Discuss any aspect of the educational appropriateness/relevance of iPads in the Irish Primary Schools.
This semester the theme of creativity is running concurrently across all modules on the B.Ed programme. We have been looking at the work of Ken Robinson, Maxine Greene while also exploring the how the publication of the PISA results has marginalised the role of the creative arts.This raised the question when I received the iPad as to whether visual art and the iPad were possible.
It is outlined in the curriculum that ‘Information and communication technology can be used to broaden and enhance the child’s experience of art.’ (ICT curriculum p.6) To investigate whether or not this is the case I went to Ballyea National School and spent a day in the Junior Infant room. I selected junior infants as I thought it was important to see how the children engaged with the iPad, from the offset.
The strands I decided to focus on were paint and colour and drawing this was primarily due to the availability of apps, with the main aim of of my lesson being to develop the child’s sensitivity to colour. ‘Paint is an ideal medium to develop the child’s sensitivity to colour.’ (Art Curriculum)
There are a list of ten concepts on the curriculum all of which are introduced with junior infant classes. An important issue to highlight is that texture cannot be developed through the iPad. Although the children’s experience was tactile they were not provided with the opportunity to work and manipulate different fabrics.In terms of their engagement with the art ask it proved a success. As you can see from the pictures the children created vibrant scenes which are representative of spring, illustrating some form of awareness with regard to colour, form and pattern.
In order to help the children decide whether or not they preferred iPad art. I linked in with the work of the teacher who had covered the the theme of spring under three strands – Fabric & Fibre, Paint &Colour and Drawing. This provided the child with a comparative framework.I think the children’s view of iPad and visual art is probably the most important so I interviewed the children after our lesson. The graph below is a summary of my findings:
The general consensus was that most of the class preferred drawing on the iPad, but in terms of painting, the children liked taking a trip to the art room to work with an array of paints, brushes and sponges. Those who preferred painting on the iPad liked the fact that there was no clean up and dirty uniforms going home to their mam and dad!
I worked with a child with severe & profound disabilities for approximately a 15 minute lesson. I used the Paint Sparkles app which allowed the child to use large brushes and all icons were clearly visible on the screen. Each time a colour was selected, their was a corresponding sound clip improving the child’s colour recognition, something which the class teacher was working on. For a child with SEN, this app was a means of gratifying the senses. It was kinaesthetic, visual and auditory.In contrast doodle buddy was not appropriate, the icons were too small, there were no audio clips and its background wasn’t as child friendly.I also used the assisted learning facility which allowed me to lock the iPad on one particular app, maintaining the child’s attention on the task at hand.
With regard to assessment, the iPad facilitated the 4 areas as listed in the curriculum:
Teacher Observation
Teacher Designed Tasks
Curriculum Profiles
Work Samples, Portfolios and Products
The added advantage of the iPad is that their work can be saved electronically to share with the parents and also for future reference through apps such as Dropbox. Although most apps I used had options for saving work through the app itself. Central to the process of assessment is language. ‘Language helps clarify ideas and expand the child’s conceptual framework.’ (Teacher Guidelines)
Therefore, the teacher needs to look at the broader picture not just the finished Art product on the iPad but does the child understand this particular concept? This can be used through simple mechanisms outside of the iPad e.g. questioning/discussion/TPS.
Like all subject areas Integration is a fundamental part of visual art. ‘Integration provides opportunity for creativity and inventiveness.’ (Curriculum)As illustrated last week literacy apps such as toontastic allow for exploration of certain concepts e.g. colour and tone through designing backgrounds. The question the teacher needs to pose to the child is – Are the scenes representative of the overall theme or mood of the story? This will reiterate the elements explored in the art lesson and consolidate the learning for the child.
The big question teachers will ask is are there apps available? The answer is Yes, there are apps which facilitate the development of curricular content but an important element to address is that not all strands can be covered. These are construction, fabric and fibre and clay. However the iPad can be used to chart the pupils progression by capturing and sharing pictures of the work. As stated in the curriculum Photography can be ‘used to compliment the work of strands.’ (Curriculum) Also the iPad facilitates the area of looking and responding to art e.g. The Art Authority app allows the children to engage with the work of world renowned artists and place their art work within a cultural context.
To look at the iPad within the broader school community, I asked three schools similar in size what they spend on paper a year, this averaged at €800. This can be significantly reduced through the integration of iPads while also fulfilling objectives for the green schools initiative:
Ltter and Waste
Water (Through reducing the need to wash up art supplies.)
Katy Schrock, outlined on her blog that schools that use iPads have reduced photocopying by 50%. In our current economic climate, the iPad appears to be a long term investment.
To view the iPad within art culture I selected David Hockney, a renowned British artist who traded in his sketch book and paint palette for the iPad, describing it ‘as a new medium with fresh possibilities.’ The work you can see here was carried out using an app called Brushes, which is €4.99 and his work has been displayed around the world, his most recent exhibition was in Paris. This is a significant change in the world of art as the most talented are turning to the iPad in their creations.
Also, Apple have appointed an ambassador for iPad creativity, this is an indication that the iPad and the creative arts will possibly be the way forward in the future and that more explicit links will established with the curriculum.
In summary, it is important to remember that if schools invest in the iPad, it will not primarily serve visual art, it can be integrated across all curricular areas. The average expenditure on art and craft supplies in schools is approximately €3,200, this can be significantly reduced by utilising the iPad. It also facilitates the processes of integration, differentiation and assessment and most importantly this device faciliates all styles of learners the visual, kinaesthetic and auditory.
Einstein once said – ‘Creativity is contagious, pass it on.’ I believe this can be achieved through the iPad.
Aoife Clancy: ICT for Teaching & Learning 