http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gvOVWKKxmo

Here is a great example of how an artist has used the medium of stop motion photography to produce an art movie. I have shown this to many students in the classroom and always get the same reaction. "Totally impressed". This form of art is both exciting and achievable with just a still camera, a movie making program (such as iMovie) and a LOT of patience! VCE students love the idea, but do be careful to impress upon them the time demand of making so many drawings. And again, these clips bring meaning and an audience to their works of art, so make sure they know they can upload them to the web!

Movie making is an underused artform that uses ICT in the classroom. As an example, here is a little movie I made using still images. It shows how simple and easy it is to incorporate the use of ICT in a creative way. Students could complete a video for an art project and upload it onto youtube. Giving the students a real audience for their work makes their work worthwhile, and helps to motivate them. It also shows them how to use computers to create something, rather than just for information gathering. It is also a great medium to work with to build confidence in the students' use of technology. Movie making technology such as iMovie ensures images are easy to manipulate or edit and things such as sound clips can be easily added. An art teacher who doesn't feel comfortable with technology, or who hasn't tried making movies before can simply give it a go before teaching it. Also keep in mind the students will be able to control the technology through experimentation and it also teaches them the skills of investigation and persistence.

Youtube as a teaching tool

I recently employed the use of youtube in my classroom to show my students some examples of artists' work. This was the first time they had been exposed to youtube as a teaching tool. Although they had unrestricted access for personal research, They were very interested to see what I had to show them. As the above webcomic shows, the internet belongs to everyone, and although youtube may lead to some awkward social occasions, it is the perfect teaching tool to get your students interested in your task, and a format that they can interact with.

ICT in the learning and teaching cycle

The classroom is changing, the introduction of the computer into the artroom has met with some resistance with traditional teachers, but it is to the benefit of the students. As new teachers we have a responsibility to use technology to aid learning. The computer has the power to empower learners to negotiate their own curriculum, to provide purpose to tasks otherwise meaningless and engage students who would otherwise be left out in traditional teaching situations. ICT is levelling the playing field, letting students become the teachers and learning more from the experience. The computer's presence in the classroom is more than just Google, more than just Spellcheck and more than just Word. If it is up to us to lead the revolution in education, we all have to be open to each new technology, and strive to continuously learn the best way we can use it in the classroom to the betterment of our students' learning.