Paint or paint application, that is the question being asked all around the visual arts teaching world these days. It pits learning about art and art mediums the traditional way versus acquiring some of the same skill through the use of new digital tools. It’s a huge paradigm shift that we are seeing and one that is not initially easily accepted.

The way I see it is that there are a number of benefits to using technology in the visual arts classroom today. Computers are no longer just used for word processing. These are creative tools and should be used that way. In order for our children to be successful in the 21st century they will need to be both artistic as well as tech savvy. As an art teacher, I see technology as a new and very valuable medium, which students should be encouraged to explore alongside the more traditional elements of visual arts. It is a medium that our children grasp very easily. Incorporating technology allows for a more sustainable appreciation of the arts and encourages a continued desire to participate in a successful manner.

Every child can be a proficient artist. It’s just a matter of finding the right medium and tools to use as a means of expression. And you never know, perhaps it is the medium of technology that’s just right for your child to feel most accomplished! So for me there’s really only one place for both the traditional and the digital forms of art. In the art room and right in our child’s hands!

Be sure to check out some of the recently created digitally incorporated art pieces by our own ISR artist on my blog at http://dragonyetis.blogspot.com/ or through the school’s Pipeline page. As a reminder student work can also be found on Artsonia. Here students can share work with family all over the world, read comments from Mom and Dad, and even have cool things like coffee mugs, T- Shirts and greeting cards made with their very own work on it!