Media Arts: Incorporating Technology into the Art Room

In the technology age in which we live, it is important to make school relevant to students through technology. The traditional art room uses mediums like paint, pencils, colored pencils ect to create art while the modern art room incorporates the new and exciting technologies of the age into traditional mediums. Students use smart phones everyday and in most public schools, are assigned a 1:1 tablet device to use in their education. There is a plethora of untapped free resources on the web for art students and teachers alike.

With the idea of merging traditional art forms with modern technologies, students can create a stop motion animation with digital cameras and mac computers. If these resources are unavailable, students can download free apps on their smart phones (or 1:1 tablets) to help create their stop motion videos.


Cut Paper Stop Motion Animation:

By the end of this project, students will have created a 1 minute 30 second long stop motion animation film using cut paper/drawn backgrounds to illustrate a theme of their choice. They must:

1) tell a story that is relevant to their lives/situations. (ie. have a beginning, middle, and end-conflict, climax, resolution) formative assessment: going over ideas with teacher/students & brainstorming.
2) make an organized storyboard (formative assessment) detailing each scene and the props/paper/music/sound effects/text needed to create the characters and backgrounds.
3) hand draw/cut out the scenes with attention to detail and craftmanship
4) execute the story board through acute attention to camera angles, lighting, movement of props/paper cut outs, and sill frames. (the actual taking of pictures with digital camera or cell phone camera)
5) create seamless animation through out the short using phone apps, or IMovie (through Mac computers)
6) have appropriate title scenes, transitions, music, sound effects, and credits roll.

After completion of their movies, students will have a viewing day/ critique in which they grade themselves and their classmates according to the above criteria.
Hazel O'Brien is a lovely stop motion animation artist who creates intricate paper cut outs and flawless animation. Showing her videos is a great way to introduce students into the medium. Also, showing other students videos from previous classes or from YouTube can garner inspiration.