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Flickr; Luis Hernandez
Education Dive
Taking the arts digital to support a well-rounded education
Naaz Modan
Aug. 7, 2019
Dive Brief:
Digital art classes encourage digital creativity and build soft skills
as the focus on STEM expands to include the arts and educators adopt a
STEAM approach, according to EdTech: Focus on K-12.
This kind of digital integration can build the soft skills employers
are looking for, but requires time allotted in the classroom for
digital creativity and acclimating to software.
According to a global study conducted by Adobe, 79% of educators say
there is a lack of time designated for creativity, and 73% say there is
a lack of access to software in classrooms.
Dive Insight:
While there is a growing recognition that the arts are central to a
well-rounded education, schools have been slow to incorporating that
into curriculum. Though the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) listed
the arts and music as tenants of a “well-rounded” education, few state
plans have formally included the arts in their accountability plans.
Jane Best, director of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP), said that
while arts educators were open to exploring the possibilities that the
law created, they remain unsure as to how to insert themselves into the
conversation. The incorporation of arts in the classroom as a whole,
she said, remains a “slow-moving” machine.
Still, there is evidence that an arts educator can have many benefits.
According to a report released last month by Consortium on School
Research at the University of Chicago and Ingenuity, arts instruction
could be a vehicle for teaching social-emotional learning skills. The
report finds that arts included in the curriculum can help students
develop self-management and self-discipline, interpersonal and
relationship skills, and self-expression.
Blending art with soft-skills enhanced via technology can also provide compounded benefits.
According to strategies provided by the World Academy of Science,
Engineering and Technology, digital tools allow students to build
artistic creativity and “enable old subjects to be treated in new ways”
by blending traditional and newer approaches of learning. For example,
through digital art, students can choose from a larger variety of
colors more quickly and efficiently than in traditional drawing.
“By the end of the project, the students should have tangible proof of
their expanded skills, and the teacher can ask them to choose the tool
that has been most effective for their creative work,” the report said.
Critics of digital art in the classroom say that it “destroys
creativity,” lacks a “human touch,” and leads to “instant art.”
Proponents say technology does not threaten traditional drawing and
tools, however, but should be viewed as an added strength that allows
for more complex perception and expression. Digital art can also be an
alternative avenue of expression for students who have poor traditional
drawing skills.
Research shows students working with digital tools are more successful
in developing their understanding, especially if working in
collaboration with others. Digital drawing methods can also be used as
a teaching aid, allowing quickness and clarity.
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