I have just completed teaching a 6 week online studio art course.
I think that it worked very well. This blog was created for that course. I had all of my students create their own blogs, you will find links to their sites in the sidebar. The course was titled: Digital Studio Techniques. Because all of our work had a digital end product to it we were able to easily share our work. A blog is a very easy way to post images. Another advantage of the blog format is that a student is forced to write/talk about their work at the same time. I love the way that a blog also provides a forum where peers and professor can comment on the work. It is a great way to create a real community among the students, similar to the way a group studio works. Many students either are not used to commenting and critiquing in class or are too shy to do so. The online format also allowed students to work whenever they could. I believe that I got far more working hours out of my students than I ever do in a face-to-face class. Lectures and demonstrations were recorded using Adobe Connect software and posted online. These lectures allowed me to record my screen and voice while I worked in applications to demonstrate techniques. We also used FTP programs to upload final, high resolution images, to a server. I hope that this course has jump started my students into an independent art and writing production process.
