I have just completed this on-line bid for a seminar slot at Bett 2009


Abstract

Exploring and Exploiting Digital Media in Art and Design Education

I teach in a secondary school art department and specialise in work with digital media. Over the years I have built up a portfolio of students work from digital Image-manipulation, animation, film making and web design, to recent explorations in interactive art, mobile devices and pervasive media. The work ranges from classroom projects with younger children to individual 6th form work created by students that have gone on to study and practice digital art and design at degree level and as a profession. With the creativity of my students and with the ever expanding network of other teachers working in this field I have been building up a repertoire of ideas, techniques and examples from simple cut and paste in Photoshop, to sophisticated use of Flash. Digital cameras, digital imaging and editing software and film making all have huge potential for group work, for cross curricular work, and for work outside the classroom, as well as exciting possibilities for blurring the boundaries between traditional subjects. I have been particularly interested recently in experimenting with group work, with the potential of the internet for sharing, and with the use of web technology for publishing and assessing work. I enjoy nothing more than to share this work with other teachers in hope that it will inspire and enthuse.

Biography

I am head of Art at a small Quaker school, part day, part boarding, part international, with pupils ranging in age from 3 to 18. With a background in fine art and printmaking, I became interested in the potential of digital technology in the art room from the late 80's and have pursued this interest though it’s rapid and remarkable development. From animations in ‘Deluxe Paint’ on a floppy-booted Amiga 500 to machines with quadruple dual core processors and multiple gigabytes of ram which enable real-time video editing, interactive multimedia presentations and 3D modeling on industry standard software, I have been consistently exploring, exploiting and integrating this emerging technology into my teaching, department, and school. I am an Apple Distinguished Educator and Adobe Education Leader, I have published an interactive CD Rom on digital media in the art room and I have been in demand to share my experience and expertise at conferences, seminars, and training sessions. In the coming six weeks I shall be involved in a conference for PGCE students at Roehampton University, a conference for art teachers at Gateshead CLC, and will be presenting a seminar at the Adobe Education Leaders conference in San Francisco.