This virtual space is an extension of AEAH 3770 Computer Art Applications and will be used to record class discussions and ongoing conservations relating to the course.
I never owned a computer until my second year of college so when I was told that I would be doing work in Adobe dealing with vectors to create an image that would be cut out with a CNC machine I realized quickly my barrier had presented itself.
At my high school we didn't really do any digital art. But my teacher was really interested in helping us get there, so one weekend we had an optional lecture on how to use photoshop. I attended and learned a few things but unfortunately we didn't have access to a computer and it was only one lecture so I was never able to do anything with it. The photo room had appropriate equipment but general art students were never allowed to use them, only photo students were.
My high school, which was in an urban area in Memphis, TN, had nothing interesting in terms of tech. We had those old apple computers (the ones where the tower was combined with the monitor?). They came in pretty colors and didn't do much as far as I remember... Either way, when I arrived here at UNT, I went to the Art computer lab and was confronted with these updated apple computers... I could not find the power button... or use the applications...and I couldn't figure out how to save things or use Adobe Bridge (I learned how from a helpful student after I tried to print images using Word.)... I've learned a lot about tech since I moved to Texas. Everything seems so... up-to-date!
One of my most prominent barriers concerning technology in art is the rapid pace at which the technology evolves and changes. Things I learned in middle school and high school are pretty much obsolete now. Some things are just upgraded, like Maya, Flash, and photoshop, while other programs are completely unused. I grew up in a relatively wealthy school system and have had access to an abundance of technology. While this provides a significant advantage to me, it also exposed me to a lot of random programs that aren't used anymore, which causes me to be confused sometimes about how to use and control things.
Coming back to UNT in 2011 after graduating in 2005, all new technology and expectations were a big shock to me. All new computer programs on the mac computers in the art comp lab were foreign to me... the outdated ones may have been somewhat recognizable, but now I have no idea what to do. Thankfully for this class, I will learn about those programs!
I honestly never worked with an abundance of art based technology until I got into college. Even then, it was very minimal... we worked with Photoshop in my painting class at Northlake college, but only for one assignment. Other than that it was just never been present. I took a Web Design class in high school and all we learned how to use was Microsoft Office programs!! I've almost always had older teachers so I think it has to do with the generational gap...
One barrier I had was going from using a dell and having windows and stuff like that, to getting a mac. I never wanted to use a mac because I was so used to my windows I thought mac was just sooo confusing. Eventually my dad got me a mac to replace the dinosaur dell I had while I was in college, I got used to using it, and now I can't see myself using anything but a mac.
One tech barrier I experienced was last week. I had taken a year away from UNT and when I returned all of the Windows computers that were in the library had been switched to Macs. I'd only ever used a Mac in the art computer lab and I avoided that place like the plague. I know how to do simple commands on Mac but still prefer Windows. I was trying to print out a PDF file and for some reason it just wouldn't come up. I probably sat there for an hour twiddling my thumbs, trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. When I finally asked a library technician he simply told me to open my assignment up in Safari, not Firefox. I have no idea if this was a Mac issue or what but I felt really dumb.
My first year at UNT I signed up to take a digital photography class. I was excited to learn new camera techniques as well as new computer programs. We were required to buy a photoshop book which "taught" all about the program. I thought, "This will be a great thing for me to learn!" Unfortunately, it was never taught to us. The only thing that I had to teach me was the book I had to buy for the class. This was a real barrier for me. I can't learn new things about technology by teaching myself.
I was fortunate that my mother forced me to take computer applications my freshman year of high school. The class taught basic photoshop editing, flash animation, sound design and web design on fairly new PCs. My high school was a hybrid of regular school and a fine art academy, so my computer applications teacher had made many of the projects with art students in mind. I still use the things I learned in photoshop on an almost daily basis, but I was very disappointed when I tried to transfer the things I learned about html to my mac. I feel like if the two systems had more compatibility I could have learned a lot more and pushed my computer experiments a lot farther.
I have had little experience with technology in art classes until i entered college. My technology barrier is not being able to remember the information that i have learned in class. I feel that in my classes the teacher goes through the different programs so fast that i have a hard time remembering everything. I have found it easier to go buy the book that will help me understand the computer programs. That way i can always go back to it later to find out how to use a program rather than relying on my memory for how we did it in class.
I took a plethora of animation, computers, and digital design courses back in high school, on top of any traditional means of creation I could fit into my schedule. I had a pretty healthy amount of exposure to technology, and always tried to stay updated and on top of any new developments in digital production, so much so I ended up saving up and owning 2 PCs and Mac Pro, which proved to be of use when I arrived to UNT in 2009. But keeping up with the pace of perpetual advancement can get undoubtedly expensive and exhausting, especially when you're someone who prefers to get the entirety of the artwork/schoolwork done in the comfort of your own home. I have always been able to apply prior knowledge to a new program, but I cannot begin to stress how obnoxious I find every new update to be. Programs that are incessantly reinvented and glamorized is probably something I'd identify to be a technological barrier for me, as I refuse to deviate from my version of PS, which I've had for 3 years now. Reconfiguring everything you know just to work with a program that was once familiar was never fun for me.
When I started to go to UNT I had never used a Mac before. The first time I ever used the computer lab I sat there for what seemed like forever try to figure out how to turn on the computer. I was embarrassed to ask for help but I couldn't figure it out so finally I asked someone. I remember feeling so stupid to ask for help, it seemed like everyone around me was familiar with these computers and I was behind on technology.
Last Fall semester I took a course called Issues in Teaching in which we had to write APA papers. My professor gave us a specific guideline, showing us how an APA paper should be, regarding fonts, size, indentation, etc. I typed my paper in my laptop, saved it into my email, and opened it in one of the computers at school to print it out. It came out nothing like how it looks on the screen. I was very confused. I was aware that a Mac can give different output results from a PC, but my laptop was a Mac and the computer at school was a Mac as well. Then why did it come out so strange? I checked the option of paper, and it was "Letter." I checked everything else, and nothing was incorrect. I was even more confused. I emailed my professor and asked her, but she didn't know what I was talking about. Thus, I decided to open the document in a PC. Strangely, it came out perfectly. Now I know what kind of computer I need to use when it comes to writing.
a year and a half ago i got an internship in the graphics department at a company called NRS. i was expected to have knowledge of not only a mac computer, but how to operate Photoshop. i have only owned a PC and only used a mac when i needed to print in the lab, which clearly proposed a problem. i had to quickly learn and make it seem like i had known for years.
My high school art teachers never incorporated the use of computers into our art making, probably because the only computer in the room was only for the teacher to use. I have always been interested in the digital art that I would see on various websites and just wonder at the awesomeness of it all. I always thought that there was no way to make that kind of art unless you had all the fancy software. It all just looked so complicated and beyond my reach. My technological barrier is almost entirely of my own making. I've been too intimidated to jump out of my bubble and experiment with the different interfaces out there. I'm so ready to bulldoze that barrier and see what I can do.
Before college, I was never worked on computer art. I was and am still a very hands on artist with no experience with computer applications such as Adobe Suite Therefore, jumping into a major such as Communication Design was a major technology barrier. Learning how to use all the short cuts in InDesign and Photoshop, and all the little special affects that make an image not just good but great became a real challenge for me. I felt behind and thought I would never be able catch up. With a lot of hard work, youtube videos and reading, I was able to learn more and more about Adobe Suites and the tricks of the trade.
In high school as well as college I was really interested in figurative art and portraiture. I didn't have any anatomy books to reference and no access to nude models, so I was limited to the use of google image the two ancient pc's in my teacher's art room. They had paint on the keys and were in pretty bad shape, but the biggest limitation was the filters the district had in place to keep students from accessing profanity. The things I would attempt to google were often blocked, so I would often have to look up things at home and print them out beforehand so I would have things to reference. But it was difficult not being able to work with my art teacher about what poses would work the best, etc.
I was blessed enough to attend a private Christian high school though we did face many problems technologically. We often had extremely slow computer with out of date computer programs. One of the biggest problems I faced was a day I had almost finished a Photoshop project with at least 20 layers. My computer failed and the entire project was deleted. I had to begin and finish the project that day! It was very frustrating but I completed it in record time. Another problem I had faced was the saving of my high school artwork. Due to the bad computers and my lack of patients, I had many problems saving my old work to a jump drive. I know have pixelated work that really does not due the original justice. I know wish I had the original .psd files so that I could go back to rework my pieces to improve them.
In my high school we didn't have any computers or technology in the regular art classrooms. However, we did have advance art classes in the tech center that were all technology based. It was a fun experience to be in both classes at the same time and use them to inspirie each other.
The only barrier I can think of was that we did not have real training on how to use the programs we had. My computers in art class had Poser and other programs but there was no real training. We all just kind of played with the software with no direction. So the real barrier would be lack of knowledge.
For a few years in high school I worked at a small venue in Plano designing handouts and posters for upcoming shows. I had no clue how to use some of the fancier programs (honestly I'd still say my knowledge of photoshop and illustrator is "limited"), so I made them using paint and adobe fireworks. When I got into to Design I we had a very simple photoshop/illustrator project that came with basic step by step instructions. I thought with my previous experience I'd be able to blow right through it... sadly that wasn't the case. It didn't take me too long to get the hang of doing the assignment, but it was definitely an eye opener for me.
it is sad how corporate America and its copyright issues can even destroy and education along with careers. It was the same for me in my digital media class too...
I never owned a computer until my second year of college so when I was told that I would be doing work in Adobe dealing with vectors to create an image that would be cut out with a CNC machine I realized quickly my barrier had presented itself.
ReplyDeleteRight there with you man
DeleteThanks, I don't feel so alone :)
DeleteAt my high school we didn't really do any digital art. But my teacher was really interested in helping us get there, so one weekend we had an optional lecture on how to use photoshop. I attended and learned a few things but unfortunately we didn't have access to a computer and it was only one lecture so I was never able to do anything with it. The photo room had appropriate equipment but general art students were never allowed to use them, only photo students were.
ReplyDeleteMy high school, which was in an urban area in Memphis, TN, had nothing interesting in terms of tech. We had those old apple computers (the ones where the tower was combined with the monitor?). They came in pretty colors and didn't do much as far as I remember... Either way, when I arrived here at UNT, I went to the Art computer lab and was confronted with these updated apple computers... I could not find the power button... or use the applications...and I couldn't figure out how to save things or use Adobe Bridge (I learned how from a helpful student after I tried to print images using Word.)... I've learned a lot about tech since I moved to Texas. Everything seems so... up-to-date!
ReplyDeleteOne of my most prominent barriers concerning technology in art is the rapid pace at which the technology evolves and changes. Things I learned in middle school and high school are pretty much obsolete now. Some things are just upgraded, like Maya, Flash, and photoshop, while other programs are completely unused. I grew up in a relatively wealthy school system and have had access to an abundance of technology. While this provides a significant advantage to me, it also exposed me to a lot of random programs that aren't used anymore, which causes me to be confused sometimes about how to use and control things.
ReplyDeleteComing back to UNT in 2011 after graduating in 2005, all new technology and expectations were a big shock to me. All new computer programs on the mac computers in the art comp lab were foreign to me... the outdated ones may have been somewhat recognizable, but now I have no idea what to do. Thankfully for this class, I will learn about those programs!
ReplyDeleteI honestly never worked with an abundance of art based technology until I got into college. Even then, it was very minimal... we worked with Photoshop in my painting class at Northlake college, but only for one assignment. Other than that it was just never been present. I took a Web Design class in high school and all we learned how to use was Microsoft Office programs!! I've almost always had older teachers so I think it has to do with the generational gap...
ReplyDeleteOne barrier I had was going from using a dell and having windows and stuff like that, to getting a mac. I never wanted to use a mac because I was so used to my windows I thought mac was just sooo confusing. Eventually my dad got me a mac to replace the dinosaur dell I had while I was in college, I got used to using it, and now I can't see myself using anything but a mac.
ReplyDeleteOne tech barrier I experienced was last week. I had taken a year away from UNT and when I returned all of the Windows computers that were in the library had been switched to Macs. I'd only ever used a Mac in the art computer lab and I avoided that place like the plague. I know how to do simple commands on Mac but still prefer Windows. I was trying to print out a PDF file and for some reason it just wouldn't come up. I probably sat there for an hour twiddling my thumbs, trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. When I finally asked a library technician he simply told me to open my assignment up in Safari, not Firefox. I have no idea if this was a Mac issue or what but I felt really dumb.
ReplyDeleteI had the same situation trying to upload images and print them at the computer lab in the art building... Totalfail.com big picture of my face......
DeleteMy first year at UNT I signed up to take a digital photography class. I was excited to learn new camera techniques as well as new computer programs. We were required to buy a photoshop book which "taught" all about the program. I thought, "This will be a great thing for me to learn!" Unfortunately, it was never taught to us. The only thing that I had to teach me was the book I had to buy for the class. This was a real barrier for me. I can't learn new things about technology by teaching myself.
ReplyDeleteI was fortunate that my mother forced me to take computer applications my freshman year of high school. The class taught basic photoshop editing, flash animation, sound design and web design on fairly new PCs. My high school was a hybrid of regular school and a fine art academy, so my computer applications teacher had made many of the projects with art students in mind. I still use the things I learned in photoshop on an almost daily basis, but I was very disappointed when I tried to transfer the things I learned about html to my mac. I feel like if the two systems had more compatibility I could have learned a lot more and pushed my computer experiments a lot farther.
ReplyDeleteI have had little experience with technology in art classes until i entered college. My technology barrier is not being able to remember the information that i have learned in class. I feel that in my classes the teacher goes through the different programs so fast that i have a hard time remembering everything. I have found it easier to go buy the book that will help me understand the computer programs. That way i can always go back to it later to find out how to use a program rather than relying on my memory for how we did it in class.
ReplyDeleteI took a plethora of animation, computers, and digital design courses back in high school, on top of any traditional means of creation I could fit into my schedule. I had a pretty healthy amount of exposure to technology, and always tried to stay updated and on top of any new developments in digital production, so much so I ended up saving up and owning 2 PCs and Mac Pro, which proved to be of use when I arrived to UNT in 2009. But keeping up with the pace of perpetual advancement can get undoubtedly expensive and exhausting, especially when you're someone who prefers to get the entirety of the artwork/schoolwork done in the comfort of your own home. I have always been able to apply prior knowledge to a new program, but I cannot begin to stress how obnoxious I find every new update to be. Programs that are incessantly reinvented and glamorized is probably something I'd identify to be a technological barrier for me, as I refuse to deviate from my version of PS, which I've had for 3 years now. Reconfiguring everything you know just to work with a program that was once familiar was never fun for me.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started to go to UNT I had never used a Mac before. The first time I ever used the computer lab I sat there for what seemed like forever try to figure out how to turn on the computer. I was embarrassed to ask for help but I couldn't figure it out so finally I asked someone. I remember feeling so stupid to ask for help, it seemed like everyone around me was familiar with these computers and I was behind on technology.
ReplyDeleteLast Fall semester I took a course called Issues in Teaching in which we had to write APA papers. My professor gave us a specific guideline, showing us how an APA paper should be, regarding fonts, size, indentation, etc. I typed my paper in my laptop, saved it into my email, and opened it in one of the computers at school to print it out. It came out nothing like how it looks on the screen. I was very confused. I was aware that a Mac can give different output results from a PC, but my laptop was a Mac and the computer at school was a Mac as well. Then why did it come out so strange? I checked the option of paper, and it was "Letter." I checked everything else, and nothing was incorrect. I was even more confused. I emailed my professor and asked her, but she didn't know what I was talking about. Thus, I decided to open the document in a PC. Strangely, it came out perfectly. Now I know what kind of computer I need to use when it comes to writing.
ReplyDeletea year and a half ago i got an internship in the graphics department at a company called NRS. i was expected to have knowledge of not only a mac computer, but how to operate Photoshop. i have only owned a PC and only used a mac when i needed to print in the lab, which clearly proposed a problem. i had to quickly learn and make it seem like i had known for years.
ReplyDeleteMy high school art teachers never incorporated the use of computers into our art making, probably because the only computer in the room was only for the teacher to use. I have always been interested in the digital art that I would see on various websites and just wonder at the awesomeness of it all. I always thought that there was no way to make that kind of art unless you had all the fancy software. It all just looked so complicated and beyond my reach. My technological barrier is almost entirely of my own making. I've been too intimidated to jump out of my bubble and experiment with the different interfaces out there. I'm so ready to bulldoze that barrier and see what I can do.
ReplyDeleteBefore college, I was never worked on computer art. I was and am still a very hands on artist with no experience with computer applications such as Adobe Suite Therefore, jumping into a major such as Communication Design was a major technology barrier. Learning how to use all the short cuts in InDesign and Photoshop, and all the little special affects that make an image not just good but great became a real challenge for me. I felt behind and thought I would never be able catch up. With a lot of hard work, youtube videos and reading, I was able to learn more and more about Adobe Suites and the tricks of the trade.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa Gunderson
ReplyDeleteIn high school as well as college I was really interested in figurative art and portraiture. I didn't have any anatomy books to reference and no access to nude models, so I was limited to the use of google image the two ancient pc's in my teacher's art room. They had paint on the keys and were in pretty bad shape, but the biggest limitation was the filters the district had in place to keep students from accessing profanity. The things I would attempt to google were often blocked, so I would often have to look up things at home and print them out beforehand so I would have things to reference. But it was difficult not being able to work with my art teacher about what poses would work the best, etc.
I was blessed enough to attend a private Christian high school though we did face many problems technologically. We often had extremely slow computer with out of date computer programs. One of the biggest problems I faced was a day I had almost finished a Photoshop project with at least 20 layers. My computer failed and the entire project was deleted. I had to begin and finish the project that day! It was very frustrating but I completed it in record time. Another problem I had faced was the saving of my high school artwork. Due to the bad computers and my lack of patients, I had many problems saving my old work to a jump drive. I know have pixelated work that really does not due the original justice. I know wish I had the original .psd files so that I could go back to rework my pieces to improve them.
ReplyDeleteIn my high school we didn't have any computers or technology in the regular art classrooms. However, we did have advance art classes in the tech center that were all technology based. It was a fun experience to be in both classes at the same time and use them to inspirie each other.
ReplyDeleteThe only barrier I can think of was that we did not have real training on how to use the programs we had. My computers in art class had Poser and other programs but there was no real training. We all just kind of played with the software with no direction. So the real barrier would be lack of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteFor a few years in high school I worked at a small venue in Plano designing handouts and posters for upcoming shows. I had no clue how to use some of the fancier programs (honestly I'd still say my knowledge of photoshop and illustrator is "limited"), so I made them using paint and adobe fireworks. When I got into to Design I we had a very simple photoshop/illustrator project that came with basic step by step instructions. I thought with my previous experience I'd be able to blow right through it... sadly that wasn't the case. It didn't take me too long to get the hang of doing the assignment, but it was definitely an eye opener for me.
ReplyDeleteit is sad how corporate America and its copyright issues can even destroy and education along with careers. It was the same for me in my digital media class too...
ReplyDelete