I'm a student, too

We have spent the last few weeks looking at the potential role of digital media in (art) education. We have seen how blogs, podcasts, vodcasts, Illustrator, game play, and other digital tools can enhance a student's understanding of the curricula.

Oddly enough, up to this point I have not thought of myself as a student in the digital era. Sometimes I hear so much about me future role as an educator that I lose sight of my current student status. So, now I wonder, how is digital media helping me, the student?


During my undergraduate studies, used digital process every day. I took classes in design and computer graphics. I also used digital processes in all of my artwork. Of course, I worked hard to ensure that the final piece did not look digitally produced. Instead, I used programs like Illustrator to create images, then I printed them on various materials, and finally collaged them or used them as positives.

However, I rarely had professors that would use similar technologies to aide in teaching. Once or twice, I took an art history class that had a website. My professor used the site to post slides of the most important art pieces from the term. Often, these pieces were not shown in our textbooks. We needed access to them on the web our we would have nothing to study.

Other than those art history courses, I did not seen any digital media. My instructors never offered a blog or a podcast. Even still many of them used Kodak-made slides to show artwork. Of course, the machines would always get jammed or there would be a huge strand of hair cutting the image in half. Many of us students encouraged the use of PowerPoints. Imagine if we could get through a class period without anything failing AND be able to access the presentation online!

I believe the refusal to embrace technology in the classroom stemmed from two thing. First, many of the professors were, shall I say, 'old-school.' They came-of-age in an era before digital media was prevalent. They still Abstract Expressionism painting is the most contemporary and fantastic art style available. And, quite frankly, I believe many of them plan to retire before digital media is mandatory. It works like the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Second, I think the class size was an issue. Because of the genre of my classes (studio art and art history) there were not a ton of people in each class. However, there were just enough students that they thought they could skip class unnoticed. Perhaps the instructors fear that posting things online would suggest that students could miss class more. After all, the notes are online, so why go? Still I do not think it is fair to make things harder for the entire class in an attempt to retain an audience. I think if a student is prone to skipping, he will skip even if it means copying notes from a friend instead of downloading them.


So, now I go to a school that frequently uses digital media as a teaching aide. I am still getting used to the weekly responsibility of blogging for two classes, looking for PDFs of the reading for three classes, and responding to several emails about everything. I must admit that I find these learning processes intriguing. While I normally hide my artwork and writing, now I am forced to exhibit it.

I suppose the whole process is helping me open up? I do now make a conscious effort to change my voice while blogging. What I can say matter-of-factly in a paper to be read by a professor seems to come off arrogant when posted in a blog. I am not sure yet if it is a good thing to be refining myself in this manner. At first glance, I say it is not a good thing. But, who knows? If semi-formal blogging and podcasting is the way of the future it might be good for me to let go of my formal tone. But somehow I cannot foresee a time when theses and scholarly articles would be accepted in a somewhat nonchalant manner.