Feature Stories
November 2007
Electronic Portfolios: A Few Dilemmas for Art Educators
By F. Robert Sabol, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair of Art Education
Purdue University
West Lafayette, Indiana
Using Electronic Portfolios in Art Education?
Electronic portfolios are part of the technological revolution taking place in our schools. It was recently proven that art teachers evaluate digitally reproduced images in students' electronic portfolios side-by-side with the actual works (Dorn & Sabol, 2006). Numerous arguments have been raised for including electronic portfolios in art programs, and the use of these portfolios as an integral part of art education programs will increase.
Dilemmas of Using Electronic Portfolios in Art Education
Although widely used, electronic portfolios create a number of perplexing challenges, several of which have been identified by art educators. Typically, electronic portfolios include digital images of studio work created by students, although other kinds of work can be-and frequently are-included in these portfolios. Studio work will be used to illustrate the following dilemmas in using digital portfolios.
- Some artworks translate into the digital format better than others. Works of art can include subtle differences in the use of elements such as color, line, or texture that make them powerful and unique. When digitally capturing works of art, some lose these subtleties, while others gain them. Subtle value and line-weight changes in pencil drawings may be lost. Some paintings or prints will acquire stronger color contrast or intensity.
- The quality of the hardware and software used to create the digital reproductions influences the quality of the digital images. The quality of hardware used to create digital reproductions of artworks may vary in significant ways. Considerations such as the number of megapixels in a camera, the dpi of the monitor used to view electronic images, or software capabilities can positively or negatively influence the quality of digital images. Budget limitations and access to high-quality hardware and software may influence the final quality of the images used in electronic portfolios as well.
- Scale of works of art may be lost in the digital reproductions. Art educators will typically view electronic portfolios on a computer monitor screen. The size of the screen limits the size of the image. As a result, some works of art may appear significantly smaller than they actually are, while others may appear larger than they actually are. In some cases, details of the work can be more effectively seen, while in other cases detail may be lost.
- Viewers cannot determine whether the digital images have been electronically altered. Various software is available that can be used to improve the quality of digital images. As a result, art educators must trust that the images in their students' portfolios have not been manipulated by students.
Art educators should continue to include electronic portfolios in their programs, but with the understanding that along with the obvious advantages come a number of dilemmas they will need to address.
Reference:
Dorn, C. M. and Sabol, F. R. (2006). "The effectiveness and use of digital portfolios for the assessment of art performances in selected secondary schools." Studies in Art Education, 47 (4), 344-362.
On Technology: Putting Your Digital Teaching Assistants to Work
By John Higgins
Managing Producer/Editor, Hal Leonard Corporation
Executive Recording Producer, Spotlight On Music
"My kids learned to sing those intervals years ago. It ought to be simple for them to sing them in this choral arrangement by now. But it's a big struggle every time we start a new piece! I'm so tired of drilling those harmony notes into them; it's wearing out my piano and my patience! When do I get to teach music?"
Does this scenario sound familiar? Perhaps too familiar? The teachers and students experiencing these frustrating problems are not alone. In fact, we can all have difficulty finding a common interval at times, because intervals can sound different in different settings. The feel of the harmonic progression, whether triadic or very contemporary, can "color" our perceptions of melodic combinations, particularly if we are trying to sing an inner part.
The Sight-and-Sound Connection
Years ago, when recordings of choral and band music were extremely rare, I happened to be a kid myself. One of my most vivid memories as a child is the first appearance of a booklet containing not only the scores to a new catalog of music, but a professional recording as well. I remember thinking, "Wow, so this is what that sound looks like in black-and-white! And here's how this part has been changed so that it leads into that part!" I was so excited to discover a new way to make the sight-and-sound connection. I guess you always remember the first time.
In order to create sound from a printed page, we are constantly helping students make some of these connections on their own. Of course, there are many different ways to teach the notes for a new piece, and successful teachers have traditionally zeroed-in on the ways that work best for them. But we can also use recording technology to help students experience their new parts in a very musical way.
Your New Section Leaders
The people who created Experiencing Choral Music have not only professionally recorded all the pieces in the program, but they have also provided a new way to avoid the dreaded "pounding out" of the parts. Imagine that you are standing in the middle of the alto section of a professional choir. You can hear the surrounding parts and the accompanist, but the other altos are closer to you and are confidently helping you learn your part in a very musical way. You are getting the details, but you are still feeling the context of it all. What you are hearing is one of the Vocal Practice Tracks.
Count the Ways
There are so many different ways to make use of the Vocal Practice Tracks. You can hold section rehearsals-at different times, or in different rooms, or even in the four corners of the choir room to really test students' powers of concentration! If students are absent for rehearsals, you can have the students catch up in the practice room, or even send a CD home with the student. In rehearsals, stop to focus on a section's most difficult line and give an instant demonstration of the part in context. If you have students who are preparing auditions for an all-district choir, lend them the CD. If you are absent, ask the substitute teacher to teach the new notes, and you can teach the interpretation when you get back.
The list of creative ways to use the Vocal Practice Tracks, as well as the Voices and the Accompaniment Only tracks, could go on and on. These technology resources can be your digital teaching assistants and help turn some of the drudgery of learning into more stimulating and more musical experiences. Just think about that!