Purposeful Practice: Using Technology to Enhance Teaching and Learning in Visual Arts

Abstract

This chapter examines the integration of information communication technology to enhance teaching and learning in visual arts classrooms. It draws on a participatory action research project conducted with teachers in schools to explore the distinctive nature of secondary visual arts teaching practice. From this data the author presents three examples that particularly illustrate the use of technology for practice. The first example presents a teacher who uses technology as a vehicle for student-centred learning. The second example provides an account of a teacher who uses social media and mobile technology as a pedagogical tool to connect with students. The third example tells the story of a teacher-educator working in an online environment. Together these examples illustrate a diversity of ways that technology is integrated into teaching at the level of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. The implications of this diversity are explored relative to teacher identity, student experience and relationships to place.