Sweeny

    Sweeny's article talked about the role and potential for art education in the new culture and world that has been created by current technologies, focusing on the internet. The cyber world introduces dynamic shifts which present changes in visual cultural media and how the network we live in works with it. Sweeny informs his article with Gibson's 1984 science-fiction novel, Neuromancer, and uses this as a platform to describe social shifts and how they can apply to arts education. His main explanations and visions are embodied in what he refers to as the cyborg, the clone, and the parasite. Each "line of vision" interacts with the network of the internet in a different way: the cyborg represents the human in the technology, the clone the things that are simulated and copied by participants, and the parasite which works off of and through technologies to comment or asses institutions of society.
     In relation to the Walker article, Sweeny's connection to the big idea was how to incorporate technology and the internet into art education. The new interface and identity of visual cultural media poses new possibilities for what and how we teach art. because the internet and computers have become such an integral part of society, it is actually a necessity to bring them into art rooms because of their relevancy.  The question, is how? The idea of networking and the role of each user within the "web" is fairly new, as are the technologies that go with it. The real and necessary challenge is two mesh this newness with the historical context and practices of art. A beginning could be to work with students inside of this new visual culture media. By acquainting ourselves and our students with this new place and its tools and resources, we can better navigate how to formulate ideas round uses in art learning.