Digital Design in the Art Classroom
Integrating Technology & Design
Why Schools Should Teach Digital Art
- Use the computer as a creativity tool
- not just as a typewriter, library, presentation kit or television. Creativity and innovation are the key 21st century skills we need for tomorrow’s work place. Instead of just playing a video game, children can use their imagination to design the next game or create a character for a video game. We want our kids not just to be consumers of new technologies, but lead the creation of new technologies. - Digital art brings back the artist in everyone.
Digital Art is another art medium, and a medium that is easy to learn for today’s Digital Kids. Many kids stop drawing and creating as they get older. Digital Art gives them another chance to be an artist and express their creativity. - Digital art helps brings excitement into learning the basics.
Digital Art integrates easily into the standard school curriculum, giving teachers an exciting new approach to any subject matter. Drawing and manipulating shapes on the computer for example is an exciting way to learn geometry. - Digital art helps bring ‘STEM’ to the schools through the medium of Arts.
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education has been recognized nationwide as imperative for preparing students for future success. Incorporating the Arts into STEM education will further empower students to be the innovators of tomorrow and give them the key 21st Century skills of creativity and innovation.
Digital art incorporates all the ‘STEM’ subjects while bringing in the creativity element.
Excerpt from Digital Art for All
Tools for Digital Art and Creativity
The Endless Mural
Picassohead
Kuler
Inkscape
Click here for some Inkscape tutorials.
Click here for additional tutorials by lesson.
Online SVG Editor
Click here for a SVG information and tutorials.
Bomomo
Pinterest Board: Digital Art for Middle School
Aviary
Skitch
Click here to see a video demonstration.
Click here for tutorial material.
SketchBook Express
Brushes 3
Paper by 53
Inkist
Digital Tools for the Art Classroom: an iTunes Course
Tools for STEM Integration
Math + Programming + Art
Computers for Creativity
Math + Art
The connections between Math and Art have been well established and accepted. There are many college courses that introduce Geometry through art or discuss the mathematics behind art.
Example - http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/teaching/math-art-arch.shtml#Objectives.
Artists like Escher have shown us the beauty of mathematical structures like tessellations.
Math + Programming
The connection between Math and Computer programming is obvious to any computer scientist. Computer science is built on foundations of mathematics and logic. The language of computers is the language of math.
Programming + Art
The connection between computer programming and art may be less obvious, unless one wonders why the definitive books on Computer Science from Donald Knuth are titled 'The Art of Computer Programming'. Programming is an art form, and much like a poet writing a poem or an author writing a story, programmers are creating something tangible from lines in a computer language. There is no one correct answer, there are many different creative approaches to writing a program and the end result is creating something original (and beautiful!). Art for many is a systematic programmatic method of creating something beautiful, it can and has been done by computers. Computer generated art ( perhaps mathematical patterns, but even abstract non symmetrical art) is an established field. An artist creates an internal algorithm to create an artwork, sometimes inspired by random abstract forms, and sometimes by very structured mathematical forms.
Excerpt from Computers for Creativity.
Scratch
Click here for Scratch tutorials.
Google SketchUp Pro
The license is good for one year and may be renewed each year after that. The license may not be shared with other individuals. To receive a free license, complete this form. You will then be emailed information on how to download and install the software. Check out the tutorials below:
- Self-paced Tutorials
- SketchUp Video Tutorials
- Online Help Center
- Installation Instructions
- TCEA's Archived Webinar: SketchUp 4 the Classroom
Tech Support for SketchUp: http://help.sketchup.com/en/.
Blender
Click here for Blender tutorials.