional media or methods. Using these resources for framed or
open constructivist art tasks, students retrieve information from the internet based solely
on how they request it. Accesing one idea ofn the internet generally leads to another and
will more likely connect to much more. From the available information links, students
from any point in their inquiry can access those that seem most interesting or relevant.
It is important to note that not everyone agrees with the idea that technology is a positive
enhancement in art. In the publication Arts Education: Teaching What Technology Cannot by
Taylor Bruce, the author predicts that 10 years from now our entire educational framework will
be run by machines, (Bruce, 2012 p. 63) and that the lines will blur between man and
computers. He makes the case that in order for children to develop normal abilities to grow as
functional adults in our times, they must be held to high standards of understanding of
concepts and content, (Bruce, 2012 p. 64) rather than memorizing and repeating back bits of
information and knowledge, or what I would interpret as utilizing technology in a robotic
manner. He emphasizes the need to be adaptable, and blend well in a multi-cultural world,
highlighting this as an important role that artists play in our current society. That is, the natural
quality in artists to absorb their world as they know it and express what they see and feel
creatively, transcending historical and cultural limitations. If the artist allows technologies to
lead the way in the creative process, they may hinder his motivation to keep pushing his creative
talents to higher levels of complexity. In Praters words, art students continue to require
supervision and support only a good art teacher can provide. (Prater, M. 2001). Other critics
advise that the computer often ends up being used as a facilitator of mundane concepts rather
than a fertile new world worthy of critical creative thought. (Henderson, 1996). Henderson also
talks about the importance of striking a balance by supporting an environment that is conducive
to a harmonious fusion in his statement below:
Whats critical for todays art student is a new literacy in the tools of today. Just as
linseed oil proved invaluable in painting, electricity, conductivity and digital information
are a new medium of the future. Art educators must be willing to embrace new thought
and practices. This does not mean replacing traditional media; but rather, allowing room
for computers, lasers and other media to coexist in the fine art setting. (Henderson, M.
2006).
Innovative art forms incorporating technology
Software programs like Photoshop and Corel Draw are powerful platforms that afford a virtually
infinite number of options to the artist. They include tools such as brushes, cropping, pencil,
paint bucket, eraser, etc. These tools are powerful and robust, and can create realistic images,
fantasy worlds and amazing visual effects, which are used for animation films and games, among
many other creative projects. Photo editing is only the beginning when it comes to what current

programs can do now. Literal, virtual realities can be drawn or painted with these
technological tools, and create effects that simulate real art tools, and also creates new effects
and new imagery with its multiple tools. As stated before, art and technology can often merge
to create new art forms. One example would be the Meamorphism movement, which combines
fine art with traditional media technologies. This art form consists of digital canvases that offer a
dynamic viewing experience, (www.meamorphism.org), which the user can manipulate, with
infinite artistic and creative possible outcomes.
Technology has certainly come sweeping arts feet and the art world has run with it. Digital
photography and editing software have enhanced and expanded the possibilities in the field of
photography. In the instructional field (for the arts), technology has contributed to a more
accessible and broad learning experience, with multimedia tools that bring educational
resources from otherwise not so accessible sources, enhance the learning experience and meet
the needs of todays students. Lastly, in the practice of fine art, new art forms are created by
blending technology and art, such as Meamorphism. I am an eternal optimist, and look forward
to seeing the growth of this collaboration between art and technology.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egnB3teYiPQ
http://www.techradar.com/us/news/software/applications/best-free-photo-editing-software-10-topimage-editors-you-should-try-1135489
http://www.meamorphism.org/OUR_MISSION_2.html
Vol. 54, No. 6, Nov., 2001 Constructivism and Technology published by National Art Education Association
Page 46 of 43-48
Vol. 33, No. 2(65), 2007Mediating Art Education: Digital Kids, Art, and Technology By: Pamela G
Taylor ; B. Stephen Carpenter

Computer Graphics - Special issue: focus: computer graphics, Volume 30 Issue 3,

Aug. 1996, Page 30, New York, NY, USA, author Michael Henderson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItRNVU8Di1w