TEACHING FOR ARTISTIC BEHAVIOR™
hands making art
HOME ABOUT US            MISSION and VISION              FAQ's              LINKS               CONTACT TAB                   
TAB logo
OPENING CENTERS
ART HISTORY
CLAY
COLLAGE
DIGITAL ARTS
DRAWING
FIBER ARTS
MASKMAKING
PAINTING
PRINTMAKING 
SCULPTURE
Return to TEACHING and LEARNING
























DIGITAL ARTS DEMOS  

Instruction in the choice-based classroom begins with a demonstration. Demonstrations are not lesson 
plans but approaches to media, techniques and processes.  These can be covered in brief whole-group instruction, called "demos."  

Digital Imagery

Digital tablets and pens allow for control in drawing; many children gain skill using the mouse. The computer allows for experimentation: trying one color after another to fill backgrounds, for instance.

Students need to be able to:
1. Find and open the drawing program
2. Save and later retrieve their work from a folder
3. Save their work as they go along
4. Find and use various fonts
5. Choose drawing tools from paint program menus
6. Erase and undo
7. Know the classroom rules for printing

 Digital Photography

Learning to use a digital camera empowers students with a life-skill.  Looking through the lens causes children
to slow down and look at the world in a more focused manner.  Elementary age students can be responsible with
digital cameras if given proper training.

 Students need to know:

  • On/off
  • Shutter button
  • Lens
  • Settings for taking photographs and for viewing photographs
  • Macro zoom function
  • Delete function
  • Flash on/off
  • “Battery low” icon

 
When students are sharing a camera, they can first photograph their face to bracket their set of photographs.  After the images have been downloaded into the computer for editing, students can find their photographs easily by their face.  Each photographer can have their own file in a classroom folder.  Editing photographs allows students to manipulate their images quickly with great results.  Experimentation with cropping, color, contrast and size provides many opportunities to refine and alter the photo.  Photoshop Elements and iPhoto both have simple editing tools which can be mastered by young children.  Make sure students duplicate each image before editing to keep an original in the file.  Printing digital images is quite expensive.  Students can bring in CD’s or a zip drive to take home all of their digital art. 

Stop-Motion Animation

Narratives can be told through animation, using digital cameras to shoot individual frames. Students create
characters with plasticine clay, pipe cleaners, or paper sculpture. A storyboard identifies key frames showing how
the story progresses. Using the storyboard as a guide, students photograph all the subtle movements between key
frames. Photos are imported into iMovie or similar program, timing is adjusted and the animation is edited with
titles, sound effects and music.  This process requires many varied skills; collaboration is frequent as students seek
assistance with storytelling, sculpting, photography, digital editing and special effects.  Because animation files are
large, teachers may want to keep student work on an external hard drive.



 

COPYRIGHT 2009   TEACHING FOR ARTISTIC BEHAVIOR, INC.