2009 AEM Fall Conference

Good day,

I am writing this from the 2009 AEM Fall Conference that is being held at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, MN. 

As one of the presenters at this year’s conference, I found myself bringing all sorts of technology-based equipment with me in order to be able to facilitate my workshop sessions.  To show my iMovie Photomontage projects and Minnesota High School League’s Visual Art Competition judges’ training materials, I not only brought my DVDs and printed handouts to give to the participants, but also needed to able to show the videos, Power Points and electronic documents that I had brought to share.  That created a need for the laptop, the LCD projector, the DVD player, a separate audio speaker, a laser pointer, additional DVD blanks and cases to burn and distribute additional copies of DVDs as needed.

All of these devices have become fairly standard for presentation formats, but are more and more entering the art classroom environment as well.  My classroom / art room at Anoka H.S. has evolved into a studio / computer lab over the past several years. As I teach various level Drawing classes, AP Studio, AP Art History, Video Computer Art and Commercial Art, I utilize both the designated studio area and the computer / technology area not only as standalone parts of the space I teach in, but also creating a synthesis between both areas of focus as students begin to crossover between those two spheres of artistic creation. 

The technology in the room that I have in my building ironically evolved from the dollars that were distributed to the schools to build the necessary infrastructure needed to be able to deliver computerized standardized tests.  Apart from a standalone art room that I once had, I was in a PC lab prior to my current situation that I shared with other departments. That lab also included 4 older eMacs for video production.  Ironically, as I understand it, Macs are not compatible with the software that is needed to deliver the types of tests that students are now required to take in order to be able to graduate.  My needs as an art teacher, however, made having a Mac lab a necessity to effectively deliver the type of instruction that I need for facilitating the acquisition of skills and dissemination of information.
 
As such, some of the money that was gleaned from the infusion of those federal dollars has allowed me to have 30 Mac Minis in my studio at school.  Those computers have Adobe Creative Suite and Final Cut Express loaded onto them on top of the iMovie HD software that I use in the making of the photomontage videos. In addition, I also have 6 JVC digital camcorders, a large frame full color printer, a Smart Board, and a document camera attached to the Smart Board for demonstration purposes, that have all allowed my program to grow in scope and depth allowing my students more self direction in being able to develop their artistic and technical skills to levels of achievement which otherwise would be impossible to realize. 

Those skills are becoming more and more important to our present generation of students as they go out into the world and need to be able to draw on those creative thinking skills, visual communication skills and technological literacy skills.  Visual literacy in the 21st century is becoming a much more technology infused concept.  From my own perspective, I am very pleased as an art teacher to be able to help generate that type of learning among my students as well as to share information about the educational tools and processes that I use with other instructors.

Kevan Nitzberg
Art Dept. Chair
Anoka H.S.
Anoka, MN.