Cultivating Creativity: Best Practices for the Art Classroom

Let it be known to all that this is being written by a Millennial, so I know the odds of this reaching anyone is quite low.

But let’s understand Gen Z when it comes to technology in Education. I’ve heard it for years, “always on their phone” “can’t get them off their device”, and it’s a scary reality I know many parents are very aware of. But let’s take a step back and look at it just from their point of view for a moment.

So, what is it like being Gen Z compared to the rest of us?

It comes down to technological exposure. I’ll use my dad as an example.

My Dad was born in 1960. What did technology look like then? Well, in 1962 the Kodak Carousel slide projector was introduced; Family nights weren’t the same. In 1969, the Apollo 11 space craft lands on the moon – HUGE technological advancement. The first laser printer is made in 1971, the first video game console comes out in 1972, the Sony Walkman is invented in 1980, the first phone to fit in a pocket arrives in 1987, the Web arrives in 1990, Wi-fi is a thing in 1996-97, the iPod is released in 2001, the iPhone in 2007 and the iPad in 2010.

So, in a nutshell, my Dad has been exposed to an incredible amount of technological change in his lifetime. He still tells me about writing on mini chalk boards and using ink from a pot.

It’s safe to say then that any educator that was born before 1990 (huge assumption being made here), has lived through and experienced technological change in large doses. The typewriter, handwriting all of your work into small books with pencils that made your hands ache. All of those lovely memories.

It’s no wonder then that now, with life being highly digitised, that the older generations are struggling. But kudos where they are due, I work with some amazing colleagues who are braving the unknown and working to keep up with the times!

But what I am getting to here is that we are then used to change. Even me at 36 years old. Handwriting in exercise books, hand-writing assignments, racing classmates to get to the correct encyclopedia so we could properly research. I felt so very proud of myself in Year 12 when I made an animated PowerPoint presentation, with audio and that was timed! But I’m also used to change. I went from handwriting and chasing down books to using a device that allowed me to do all the things I needed at the click of a button. And yes, I do still hand-write and I do still use physical reference books, but there isn’t a massive need to with the access we have online.

Let’s return to Gen Z; they were born once technology had hit the point of “devices” – they were born into laptops, smartphones, digital tablets and digital watches. The only technological change they’ve had to deal with recently, is online learning that was introduced in 2020. It’s no wonder this generation relies so heavily on their smart devices, it’s all they’ve ever known.

Despite the whinge and whine, my students still hand-write in class. Is it easier to write it on their iPad for it to disappear into the ether? Maybe…But as I teach Visual Arts, a subject that works to enhance fine motor skills, I always remind students that this is their break from technology, where they get to use their hands rather than stare at a screen, and they ARE engaged in what they are doing.

We have to move with the technology as it evolves, and even though it’s sometimes hard to understand – I mean, I leave my phone at home all the time, and it actually doesn’t bother me – so when I confiscate phones from students and their reactions are just explosive, I’m taken aback by their reliance, almost as though the phone itself is a comfort blanket.

I could honestly go on and on about this topic, there is so much here, but let’s be reminded also about a hype that was demonised, youths tittered at by their elders about the distraction it caused…Reading books.

Silent reading in the late 18th Century was seen as “dangerous” “self-indulgent” and “potentially rebellious”. Similar descriptions as what we hear now about smart devices….