Digital Learning

Hey-o! Its been a really long time since I've used this site, but Im hoping to get back into it starting with this post :).

How is digital learning changing education through the internet and new technologies?

         As a current college student, I have seen first hand how the internet and new digital technology has changed how kids learn and interact in school. Currently I am a second year student at Kendall College of Art and Design majoring in Digital Media. Through my experiences in high school and my studies at college, I can say that I believe that the internet and new technology can be a huge help to a person's education.
         When I began high school back in 2009, my school had a computer for each teacher and a computer lab in the library. All these computers were what I would refer to as 'Dinosaurs'. They had towers separate from the monitor which were large and full of tubes, a mouse that had a rotating ball that had to be dusted in order for it to work, and internet speed that a snail could outrun. I don't think I can even articulate how slow our internet was in a way that current students could understand. When I went to visit my old high school last year, the 'dinosaurs' had been replaced with macintosh computers, the school had free wifi, and were even offering several classes on digital art and computer skills that had not been offered just two years prior when I was a student. The school even began giving teachers ipads to help them in the classroom and keep paperwork to a minimum. With all this new tech and classes throughout the school, the biggest difference I spotted was the engagement the students had with their education. The new computers, faster internet, and the general ability to look up a sudden curiosity on the web within seconds had fueled their creative juices and whether they knew it or not, they were filling their minds to the brim with knowledge. Anything they could possibly want to know is at their fingertips. That sounds really cheesy but to me its exciting that students today can so easily research ideas on a whim and fuel their eager to learn minds.
         New technology in the classroom can also be a win for the environment. Towards the end of my high school career textbooks began being put online rather than printed. The book lover in me is sad to see less and less books, but thinking about the amount of trees and money that was saved simply by putting the school's tech to good use makes it all better. Putting textbooks online can: save money, save trees, and make learning portable. Saving money in the schools is a big thing, so cutting down the expense of updating textbooks every year can really open up other options in the school like more classes and new technology. Making learning portable is another big reason to use online textbooks. A typical textbook weighs about 6 lb. ,in my personal experience, so multiply that by six classes and you've got one heavy backpack and lots of visits to the chiropractor. Having online textbooks also means that a student can study anywhere. Most kids today have a phone or computer that has internet access, with those tools alone they can access their textbooks and online search engines and can study on the go without having to carry big books around.
         Being a Digital Media major at Kendall College of Art in Design, the new technology in the field of art makes me really excited and seeing that tech being brought into classrooms is beyond words. My chosen focus in college is 2D animation, and it wasn't until my senior year of high school that I was able to discover my love of creating an animation. My senior year, 2013, was the first year that my high school had computers that could handle the software that is standard in the animation field. Since that was the first year, my teacher didn't know any of the software or how to use the computers so I made it my mission to teach myself a basic understanding of the software. By the end of the year I had made two full animations using the new tech (one of which placed second in my school's art show), and began teaching my teacher how to use the programs. Now my high school has digital media classes that are teaching students those programs years before I learned them. My hope is to see those students appreciating that technology, using it to the fullest, and to be inspired to always push for more in their education, which I believe is what technology inspires.


-Chloe Stewart

Super Cinderella

Today I finally turned in my first ever digital painting. Our assignment was to light the figure in Photoshop with three light sources (fill, back, and highlight) using flat color and blurs. We were told that we could use any character of our own and that it could be human or animal but somehow I was on another one of my superhero kicks and I ended up making Cinderella into a Superhero (what would she be called?....Super Cindy?.no....Super Slipper? thats even worse ugh)!

Here is the finished product. Considering that it is my first time properly using photoshop I think it turned out pretty well.