- How did you approach teaching art virtually/online in the past?
- How do current events change your opinions on teaching virtually?
- How does your art piece (or the process of making this art piece) represent this change or revision?
- How will you apply your current understanding/learning to your future teaching?
As schools move online or close, many teachers who had before been ignoring digital tools are now being forced to adapt to something they had rarely before integrated. One of my friends who still goes to high school was informing me that one of the chemistry teachers who was not up to the times was very frustrated with the move online. This teacher was known for still using the overhead projector in class, and did not integrate the Ipads nor Chromebooks in class. I think this is such an important push for technology in classrooms - or in this case, outside of classrooms - as now teachers who were able to slide past the idea of using technology in the classroom were forced to catch up to the times. I think technology is important to integrate in the classroom so students learn skills that they can apply in the future.
My art piece, Isolation Self Care, was what I made for my first online art project for fibers. The online move for classes was relatively seamless, and works well. The unfortunate matter is productivity, with possible setbacks from stressors other than school in life. I would have had a very different experience just having an online school vs. having the online school and having the community shut down. My productivity has been low, but my self care has been rising as the need increases. For my project, I wanted to reflect the positive words and phrases I needed during this time. This project therefore reflected my change in understanding of digital learning.
My current understanding allows me to apply the kindness of words and actions in the future, if my students ever needed to go fully digital during a less than fortunate time. I will be able to be flexible and understanding after this experience, something that I can then bring to my teaching. I am ready to do all I can to make the transitions seamless and minimize the confusion in the students' lives. I also hope to send out positive messages quickly to students and encourage them to keep going.