Tools

A few words about tools.

The best tools will be the ones that you will actually use. While this guide covers a bunch of different options, the best choices will ultimately be what you are most comfortable with.

If the only thing you use for your virtual classroom is Zoom and Google Drive, then that's great! Don't ever feel pressured to use something you don't feel comfortable with.

For folks preparing for the fall, here are three things to keep in mind:

1. Curation - try to limit the number of tools you implement to the bare minimum.

   • Unless your course is using a specific tool for a project, and you're committed to supporting it, I would suggest only using applications that have university support and are consistent with FERPA.

2. Consistency - try to limit the types of tools used across a department.

   • Communicate with colleagues and chairs to reach mutual agreements on what tools folks are using. This will reduce confusion and help manage expectations for students and instructors, alike.

3. Collaboration - if you decide to add additional applications, prioritize collaboration.

   • Focus on tools that facilitate student communication and create opportunities to build community.

   • Don't use tools that further silo students and come across as task management.

3 Recommended Tools for Making Class Easier

Ideally the same tools would be used across a department to keep things as simple and clear as possible for students. Remember many students may be only using their smartphone device as their primary device. For more information about issues of digital equity and access, please check out this page under Obstacles (insert link here).

3 Recommended Tools for Making Things Together

While I think it's important to remain critical of companies like Google, I do think the Google Suite is an important and powerful tool for building community, facilitating collaboration, and even creating art together, especially during a time of remote instruction and distance learning. Below are the three tools along with examples of them being used for collaborative art-making. (And yes, please draw on the Jamboard). All three work well on mobile devices and are already familiar to most students.

Everything on the internet includes too many lists, too many links, and too many companies trying to sell you things too many things. And no one actually tells you if they work in the classroom or not.

These are all tools that I have used in some form or fashion over the years. While these are all digital art tools, my hope is that even more traditional studio practices might find some uses for these tools in their virtual classrooms. I try my best to include resources and student examples when possible.