Department Chair
Shirley Hayes
Date of Award
12-2011
Access Control
Open Access
Degree Name
Art Education (K-12), M.S.Ed.
Department
Art Education Department
Advisor
Shirley Hayes
Department Home page
http://arteducation.buffalostate.edu/
Abstract
This qualitative project studied the benefits of Web 2.0 technology in one high school visual arts classroom using a participant observation stance. I examined an advanced art class through a social constructivist lens, with student’s ages from 16-18 years. I implemented several lessons teaching the students how artists display ideas within their artwork, through having the students use the blogging service Tumblr and the video sharing Web site YouTube. In analyzing the student’s interactions with their peers and their experiences with the technology, the project revealed that using the technology benefited their learning. I collected data from a variety of sources that included both pre- and post-questionnaires from the students, interviews with students and classroom teacher, my own reflection logs and observations, and document analysis of the student blogs and artwork. Through reading and re-reading the data and organizing the data into word documents, the student’s individual stories began to reveal the categories of the findings. Through interacting on the blogs, students began to build a classroom community that had a positive effect on their learning. The students discovered that blogs provided them with the opportunity to reflect as they responded to assignments. The students became teachers both directly and indirectly through completing assignments and posting responses. Using Web 2.0 technology motivated the students by giving them an active role in their learning. These categories contributed to larger themes: students gain enjoyment and value through Web 2.0, social interaction benefits student learning, and Web 2.0 provides teachers with tools that help students succeed. My research displayed how Web 2.0 technology can be implemented in a high school visual arts classroom, and documented the students’ personal experiences with the technology.
Recommended Citation
Napierala, Nicholas R., "A Qualitative Participant Observation Study Investigating the Use of Web 2.0 Technologies in One High School Visual Arts Classroom Using a Social Constructivist Lens" (2011). Art Education Projects. 3.
https://digitalcommons.buffalostate.edu/arteducation_projects/3
