Marriage of Classrooms and Technology

In my experience of technology being implemented into classrooms, technology can be a tool but should not be relied on. There are teachers who have rely on technology so heavily when it has failed they have not been able to quickly adjust to a lesson without it. The example I have involves a day of death by Powerpoint and a reliance on  technology for attendance. Of course, the system failed and the slides were unable to be projected for the class. The students waited around for 20 minutes before being told to leave after signing a paper for attendance. The idea of having informational slides can also lead to laziness and overloaded pages; all of the information is on the slide and some of my past teachers have read them word for word, providing little interest in the subject for the students and even themselves. 

Implementing technology into the art classroom can be hard because students need to get their hands into the media. A computer or image on a screen cannot allow the viewer to feel the texture of clay as it changes from slip to a fired pot. Feeling the way graphite scratches on paper differs from the way charcoal smudges the same surface cannot be completely understood through a picture. There are smells that go with each media; smells that cannot be expressed through electronics. 

Technology can be a useful tool in the art classroom. For visual arts, technology can provide an easy way for information distribution. There are websites that allow family to get involved with the students' artwork. Students can get excited about their art and share it with who ever they choose. When used correctly, Powerpoint can be helpful, mostly with sharing images and allowing students to listen to the information. Tutorials on different techniques can be useful to some students to use as a reference outside of the classroom.