Arts education teaches the basic vocabulary of digital media.
The Arts and Digital Literacy Initiative, which bridges fine arts education and technology, is a program of the Texas Cultural Trust in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin College of Fine Arts. The initiative is a project-based, fine arts curricula for high school students that establishes the connection between traditional fine arts education and digital media. Digital literacy is the future of communication and commerce and creates learning experiences that develop students’ capacities for critical thinking, creativity, imagination, and innovation. The courses are based on a combined set of fine arts and technology standards, resulting in arts instruction that is rigorous and designed to specifically develop student’s media literacy, providing integrated relevant skills that will prepare them for the 21st century workplace. Art and Media Communications I & II, Music and Media Communications I & II , Theater and Media Communications I & II, Dance and Media Communications I & II are Texas Education Agency approved innovative courses and have received preliminary approval by the Texas State Board of Education to be included in the new Fine Arts TEKS standards.
The new paradigm of communication is no longer dominated by the written word. Our challenge is to teach our children to communicate in this new medium that includes music, color, spatial relationships, movement, and drama. Digital communication touches everyone from corporations to individuals. It is the future of communication and commerce. The arts are to digital communication what grammar and spelling are to the written word. The children of Texas need to be prepared to excel in a creative world, using technology as a primary tool.
For more information on the Arts and Digital Literacy Initiative please visit the www.txartmedia.org.
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Art and Media Communications I and II
Innovative Visual Arts curricula that combine the power of the visual arts with technology as a way to bridge traditional fine arts education with digital media applications. The goal is to equip students with 21st century, college and workforce readiness skills. The course combines rigorous and relevant experiential study of modern, post-modern, and contemporary visual art and design with student learning in media literacy and technology applications.
Music and Media Communications I and II
Innovative Music curricula designed to provide access to rigorous and relevant instruction in music and media-based skills to those students entering high school who may not have an extensive background in music. The standards-based curricula will provide access to instruction in fundamental music skills and knowledge. Students will explore and discover their own connections to music and their musicality using technology- and media-based resources for listening, recording, sharing, composing, and making music.
Theater and Media Communications I and II
Theatre and Media Communications I and II Provide students with a rigorous and relevant experiential study of theatre coupled with video and audio design. Creations and analysis of student performances will be balanced with explorations into contemporary practices in digital media. Students will learn how to bridge traditional stagecraft with current technology applications to create new media such as animations, digital images, multimedia presentation, digital video, websites, and interactive performances.
Dance and Media Communications I and II
Dance and Media Communications I and II provide rigorous and relevant experiential study of dance history, dance technique, and choreography with student learning in media literacy and technology applications. Creation and analysis of student performances will be balanced with explorations into contemporary practices in digital media. Students will learn how to integrate traditional movement and choreographic skills with current technology applications to create new media such as animations, digital images, multimedia presentation, digital video, websites and interactive performances.
“Since the beginning of our new Art and Media Communications class there have been no absences as of October,” R.J. Christensen, a teacher who piloted the curriculum at Alief’s Elsik High School.
Partners:
Dr. Doug Dempster, Dean, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Hunter C. March, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Robert Duke, University of Texas at Austin
Tom Waggoner, University of Texas at Austin
Glenn Richter, University of Texas at Austin
Rod Caspers, University of Texas at Austin
Rusty Cloyes, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Megan Alrutz, University of Texas at Austin
Roxanne Schroeder-Arce, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Tina Curran, University of Texas at Austin
Jeff Ellinger, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Christina Bain, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Paul Bolin, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Melinda Mayer, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Kara Hallmark, University of Texas at Austin
Dr. Chistopher Adejumo, University of Texas at Austin
Gary Powell, University of Texas at Austin
Kris Andrews, Center for Education Development in Fine Arts
Dr. Gary Gibbs, Texas Commission on the Arts
Chuck Winkler, Texas Commission on the Arts
Casey Monahan, Texas Music Office
Robert Floyd, Texas Music Educators Association
Frank Coachman, Texas Music Educators Association
Kay Vanlandingham, Texas Music Educators Association
Suki Steinhauser, Communities in Schools
Eric Metcalf, Communities in Schools
Sara Chapman, Texas Art Education Association
Brent Hasty, MindPop
Bill Stotesbery, KLRU
Dr. Richard K. Fiese, Houston Baptist University
Rae Moses, The John Cooper School
Charles Aguillon, Georgetown ISD
Kay Payton, Pflugerville ISD
Dr. John May, San Antonio ISD
Karen Herrera, McAllen ISD
Greg Goodman, Austin ISD
Jim Van Zandt, Round Rock ISD
Tim Lowke, Round Rock ISD
Linda Aponte, Plano ISD
Nicole Brisco, Pleasant Grove ISD
Suzanne Greene, Spring Branch ISD
Matt Piersall, Director and Founder of GL33k Game Audio
Dave Madden, Musician
Sal Silva III, Co-Founder, DoubleStereo.com
Danny Gillespie, DMX
Uwana Akpan,GRAMMY U Student Representative
Nick Landis, Mastering Engineer, Terra Nova Digital Audio, Inc.
Maggie Walters, Audio Engineer
Larry Johnson, New Media Consortium
Richard Buckley, Austin Lyric Opera
Heath Riddles, Long Center for the Performing Arts
Luis Munoz, UIL
Jenny Nichols, UIL
Linda Wurzbach, President, Resources for Learning, LLC
Dr. Judy Jennings, Resources for Learning, LLC
Amy Guadagnoli, Resources for Learning, LLC
Tracy Laughlin, Resources for Learning, LLC
Christy Cox, Resources for Learning, LLC
Judy Robison, Texas Cultural Trust Board Member
Karen Oswalt, Chair, Texas Cultural Trust Board of Directors
“I never thought I could get a job where I had to use computers, but now, I think I can,” Student at Academy High School, Hays Consolidated Independent School District after taking Art and Media Communications I.
