The new age is here: we have complete access to computers, smartphones, iPads, and other types of tablets available at the tips of our fingers, so why wouldn’t we take advantage of that? Some of the best, most well paying jobs in the US economy currently are technology based, not to mention colleges and universities emphasize technology. So wouldn’t it be smart to prepare our kids for their futures at an early age? But theres a catch, and that catch is dividing up the US economy and educational curriculums across the nation. Who can afford to have technology in their classrooms? Why does it matter who does and who doesn’t have technology in their schools?
This catch is otherwise known as the digital divide, and this divide will continue getting larger the less time we, as teachers, spend using technology in the classroom. It is especially important for students who do not have daily access to computers at home to have technology based opportunities in schools. To succeed in this competitive job economy and in higher education, children must develop technology and computational thinking skills. And what better place to learn these skills than in public education!
The need for technology and computational thinking skills in schools is growing as we are realizing that computers can have a place in every traditional school subject or discipline. Math, science, and yes, even art! This is why we at ICSA are striving to integrate computer science skills with art curriculum.
The arts are quickly diminishing in schools, and we see this as a major problem. Art is not only an avenue for creativity and expression, but can be used across other disciplines to increase observational skills and promote authentic learning experiences. With schools leaning into computer science curriculums and pulling away from arts curriculums, we thought to ourselves, why not pair the two together? Using computer science to teach the arts encourages creativity, problem solving, observation and attention to detail, etc. The possibilities are endless! Teaching visual arts online is convenient for teachers as art can be digitalized, even older, world renowned pieces of art such as Piet Mondrian’s Composition II in Red, Blue, and Yellow . Technology allows for art lessons to be taught with access to many different artists and their works of all mediums and platforms. Art and computer science really are the perfect pair.
Our hope is that teachers will use our De Stijl instructional unit along with the other resources provided by ICSA as a model for the integration of computer science and the arts. The basic principles and strategies used to create this instructional unit can be applied to any art movement, artist, or work of art.