David S. Gran
Art Educator
Technology Integration
Apple Distinguished Educator
In her book The Dialectic of Freedom, Maxine Greene describes aesthetic education as having the ability to “remind us of the relation between freedom and imagination – the ability to make present what is absent, to summon up a condition that is not yet”. To me, this statement reflects the challenge and the goal of art education. The foundation of a good art class will encourage students to see the world in new ways through new experiences. Through the process of art making, students learn more about themselves and the world around them; through critical thinking, they translate their experience of the world into personal expression.
In pursuit of this goal, I believe that technology has a key role to play in the creation of these new experiences. Exposure to digital art making programs like Adobe Photoshop or Final Cut give students the skills and tools to create powerful messages. Online communities allow students to connect and collaborate with others with similar skills and interests all over the world, and share their work with an authentic audience. Over the last few years I have concentrated on infusing technology in the art classroom. I have created multimedia curriculums from kindergarten to 12th grade, helped build technology conferences for teachers, established online communities and projects, and founded a film festival to showcase student work.
