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In many classrooms, the implementation of technology is nearly as taboo as religion itself, acting as either “the source of salvation or damnation” in modern education (2). As a dictation of culture in the world around us, technology often sparks debate between the extremists who support it and those who deny its functionality; tradition versus modernization—the ultimate chasm in culture. Generations born into the digital age are now enrolling in schools, providing avenues for traditional teaching ideologies to branch out and reach students on a technologically engaging level. This seemingly endless debate is prolonged in the art classroom compared to others, as every previous generation learned with traditional mediums and techniques, disregarding the potential benefits of technology. A specialty area as abstract and subjective as art warrants a medium that reflects its essence. With the sheer multitude of information computers provide students with, the possibilities they provide in the classroom are indefinite—and with the Original Synners entering the education system, the present is as good a time as ever to convert the general public into believers of this philosophy.

Technologies in art are more immersive than ever with the introduction of full-body interfaces. The I/O Brush allows you to manipulate life around you in order to create your own reality. This practice of “playing God” to some extent gives the artist control of their environment, and allows them to metamorphose it to any degree. Some students walk into an art classroom doubting their own skills while assuming they “are not an artist.” With this type of full-body interface, they can choose to add motion, color, patterns, and an array of designs into their work. They can appropriate whatever imagery they want in order to create something entirely new. This technology, like all technologies, “reconfigures culture” and would force teachers and students alike to learn together—as the door of possibilities is thrown wide open.

The abstraction of these types of technologies would not have to consume the classroom; they could be used in conjunction with traditional art forms. The point of an art classroom is not merely to learn how to draw or paint—and if you had a class like that, your teacher was doing it all wrong. Art rooms are meant to harness creativity, challenge, manipulate, and recreate existing ideas. To stir up trouble is doing something right in the art world, because if it’s already been done, it’s already been done. I/O Brush emphasizes the connection between technology and the basis of art education by encouraging challenges from the artist. The inventors of the Brush wanted creative minds to go against the grain while using the tool. They wanted to create prospects not only of constructing new work each time, but inventing a new means of reaching that final product. I think that would be an incredible addition to the classroom, as critical thinking and innovation would be fostered each time students picked up the I/O Brush. As a teacher, we would not have to preach that they had to create in a certain way, but allow them to come to terms with their own set of artistic ideologies. 

Anderson, S., & Balsamo, A. (2008). A pedagogy for original synners. In T. McPherson (Ed.), Digital youth, innovation, and the unexpected (pp. 241-259). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.