Use of Computers in Arts Education
Computers have long found a place in arts education through their use as a research tool. Exploring arts resources provides students with experiences they may not otherwise have. However, with advancements in digital media, students may now produce digital arts media where once they may have produced a painting, played an instrument or acted in a production. Though computers cannot replace a paintbrush in an art class, they certainly provide a tool to enhance arts education during research, instruction and production.
Significance
Educators have used technology as a research tool for many years. However, as students become more technologically advanced at younger ages, the importance of technology as a method of curriculum exposure, delivery and exploration in the arts becomes evident. Sites such as FREE (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence) offer extensive resources that allow students to explore music, visual arts, theatre and biographies of famous artists. Through their exposure to and exploration of these sites, students experience the arts in greater realism and with greater understanding than they would should the educator only use technology only for teacher research before a lesson.
Function
Technology functions as a door, allowing students to step into the past, present or future and visualize what they may be unable to experience in person. Students of this century live in a digital, technologically advanced world. Educators must function in a language they understand in order to achieve student engagement and learning. Computers offer the tools educators need to reach students of today and help them to obtain a greater level of understanding than they might be able to with books and lectures.
Types
Organizations and resources such as the University of Virginia's Institute for Advanced Technologies in the Humanities offer students many ways to gain experiences in the arts through technology . Virtual tours of various museums, online exploration of historically significant architecture, video of various arts performances and in-depth exploration of the arts of various cultures allow students to engage with the material in a way that is meaningful to them.
Considerations
Educators providing students with engaging lessons with technology must consistently strive to achieve a high level of proficiency with various programs and to stay informed regarding the latest developments in technology. Educators must also allow technology to be a tool for the creation of student assignments and projects, not just the delivery of information in order to integrate technology in arts education. Digital media products such as slide shows, videos and computerized music must remain acceptable products in a technologically advanced classroom.
Effects
The use of computers in arts education prepares today's students for tomorrow's colleges and job opportunities. Major colleges such as the University of California, Irvine, realizing that the career market of the future demands technologically savvy arts majors, now offer programs of study integrating the arts and technology. Live arts performances and tactile expressions through traditional art supplies should never be entirely replaced by technology. However, computers have proved a valuable tool in enhancing the arts education of many students.
