Teaching digital media as an art class: A search to define a curriculum.

摘要

The purpose of this study was to search for a more critical and creative media curriculum for a high school video production program. This qualitative study was conducted using a practitioner research approach in a high school video production class. It describes how the expectations of students, teachers, and administrators affect an evolving curriculum striving to combine art, technology, and students' interest in popular media and video production. The study was an evaluation of teaching practices and course content of an advanced video production class in a large suburban high school. Within this study was embedded an investigation of students' interest in, and influence from popular media and visual culture.;This study incorporated data collected from a student questionnaire, direct observation, student interviews, and student created videos and video critiques. It then documents the results for a new curricular framework that aims to connect media literacy skills and outcomes that promote critical and creative video production. With a greater understanding of the expectations of administration and school staff, educators may be able to adapt their courses to give students technical tools to critique media, as well as a focused understanding of video production from a media literacy and art education viewpoint.;The program incorporated standards for visual arts, and career and technical education in the same video production class. A functional approach to video production for the school drove the class activities during the semester of the study, as well as in past semesters. The majority of video assignments resulted from outside staff requests for students to document school events. As a result, most students created video from a technical approach rather than one in which students practiced critical evaluation skills resulting in greater media literacy.