8.4 Reading Takeaways

1. The chapter, New Media Arts, the Do-It-Yourself Movement, and the Importance of Making, explores many different digital medium that could be introduced in classroom settings. The chapter provides information on creative coding, video game design, and DIY projects. The author explores the programs which can be easily accessible to students without intense training and skills. It was nice to learn them as a future art educator and I hope to implement those programs in my classes. I also liked how the author ended the chapter with asking question on whether making, creating and performing matter in classes. He explains that students who are involved in the arts perform much better academically. At the end of the chapter, the author provides information on tools and communities that are involved with art learning through digital tools.
2. In the chapter, Arc-of-Life Learning, the author explains what the "new culture of learning" is to the audience. He asks what would happen if we move away from classes for learning. As he continue to give examples of what new culture of learning is, he presents two elements that make the new learning successful. The first one is unlimited access and resources from a huge information network. The second one is an organized environment that allows experimenting and building with things. Both of these elements need to be worked together to make the new culture of learning feasible.