talkingDigital

One of the courses I teach at Colorado Mesa University is Media Software Application. It is literally a crash course in which students learn the very basics of the interface and techniques of Mac, Garageband, iMovie, Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator.

Of course, these are not the only applications used by students in the Mass Communication, but they are the fundamental tools that are necessary for almost any multimedia assignment.

In my continuing quest to increase efficiency in my classroom, I have begun using custom YouTube tutorials that I created with Camtasia.

My classroom technique is to use the project work days as an opportunity to do some one-on-one teaching with students who are struggling with the project. This semester, students completed the assignment in a single work day, as opposed to 2-3 work days without the video tutorials.

Here is the playlist. I expect to spend some time this summer working on similar tutorials for the other applications I teach.

Some people hear the word digital and they automatically translate it to mean hard data, or cold, clinical dots and binary format. But, through this or that power of transformation, you can always use digital technology to promote the arts, and indeed, some of the most beautiful arts have been coming from digital formats lately, thanks to new, complex but intuitive interfaces.

So what are some of the ways that you can do this, either as a person or as a brand for instance? The five follow techniques illustrate a few options, including setting up a YouTube channel, organizing your entire social media process, using cloud servers when possible, utilizing software suites, and using digital tools as a medium for practice.

Set Up a YouTube Channel

One of the easiest and most accessible ways to start promoting the arts as associated with your brand or company is by starting a YouTube channel – for example, look at the one Park West Gallery put together. You can do things like show interviews of curators, or show examples of your art, or tutorials about how you’ve made certain artistic advancements. With the right editing techniques, the videos themselves can even be considered art!

Organize Your Entire Social Media Process

As far as promotions in general go, establishing a social media presence is vital these days. That way all of your promotions come from the same point with the same voice, and all links are taken care of logically and professionally. The cleaner your digital social presence, the better looking you are as an artist, and the better the artists look that you’re collectively promotion. It’s almost difficult to separate the two these days!

Use Cloud Servers When Possible

Maintaining cloud servers is another interesting way to promote the arts. You can store pictures, videos, information, and whatever else you want on a cloud backup, and then give access to whomever needs it as required. This is a great way to both promote projects that are stored via the web, and also even to do collaborations across time and space.

Software Suites Are Great Learning Tools

And think of the power that something like Adobe’s Creative Suite gives people to express themselves. For a reasonable amount of money, amazing resources are available to promote both personal and professional artistic use – more than any time in history, now is when you can use computers to make what’s in your head into a real thing!

Using Digital Tools Saves Resources and Enhances Creativity

And finally, there are an amazing number of digital tools like styli and tablets that allow people to learn the arts with computers and electronics rather than resources like paper and pen. Though the medium is different, many of the techniques can be taught either way.