A computer convert's story
Computer technology began to infiltrate my teaching in the mid-1980s. It was introduced into my school by a few interested maths and science teachers. Soon, computers were absorbed into areas of administration and from there gradually moved into the classroom. Information technology established itself as a high profile subject area and then appeared at junior levels, with word processing in the English and humanities areas.

Games first
As a visual arts teacher, my personal use of computers and their integration into my classes had a slow but memorable start. My own computer experience started one weekend, playing the game Ultima 2 until the early morning hours with friends (on an Amiga). I was then completely converted. I proceeded to experiment with basic word processing on an Apple 2, and played Transylvania until the useless princess finally woke up and the aliens were scared away!

The school's computer coordinator, also a games addict, then gave me two Amiga 500s to play with in the art department. These came with memory extension cards—pushing the RAM up to a then staggering 1 MB—and a printer! The word processing package KindWords—a misnomer if ever I've heard one, but nevertheless a lot of fun—was also included. Computers quickly gained a role in the administrative aspects of my work. Minutes, agendas, memos and newsletters were all typed up and printed for all of the department's staff. The department handbook was also updated as the benefits of desk top publishing became more obvious and more accessible.

These computers also came with Deluxe Paint (Version 4, I think) which washed away any last vestiges of doubt and suspicion I might have had about computers in the arts classroom. I still have very pleasant memories of working with a sight-impaired student who had major difficulties using traditional art materials but was able to work rapidly with mouse and keyboard. Art appreciation notes could also be typed in a font size large enough for him to read with ease, and I'm sure all of my students appreciated information sheets that were not in my 'creative' handwriting.

The office and home
Shortly after this I began working as the education officer for my subject association. We ran the office completely on a Mac Plus for some four years, while on the domestic front I got to play with a 486 DX with DOS and Windows 3.1 for a few years. During this time I met fellow computer converts who introduced me to Photoshop, PageMaker, Painter, and Illustrator.

My subject association, recognising the advantages of in-house publishing and administrative streamlining, took the plunge and bought a Mac 7200 with a 17-inch monitor. The art world was then open to me. Images could be scanned in (on borrowed equipment), logos created in Illustrator and the journal put together entirely in-house using PageMaker. Folders of different newsletters, forms, submissions and accounts were quickly set up. These allowed for a rapid turnover of new publications simply by making a few changes. I was able to continually improve the layout, design and content of all of our regular correspondence and publications.

However, the need for constant vigilance and the rapid development of extensive proof reading skills was also brought home. While updating the brochure for the next annual conference, I forgot to change the date! The follow-up needed, in terms of notifying members and contacting participants, quickly wiped out the time saved by the computer. Nevertheless, the skills I gained during this period were invaluable. I was starting to find it inconceivable that computers would not be a major part of my working life.

And they continued to make their presence felt away from work. I kept databases at home, produced lists of Christmas gifts, planned camping trips, and even considered spreadsheets for my home budget. This was a partial change of behaviour for me. But I had numerous difficulties with understanding DOS commands and while I could rote learn most of them and refer to instructions at other times, I quickly developed a strong preference for the more intuitive graphic interface of the Macintosh. I had had little training in the technology of computing and most of this was via casual conversation.

As with most novice computer users, it was only through bitter experience that the need for adequately backing up important data became obvious. The unreliable nature of floppy disks and other data storage systems has been unequivocally proven to me. So, too, has the need for systematic organisation of information and documents. This has led to a more methodical and organised approach to data storage. Folders are kept organised and logically named, multiple copies of crucial documents are kept, and working documents are regularly saved in a variety of forms.

Computer usage has taught me to be more logical, more careful and more systematic in my thinking, planning and working methods. While this assertion is difficult to prove, I feel that this has had an impact on many areas of my working life. A lack of formal technical training has forced me to work on the many minor difficulties that arise when using computers on a daily basis. These have to do with organisation, and with hardware and software constraints. Using computers in the visual arts also develops problem-solving and other creative skills. Rarely do instruction manuals cover precisely what a user may want to do, especially in a classroom situation.

The arts curriculum
In 1996, I accepted the position of Coordinator of Multimedia Arts at Presbyterian Ladies College, Melbourne. I had been considering returning to the classroom for some time and this was just the chance I had been looking for.

The school was committed to the idea of equipping students with the knowledge and skills to enter the world of multimedia and online information. It also had the foresight to understand that art and design skills in a computer environment were going to be crucial for this new and highly visual online world where the combination of text, image and sound all play a major part. Of necessity, this put me on a near vertical learning curve. I had to improve my own skills and knowledge in this area, and to further develop a curriculum that encompassed both art and design and cross-curricula considerations.

My students now work with a range of drawing and painting software programs, digital cameras, scanners, sound effects, image manipulation, video editing programs, the Internet and Web page construction. They access electronic mail and work with both Intranet and the Internet and create interactive presentations. Programs designed to enhance the interactive nature of the students' art work and 3D animation are soon to be added to this list.

My experiences in this area have confirmed my earlier perceptions that computers require of their users the application of organisational and problem-solving skills. My students have excellent basic computer skills and many of them are rapidly gaining the technical understanding that, for at least one of their teachers, has proven to be more elusive. The computer laboratories as art rooms have also encouraged many valuable art skills. The girls experiment with multiple colour schemes, scale, distortion and a myriad of other manipulations. Animation and digital video have been incorporated easily into the art program and have brought the concepts of sound, time and motion with them.

I enjoy being able to take my lesson preparation into class on a Zip or floppy disk and fully appreciate the ease with which I can edit and update these to include improvements, suggestions and new information. Being able to use projectors that are dedicated to a 'front' computer means I am able to demonstrate something once so that a whole class can see easily, and to project activities and directions without necessarily requiring information to be written up on a board or copious handout sheets provided.

Email has also been taken up by staff and students. Administrative information such as department minutes and agendas are routinely passed between staff. Being able to send a memo or a note quickly to colleagues in other schools or institutions, inter state and internationally, is a wonderful advantage. As an art teacher with senior classes I also appreciate the growing number of galleries and museums that are putting up excellent Web sites on the Internet, and the steadily growing number of contemporary artists who have adopted this mode of communication. (I highly recommend a visit to Stelarc's by anyone who is interested in contemporary performance art.)

Computers have led to a number of changes in the area of reporting on students' progress. While this has been of some concern for staff without appropriate technical training, I have appreciated being able to call up on the screen, students' results and reports from the previous semester. This ease of comparison has proven useful, as has the ability to adjust, copy and paste phrases easily and rapidly, when appropriate.

The need for adequate back up and storage has never been more obvious, though. I have witnessed tears when a full disk of reports has been irretrievably damaged or lost by colleagues. The frailty of data storage systems can cause major difficulties for students as well. Draft essays and major projects are far too valuable to be lost.to poor backup, though some staff have wondered if the cry of 'I've lost my disk' could too easily become 'The dog ate my homework' of the 1990s.

The drawbacks
The inclusion of computers in the art curriculum has had a number of detractors and I don't wish to deal with their concerns here, other than to say that I think photography as an art form went through the same difficulties last century! Computers are here to stay, at least until something else or better comes along. Multimedia technology has considerable government and arts industry support and a growing number of artists are including this technology in their repertoire.

In any healthy arts curriculum computers have an easily justifiable presence. While, it is impossible to ignore the issue of the expense of their inclusion, they should be appreciated as a major development in the areas of photography, printmaking and media studies just as the study of word processing, spreadsheets and databases have been incorporated into other areas.

One of my major concerns about computers centres on the cost of their inclusion in the curriculum, in terms of both time and money. I have lost track of the time I have spent, outside of regular working hours, developing my skills and knowledge in this area. Over the past 10 years it would add up to many weeks. It is also important to acknowledge that I don't expect this commitment to be significantly reduced in the near future. New and equally promising educational developments continually attract my attention. For all of the time saved by using computers, I have had to use that much again of my own time to catch up with the latest. I am also staggered by the costs of both software and hardware. All who have to confront this issue on a regular basis have my sympathy.

The impact that computer technology has had on my teaching career has been considerable, but it needs to be said that much of this has been the outcome of my own willing and conscious choice to embrace the technology. Computers have become completely absorbed into my teaching which, since 1996, has been done predominantly in a computer laboratory and not in a traditional art room.

However, as a teacher above all else, I obtain the greatest pleasure from working with the girls at my school and sharing with them the excitement to be had in exploring the potential of this rapidly developing area. While computers will never replace paintbrushes they have the right to be considered alongside them.

Sandra Taylor is Coordinator, Multimedia Arts, Presbyterian Ladies College, Melbourne.

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