I began this blog in 2005 as a way to extend upon the content of my book, The Art Teacher’s Guide to the Internet, published by Davis Publications. The book was a culmination of 12 years of learning and teaching others how to use the Internet.
My first encounter with the Internet was in the Fall of 1993 when I posted an e-mail message on an education listserv inquiring if there were any art educators out there in cyberspace. To my amazement, I received two immediate replies—one from a Texas high school art teacher and another from a university art education professor in New Zealand. It was one of those “Aha!” moments when you experience something that changes your view of the world. As the Internet grew throughout the 90s, so did my interest in exploring its potential as a teaching and learning tool in the art classroom.
In recent years, we’ve witnessed the emergence of new ways to experience the World Wide Web. The term “Web 2.0” has been coined to describe the Web’s transition from a collection of static Web sites containing information to a more dynamic, interactive, social, and content-sharing environment. Web 2.0 tools and services like blogs, wikis, podcasts, photo- and video-sharing sites, social networks, and virtual worlds are now being used daily by millions of people around the globe to connect, communicate, collaborate, create, care, and share with others. I was first introduced to the Web 2.0 landscape and its implications for education in 2006, while attending the Building Learning Communities conference in Boston. The three-day conference had such an impact on my thinking that I knew I couldn’t continue to teach in the same way I did before going to Boston.
Since then, I’ve devoted much attention to exploring the question “How can we use the new tools and capabilities of the Web to enhance or even transform art education practices in schools?” In this blog, I’ll try my best to offer possible answers to this question as well as keep you informed of valuable online resources and tools that you can use in the classroom with your students. From time to time, I’ll also share with you practical strategies for integrating the Internet into your classroom, news items, videos, and other sites that I simply find interesting or amusing.
About This Blog
I began this blog in 2005 as a way to extend upon the content of my book, The Art Teacher’s Guide to the Internet, published by Davis Publications. The book was a culmination of 12 years of learning and teaching others how to use the Internet.
My first encounter with the Internet was in the Fall of 1993 when I posted an e-mail message on an education listserv inquiring if there were any art educators out there in cyberspace. To my amazement, I received two immediate replies—one from a Texas high school art teacher and another from a university art education professor in New Zealand. It was one of those “Aha!” moments when you experience something that changes your view of the world. As the Internet grew throughout the 90s, so did my interest in exploring its potential as a teaching and learning tool in the art classroom.
In recent years, we’ve witnessed the emergence of new ways to experience the World Wide Web. The term “Web 2.0” has been coined to describe the Web’s transition from a collection of static Web sites containing information to a more dynamic, interactive, social, and content-sharing environment. Web 2.0 tools and services like blogs, wikis, podcasts, photo- and video-sharing sites, social networks, and virtual worlds are now being used daily by millions of people around the globe to connect, communicate, collaborate, create, care, and share with others. I was first introduced to the Web 2.0 landscape and its implications for education in 2006, while attending the Building Learning Communities conference in Boston. The three-day conference had such an impact on my thinking that I knew I couldn’t continue to teach in the same way I did before going to Boston.
Since then, I’ve devoted much attention to exploring the question “How can we use the new tools and capabilities of the Web to enhance or even transform art education practices in schools?” In this blog, I’ll try my best to offer possible answers to this question as well as keep you informed of valuable online resources and tools that you can use in the classroom with your students. From time to time, I’ll also share with you practical strategies for integrating the Internet into your classroom, news items, videos, and other sites that I simply find interesting or amusing.
I welcome your comments.
Craig Roland
You can follow me on twitter.