Visual arts education is a vital part of the grade school curriculum. As with most areas of the classroom, technology developments have expanded the possibilities of what visual art do for developing students. Visual arts education has several software programs such as ArtRage, ArtWeaver, and SketchUP7. Students can experiment with various drawing and painting tools, changing the way teachers conceive of art class in schools. These programs would not eliminate essential, hands-on learning, but they can alleviate waste and other cost concerns in public schools. Additionally, arts teachers can design curricula that promote students’ critical thinking and visual thinking skills, using this technology. Software and mobile applications enable teachers to collaborate with other arts educators or institutions to improve their teaching methods. Tech giants like Apple and Microsoft have been supportive of implementing education technology in schools by donating hardware, software, or services.
It is critical to remember, however, that owning these technologies is not equivalent to a high-quality tech-informed visual arts education program. Educators should consider other costs such as infrastructure, staff training, and software upgrades before purchasing expensive technology. According to the article, Upgrading Technology Infrastructure in California’s Schools, 53 percent of schools states that high-quality wireless network and internet are the biggest challenging upgrade which requires a strong infrastructure. Therefore, infrastructure cost including internet, wireless, electricity, and devices would be a main cost of implementing visual arts education technologies in schools. Below is the infographic that shows the estimated expenses of maintaining visual arts education technologies for 500 students in a school:
Resources:
"Analysis of Costs to Upgrade and Maintain Robust Local Area Networks for all K-12 Public Schools." Education Superhighway. Accessed October 14, 2017. https://www.educationsuperhighway.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Connecting-Every-Classroom-LAN-WiFi-Analysis-May-2014.pdf.
"Integrating the Arts with Technology: Inspiring Creativity." LDonline. Accessed September 30, 2017. http://www.ldonline.org/article/30245/.
"How sustainable is your educational technology strategy?." Newmind. Accessed October 13, 2017. https://www.newmindedtech.com/blogs/news/how-sustainable-is-your-educational-technology-strategy-2.
Mclntyre, Erin. "Measuring the costs and benefits of new ed tech." Education DIVE. February 17, 2016. Accessed October 12, 2017. http://www.educationdive.com/news/measuring-the-costs-and-benefits-of-new-ed-tech/413885/.
Rothstein , Russell, and Lee McKnight. "Technology and Cost Models for Connecting K-12 Schools to the National Information Infrastructure." The National Academies Press. Accessed October 14, 2017 . https://www.nap.edu/read/6062/chapter/58#499.