Release Date: April 8, 2008
Art ed. students create interactive projects, present to NASAD
Contact: Cheryl Anderson Brown, Assistant Director of Public Relations, 770-499-3417 or cbrown@kennesaw.edu
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(Above) "Targeting Jasper Johns" game by class members Melissa Burton, James Gray, Bianca Parnes, Kimberly Piercy, Amy Sapp and Brandi Supratanapongse (Below) "Daliopoli" game by Amber Hughes, Ranae Kelly, Jean Plumer, Elizabeth Richey and Jessica Tillman |
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KENNESAW, Ga.--Instead of just reading about Salvador Dali in a textbook, how about living his life on a computer screen, in a puzzle or via a game? Every year, Kennesaw State University art education majors are crafting ways for learners to do so in special art timeline projects. Earlier this week, students presented their projects to representatives of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
Sandra Bird, associate professor of art education, teaches ARED 3304: Teaching Art History Criticism and Aesthetics, the course in which the timeline project is nested. Aspiring art educators who take this course are required to design an interactive game or engaging visual activity that instructs and informs players on aspects of a particular artist. The idea is that the student is motivated to learn about the artist and entertained through the interactive vehicle. “It is exciting for the creators of the game because they must use the research they have gathered in a creative application, as opposed to just writing a paper or making a presentation,” said Bird.
The purpose of the project is twofold; it not only stimulates student players to learn about art history, but it also gives the project’s creators experience working in groups and building a reputable teaching model. “The project is intended as an opportunity for art education majors to work as a team through all of the stages of the creative process,” said Bird. “The group learns how to cooperate with their peers in the development of instructional materials, while appropriate assessment balances the unique contributions that each member makes to the team.” The project also encourages students to captivate learners. “‘Hooking’ the students into wanting to learn about the subject is probably the most important step a teacher must make in order to have student success."
Bird enjoys serving as “supervisor” of the projects, and continues to encourage her students to keep the objectives in mind while still enjoying the project. “The important point is that all student creators and student players are enjoying the learning process and are able to learn significant content about the artist in question. It is refreshing to see my students come up with innovative ideas and different ways to explore the artist’s history. They challenge each other to go beyond their comfort zone, and create something that can only come from a collection of skills and thoughts.”
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A member of the 35-unit University System of Georgia, Kennesaw State University is a comprehensive, residential institution with a growing student population of more than 20,000 from 132 countries. The third-largest university in Georgia, Kennesaw State offers more than 60 graduate and undergraduate degrees, including new doctorates in education and business.
The KSU College of the Arts is one of only four Georgia institutions to have achieved full national accreditation for all of its arts programs.