Art & Media Technology (AMT) Column: Spring 2023

The following column represents the viewpoints of the author, and not necessarily those of the members of the Interest Group they lead or the National Art Education Association.

The Art & Media Technology (AMT) Interest Group has been working diligently to support members with creative educational technology integration over the past few months. Our aim is to add additional elements to help educators navigate the world of media and technology in education in a range of ways in addition to our work at the annual NAEA Convention.

One of the new elements we added is seasonal webinars that stemmed from our online “office hours” outreach during the pandemic. We began the seasonal webinar series focused on delving into new and emerging technology and exploring how it can be used for artmaking and in art education. We kicked off the series in November with Michael Cohen—better known on social media as the Tech Rabbi—who spoke about NFTs, the blockchain, and the Metaverse. Our next webinar will discuss artificial intelligence and its impact on the arts and education.

We also began collaborating with the other NAEA interest groups and state chapters in a more formal way to benefit all NAEA members. We met with groups this summer at the NAEA National Leadership Conference and worked together to find common goals, issues, and opportunities, which was a terrific experience. One of the results was AMT leaders working to create an Interest Group Roundtable at NAEA San Antonio on Thursday, April 13 at 4 pm in Meeting Rooms Texas A, B, C in the Grand Hyatt, Level 4. All interest groups will be invited to share about what they do, and there will also be some free giveaways and plenty of SWAG.

Another new element we created is a quarterly newsletter to better communicate what we offer to members and share opportunities and workshops along with our awards, grants, and contests. The newsletter will be mailed out to all current members and share information about the different offerings and updates that occur each quarter, along with articles on new and emerging technologies as it develops. We are also widening our presence on social media with a new website, Instagram account, and LinkedIn group, among other developments. This will help members connect individually and support each other throughout the year.

Our annual awards ceremony is coming up this quarter as well, and we will be hosting our annual awards ceremony at the NAEA Convention. We are very excited to announce that the AMT Award Committee has chosen art educator Jane Montero (Michigan) of Dexter Community School and the University of Nebraska Omaha as the 2023 Outstanding Teaching Award winner. You may know Montero thanks to her numerous articles in SchoolArts magazine and her work as a regular presenter at conferences around the country. She has taught 5th- and 6th-grade art since 1989; 12 years in her home state of California, and the remaining years in Michigan. She is also a 2019 graduate of NAEA’s School for Art Leaders and serves as the President-Elect for the Michigan Art Education Association. Please join us at the award ceremony if you’re attending the NAEA Convention on Thursday, April 13 at 1:30 pm in Meeting room 214B on Level 2.

We will be hosting our annual business meeting at the NAEA Convention on Friday, April 14 at 12:30 pm in the Grand Hyatt Lone Star A Room on Level 2 and all are invited—we will be recording and livestreaming it for members who can’t make it to the Convention. We chose a number of terrific sessions that share great, creative work in media arts and technology, and our leadership will be sharing our recommendations to those in attendance at the Convention. Additionally, our PechaKucha will feature a host of members doing 5-minute presentations on technologies in the art classroom on Saturday, April 15 at 1:30 pm in Meeting Room 205 on Level 2. We will share some of our takeaways from the Convention, and we are also planning some terrific events for the summer and fall—so be sure to keep your membership current to receive notifications. To all those attending this year’s Convention: We hope you have a great learning experience, and we look forward to sharing some terrific presentations and workshops!

Column by:

Tim Needles, Art & Media Technology (formerly AET) Chair
Email: tneedles@smithtown.k12.ny.us