Ran’s Blog

This course has been an eye-opening journey, blending art-making with the potential of technology in education.  Show My Process I explored creative tools like coding, 3D modeling, and 2D fabrication. These platforms enhanced my creative thinking and showed me how to teach in innovative ways. Explain My Outcome The projects I completed showed how technology can make art accessible and engaging for both creators and learners, inspiring new teaching methods. Link to Vocabulary I learned essential technical terms like rendering and fabrication, which not only enhanced my skills but also gave me the language to teach and share these techniques with others. Found Multiple Possibilities By experimenting with tools and methods, I discovered that art infused with technology opens endless possibilities for self-expression and interactive education. Persevered Through Work Despite challenges like technical difficulties, I remained patient and persistent, skills that are critical f...

This project began with three dice topics: stop motion animation, drawing, and body. Combining these three themes into a single project was not easy. I  tried  several different ways. At first, I planned a hand-drawn frame-by-frame stop-motion animation about self-discovery through the body, showing a person exploring and understanding themselves. However, this idea was too complicated and difficult to finish.  So  I decided to use symbolic imagery to represent different parts of the body, focusing on their harmony and how they work together. This allowed me to explore themes of self-exploration, emotional strength, and balance within oneself.   Firstly  I used paper cutouts to keep the visuals simple and clear,  then added some  hand-drawn details to make the animation more expressive. In editing, I  combined  sound effects, narration, and subtitles to make the story more engaging and easier to understand. For  educational  si...

This week I have created another video for the blank assignment. Compared with the video of last time, I added more captions and an ending. I also considered the sequence of the materials carefully in order to show a better result of my video. It is about my cherished moments of November.  Special tip: turn on the music. It is one of my favorite songs which matches the video perfectly! This is the link:  https://youtu.be/i9wuYG0j7OQ?si=V5s4BivGqObv_goc

 This time I made a pudding. But it is not perfect. I will retry later.

Blikstein’s article explores how digital fabrication transforms education by empowering students to learn through making, democratizing access to complex knowledge and skills. It breaks down disciplinary boundaries, fosters creativity, and builds confidence through hands-on projects that emphasize the value of failure and iteration. However, he cautions educators to avoid oversimplified tasks like the “Keychain Syndrome” to fully unlock the potential of digital fabrication in learning.

My partner and I worked together on this project using laser cutting. We had great success experimenting with cardboard, but when we switched to acrylic, we encountered many issues with bubbles catching fire. We had to stop several times to troubleshoot and figure out where the problem was. With the help of Adela, we finally managed to complete the piece. As a gesture of gratitude, we gave her a small dog that we had made. This experience has also inspired me in the field of education. I believe that 2D design fabrication is an excellent way to help students develop practical skills, attention to details, and problem-solving abilities. Through this process, I have learned so much.

This week I have design a logo related to the issue of physical health. In the logo, there is a broken heart surrounded by some complete hearts. All of them are flying. What I want to express is that although the heart in the middle is broken, it can still fly with others. Everyone will face difficulties and make mistakes in life, and it is okay to have negative feelings. When everything settles down, you will become stronger.

 Following are my ideas of using design thinking in the classroom: 1. Storytelling through comics: Students will accomplish a comic together and create the story of their own. 2. Designing a poster: According to the topics they are interested in, students will create a poster using 2D design. 3. Sharing and working together: Students will share their ideas and works to each other. If find they have similar ideas, students can create a work together after sharing.

I chose the form of collage for this blank assignment, integrating photos taken in my daily life into a photo in a bookstore. I think every moment in life can be turned into a story, so I made these moments into the covers of the books. In addition, I also put some of my previous course assignments into this collage.

This week I designed a game named bear in city using Scratch. The player controls a bear using the keyboard to move around, and the goal is to catch humans to score points. If the bear touches poison, the score resets to zero. During the game designing process, I made some mistakes with the order of commands, which caused difficulties, such as not being able to adjust the score as I had intended. However, throughout the whole process, I learned a lot and gained a good understanding of the basics of Scratch. This is the link of the game:  https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/1084841695 I also played a game on Scratch called “Balloon,” where the player controls a character to avoid obstacles while flying. This game gave me part of the inspiration for designing my own game.

From Frame-by-Frame Stop Motion by Tom Gasek:  Stop-motion animation, particularly the non-traditional methods like pixilation, provides endless possibilities for creativity by using humans, objects, and various materials such as sand or clay to tell stories. These techniques allow filmmakers to create dynamic and often surreal visual experiences, expanding the boundaries of traditional puppet animation. From An Insanely Brief and Incomplete History of Making by Martinez and Stage r:  The “maker movement” emphasizes the importance of learning through hands-on experiences, aligning with historical educational philosophies like those of Jean Piaget. The movement fosters creativity and intellectual development by encouraging students to engage with real-world problems and apply practical solutions.

 I have already made a stop motion animation using clay together with my partner last week, so this time I made an animation with procreate. Following is my work: I drew every frame of the animation, it needs a lot of effort to make it fluent. I also put the stop motion animation we created last week here:

  I have most thoughts on  Kylie Peppler ’ s report, Opportunities for Interest-Driven Arts Learning in a Digital Age,  which  offers a thought-provoking exploration of how digital technologies have revolutionized artistic creation and education. As I read through it, I was struck by how digital platforms have expanded the boundaries of artistic expression, allowing young people to explore their interests and passions in new ways. These platforms have democratized access to the arts, enabling youth to engage in self-directed, peer-driven learning, and even entrepreneurship, as seen with examples like Whateverlife.com and Rookie.   However, while the integration of digital tools into arts learning presents exciting opportunities, it also raises some concerns. For instance, Peppler highlights how digital games like Rock Band make learning foundational music skills more accessible and engaging. Yet ,  I wonder if this  “ gamification ”  of arts learn...

 Reference link:  https://youtube.com/shorts/VLpo8wz2vAU?si=OtWv9EFGsuCLcbiS This week I have created a video named “sunset collector”. Centered by the sun, I showed sunsets of different places through the video. I also tried to make a special opening of the video. It’s a rewarding process to make the video, although it is really hard for me to connect the opening and video!

The themes of these two sets of scanography are mainly around my life. The first set I named "Passion," because this is the sport I love, and I expressed it in the form of scanography. I scanned two small volleyballs made of wool and simulated their dynamics during the scanning process. The second set is called "My Day." Through this art form, I record things I do in my daily life, such as listening to music, painting, recording my life in words, etc. I did face some problems during the scanning process, such as how to arrange the various elements properly to increase the story of the picture. There are also questions about how to scan to make the object more vivid. In the process of making the brochure, I also thought about how to arrange these pictures to make them more artistic. Following are links of my work:  https://www.flipsnack.com/A58C6ADD75E/passion/full-view.html https://www.flipsnack.com/A58C6ADD75E/my-day/full-view.html

Media process: Digital Collage  Population: K-12 students  Digital collage offers students a dynamic platform to explore creativity and develop a deeper understanding of visual storytelling. For K-12 students just beginning their artistic journey, digital collage serves as an engaging entry point, enabling them to combine images, textures, and colors from various sources into cohesive new forms. This process encourages them to make unexpected connections between different elements, sparking imagination and creative thinking. Students can experiment with various creative combinations, which not only helps them think critically about composition but also allows them to express their individuality. Furthermore, the accessibility of digital tools simplifies the process of trial and error, giving students the confidence to take risks and push the boundaries of their work. Incorporating digital collage into the classroom can empower students to see the world around them as a vast ca...

 In this audio, I used a variety of different materials to simulate the sound of sawing and processing wood. Most of these materials are made of wood, such as wooden tables and paper bags. Through the sounds, I try to recreate the process of how wood is gradually processed from a living tree that has been pecked by a woodpecker into the objects we use in our daily lives. From natural resources to our necessities, it shows an interesting soundscape from nature to man-made. This work carries the meaning of environmental protection education. I hope that the audio will inspire listeners to think about how trees, as a precious natural resource, are integrated into our daily lives, while also reminding us that these resources are not inexhaustible. Every sound of sawing wood implies that human beings are taking from nature, and we should cherish these resources and pay more attention to sustainable development. There is a lively tree behind every wooden product we are using. This is the...

 I am passionate about art, so I selected this course to learn more about art of new forms. Concerning the content of the course, I have following learning objectives: 1. Learn about basic knowledge and usage of new media, have some productions of related themes. 2. Make further improvement of my strength, enhance my creativity. 3. Combine media and technologies with teaching, develop teaching methods. 4. Conduct research about artists and art forms. 5. Make deeper connections with like-minded people.

In this work, I described my feelings of the 2 weeks in New York: I travelled across the hemisphere and came to a new environment, here I was broken and reorganized, I saw the prosperity of Manhattan, appreciated the great art works, but also experienced the loneliness of being away from family and friends. September 17th is the traditional Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, the day of reunion. Therefore, I refer to the full moon as the festival in my work. No matter who you are, no matter where it is, everyone is apprecating the full moon at this moment. According to my inspiration, I searched for my own photos and related images, cut and spliced them in procreate. I placed the moon and Manhattan at the center of vision in several images of a "look", both artistic and reflective of the theme of appreciating the moon. At the same time, I used a map of the world as a background to show a sense of vastness. I really had fun in the process of this design. It gives me space to imagine ...

We are living in the information age and are surrounded with a lot of messages every day, except for sleeping time. In the on / off experiment, I got the chance to leave technology and really embrace life. I explored New York with my friend, but this time I would't use my phone. This made me uncomfortable at first, because I usually keep my phone in my hand when I go out, and this time with my hands empty, I felt like I'm partly missing. But soon I adapted to this "emptiness," because there was no interference from eletronic devices, I could devote myself to perceive the colorful world. As I walked down the street, I could notice many details I had never seen before. Without a map guidance, we wandered the streets and encountered many surprises. Finally I asked my friend to take a photo of a suprising moment as a record of this experiment, because I decided not to use my phone this time. It was a valuable experience for me, which allowed me to touch the world outside ...