Environmental Art: Is Technology a Friend or Foe?

Environmental Art: Is Technology a Friend or Foe?

Brooke Bolduc

19 April 2017

University of Florida
Environmental Art: Is Technology a Friend or Foe? 2

Purpose

Throughout history, humans have had a negative impact on the environment,

causing many issues that are becoming more apparent in todays world. While these

problems are becoming a concern and many are now attempting to improve the

problems they have caused, there is still a disconnect between nature and the

upcoming generation. It is a common belief that the connection is being destroyed by

the increase of technology, which is true in many cases, but nature and technology are

two aspects of life that do not need to be kept separate from each other. Technology is

actually being used by many to help support and promote environmentalism and

sustainable practices. Instead of viewing technology as an environmental foe, teachers

should encourage the use of technology to help children reconnect to nature and utilize

its potential to reach large quantities of people to promote environmental changes.

History of the American Environmental Movement

While it seems concerns over the environment have developed only recently, the

desire to improve the environment gained popularity back in 1945. Hays (1981) explains

that with the ending of World War II came a new standard of living for Americans where

they began to focus on leisure time outdoors. However, the development of new

technologies caused industries to flourish, resulting in a rise in pollution levels and the

degradation of nature. Americans wanted the conveniences provided by these new

technologies and industries, but they began to worry about the negative effects they

were having on the environment because they didnt want it to interfere with and prevent

them from enjoying their outdoor activities.

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This growing concern for the environment and its ecosystems led to the

environmental movement in America by the late 1950s and early 1960s (Hays, 1981). In

the beginning, the main focus was on land management, but concerns began to expand

as environmental issues gained popularity. The 1960s brought about greater fears of

pollution, which led to federal laws that were passed to protect the land, air, and water.

Within the next ten years, apprehensions regarding the quality of the air and the oceans

increased because they affected populations globally. However, the laws put in place to

prevent pollution affected large corporations, and they eventually began to have an

issue with the limits that were being placed on them. This greatly impacted the

environmental movement, but it continued to hold strong backed by public support.

Importance of Environmental Art Education

Around the same time, environmental art, also known as eco-art or ecological art,

gained popularity with postmodern artists; however, it has developed even further in the

contemporary art world (Inwood, 2010; Ulbricht, 1998). Inwood (2003) states, Eco-

artists explore relationships between humans and their built and natural environments,

and many offer strategies for effecting positive change in these relationships (p. 15).

With environmental concerns on the rise, Taylor (1997) argues, Students are

bombarded daily through television and print with the message that their world is being

destroyed, but oftentimes, conclude that there is little they can do about it (p. 15).

Environmental art education has the unique ability to address these issues while also

bridging the gap between children and the natural world. Per Inwood (2010), it can be

used to help activate students senses, and it helps them form a relationship with nature

by providing them with the opportunity to use art to make a difference and improve their
Environmental Art: Is Technology a Friend or Foe? 4

environments. She further explains, Eco-art education integrates art education with

environmental education as a means of developing awareness of and engagement with

concepts such as interdependence, conservation, restoration, and sustainability

(Inwood, 2010, p. 34).

Protecting and improving the environment is an important issue to address in

schools today, and it is imperative for students to develop a connection to their

environment for this to be successful. This connection instills a desire for change and

encourages the preservation of materials and resources. If students have no

connection, nature remains a distant concept.

Louv (2008) believes nature promotes the development of all senses and helps

inspire creativity in children, but many children now view playing in nature as foreign

and unproductive. Many parents also believe their kids dont have the connection

because nature isnt present like it used to be, but it actually isnt as far removed as they

have convinced themselves it is. Reconnecting children to nature is the first step in

improving the environment for future generations to come.

Technology in Education

According to Donohue (2003), computers have been used in classrooms for early

childhood education since the early 1980s, and usage has continued to rise every year.

Technology is used by teachers to enhance learning experiences for students through a

variety of methods. The internet provides teachers with curriculum resources, including

virtual fieldtrips, and digital cameras and video cameras are used for documentation

purposes. Donohue (2003) explains, The uses of digital technologies and the Internet
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in the classroom are as open-ended as the imagination and creativity of the teacher (p.

19).

Tillander (2011) states that technology is gaining more users in contemporary,

everyday life, which is being used in many classrooms to drive learning practices.

Children are exposed to a wide variety of cultures through the internet and social media,

which provides them with many new experiences for classroom use. Tillander (2011)

also comments, In the 21st century, information technology is forming a powerful

alliance with creative practices in the arts and design to establish new domains in

information technology and creative practices (p. 40). Technology is always changing

and there are so many areas that it has yet to be utilized in education, which allows

students to continuously explore its potential for creative outlets.

Utilizing Technology to Reconnect Children with Nature

Many believe the introduction of technology is to blame for the dwindling number

of children going outside and experiencing the outdoors. However, Coles and Pasquier

(2015) state, While such studies do not confirm that most digital information

technologies cause human disconnection from the natural environment, most people

consider such technologies as incompatible with nature, and many believe that nature

and technology are separate (p. 4). However, as mentioned above, technology is

always changing, and many devices are now wireless and able to be used on-the-go.

Instead of blaming technology for the disconnect, we should embrace the possibilities

offered by the digital world to support environmental art education.

One method to begin this process is to encourage students to consistently

practice sustainable and ecologically friendly actions in the classroom, such as

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producing less waste (Inwood, 2010). Technology encourages this in the art room

because students arent using as many consumables, such as paper. Unfortunately,

technology can be expensive, making it not as readily available to everyone, but it

prevents unnecessary waste, which will result in savings overtime.

While sustainable practices are a good starting point, it is also important to get

students outside to experience nature through their senses. Students need to go out

and hear the sounds of birds and crickets chirping paired with the wind blowing through

the leaves as they feel the different textures found in nature. These multi-sensory

experiences are important to their full development, and Coles and Pasquier (2015)

argue:

We must first recognise that mobile digital technologies (such as computers,

cameras, smart phones, iPods, iPads, pico-projectors, GPS hand-held and

sound devices including generative software and apps to date) can provide

multiple sensory and interactive experiences, which augment the human senses

in ways that could be considered to heighten the sensory engagement one

experiences in natural settings. (p. 5)

Technology can help assist with this in a variety of ways, photography being one

of them. While digital cameras can be pricey for students to purchase, many already

own wireless smart devices (i.e. phones and tablets) that have cameras built into them.

These cameras have improved throughout the years and now many are able to take

quality photographs. This has increased the ability to include photography at all grade

levels, including elementary.

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Photography is a tool that requires artists to see things in a new perspective. It

forces them to search for new beauties and open their eyes to small details that may

have been otherwise overlooked. Bringing a camera into nature can help create a

starting point for students to explore their environment, introducing them to new sights,

sounds, smells, and textures.

Technology has created many new possibilities in all areas of life, which has

secured its existence for the foreseeable future. It offers a lot of value and more and

more schools are transitioning into the digital world. Students benefit from this because

it is an area they already have interest, and they can further develop and explore the

possibilities of these interests. Combining environmental art with technology is a

beneficial method to resolve the disconnect between upcoming generations and nature.

References

Coles, L., & Pasquier, P. (2015). Digital eco-art: Transformative possibilities. Digital

Creativity, 26(1), 3-15.

Donohue, C. (2003). Technology in early childhood education. Child Care Information

Exchange, 154, 17-22.

Hays, S. (1981). The environmental movement. Journal of Forest History, 25(4), 219-

221.

Inwood, H. (2003). Creating a map for eco-art education. Green teacher, 72, 15-18.

Inwood, H. (2010). Shades of green: Growing environmentalism through art

education. Art Education, 63(6), 33-38.

Environmental Art: Is Technology a Friend or Foe? 8

Louv, R. (2008). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit

disorder. Chapel Hill, NC: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.

Tillander, M. (2011). Creativity, technology, art, and pedagogical practices. Art

Education, 64(1), 40-46.

Ulbricht, J. (1998). Changing concepts of environmental art education: Toward a

broader definition. Art Education, 51(6), 22-34.