Bringing the Arts as Data to Visualize How Knowledge Works

Professional audiences, scholars, and researchers bring varied experiences and expertise to the acquisition of new understandings and to problem solving in visual art and literary contexts. The same breadth of experience and learning capability was found for students at eighth grade, sampled from the national population of students in the United States who were queried in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) about formal knowledge, technical skills, and abstract reasoning in visual art and in language arts. This chapter explores statistical data relating to the presence of art specialists in the sampled eighth grade classrooms. In particular, schools with specialists in place varied in density across the country as is demonstrated through geographic mapping. Secondary analysis of NAEP restricted data showed that students in schools with art specialists performed significantly better than students in schools with other types of teachers, or no teacher. The authors surmise that art specialists conveyed something fundamental to NAEP 2008 Response scores. An aspirational model of assessment assumes broad audience clarity through knowledge visualization technology, via thematic mapping. The authors explore through analog Deleuze and Guattari's double articulation of signs in natural and programming languages and demonstrate through knowledge representation the means by which complex primary and secondary statistical data can be understood in a discipline and articulated across disciplines. This chapter considers NAEP data that might substantiate a general model of aspirational learning and associates patterns in perception discussed by researchers and philosophers.

Visual Plan Construct Language (VPCL)

Teaching and learning programming can be enhanced by the incorporation of visualization. A system and method that the author created, known as Visual Plan Construct Language (VPCL), incorporates programming visualization for teaching, learning programming, and problem solving. VPCL contains a Plan Library that is accessible through the Web. A user can create and establish a working space and environment on the system to examine VPCL plan library and develop one's own plan library. VPCL consists of three phases: Plan Observation, Plan Integration, and Plan Creation. The observation phase rehearses how a program is broken down into smaller components with their integration relationship. The integration phase concentrates on how two plans are related to each other in building a program. The methods of integration are known as appended, interleaved, branched, and embedded. The creation phase concentrates on how a new plan is built using the existing plans from the plan library.

Building a Computer

This chapter describes the reasons and the task of building a computer, which might provide students with the understanding of the structure and functions involved in computing. The process of planning, acquiring, and building a computer is discussed as a cognitive way of learning and sharing information. This project was funded by the Art Director at the University of Northern Colorado. The process of building the computer was done by Sean Flannery, a student in Computer graphics, and recorded by a camera operator. The footage was edited into a video by a Computer Graphics and Marketing student. The final video can be seen at the following URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m28186QIsqM.

Visualization by Coding

The authors present image transformations that allow for checking and better understanding the graphical capacities of various languages and the place of programming in artistic production. The goal of this tutorial-style chapter is to introduce curious artists to basic programming concepts such as variables, arrays, loops, condition structures, classes, and functions through coding visualization of a simple 2-dimensional shape, a horse rider. At the same time, the goal is to make computer scientists more comfortable with the visual ways of dealing with concepts and objects to be programmed. How more complicated digital art can be produced through transformation using programming is also briefly discussed. Pointers to more advanced artistic techniques are also given. These techniques use transformations of code-driven lines to turn them into sculptures, photo silkscreens, photolithographs, knitted fractals, etc.

Random Processes and Visual Perception

The objective of this chapter is to help solve a classic stochastic problem using tools of the graphic environment. Stochastic processes are associated with the concepts of uncertainty or chance. They are a major focus of studies in various scientific disciplines such as mathematics, statistics, finance, artificial intelligence/machine learning, and philosophy. Visual Arts also depend on elements of uncertainly and chance. To explore the commonality of concern between Science and Art and better understand stochastic processes, the authors use a graph theory reference model called the “shortest route problem” and add additional elements specific to the art-making process to highlight the relevance of interdisciplinary studies in the field of randomness and visual perception.

What Does Learning Look Like?

Drawing upon the data visualization work of Lev Manovich and Manuel Lima, in this chapter the author discusses ways for envisioning and representing the complex teaching and learning that is associated with the visual arts. Experiences and examples are shared that use new and old technologies to create and make connections among critically reflective collections of student learning artifacts such as research, journals, preliminary sketches, work in other classes, and realms of experience outside of school. Instead of relying on one final art product, the author explores embedded data mining and visualization as a viable approach to gauging student learning. Following the lead education notables Elliot Eisner (2002, 2004), John Dewey (1934), and Howard Gardner (1985), this research positions the visual arts as a common thread throughout disciplines. Such inherent and fundamental visual arts practices as portfolios, project-based instruction, and exhibition continue to expand instruction and learning in such classes as English, math, science, and history. The implications include the possibility that art education will lead the way to implementing authentic embedded assessment processes across education disciplines and grade levels.

Connecting the Dots

This chapter presents the motivation, background, and implementation of Living Mandala: The Cosmic of Being1, an interactive graphics installation that combines real-time data, multi-cultural mandalas, scientific imagery, and cosmological symbols. Built with an open source programming language and environment, this living contemporary symbol is an exploration into uncharted territories of the human soul sculpted by our present time. Its interactive revolving graphical system visualizes our perceptions of life (microcosm) and the universe (macrocosm), our connections to ancient mythology, cosmology, and cultural heritage, and the relationships among humankind, science, technology, and nature in a globalized society. Merging rich historical, cultural, and scientific imagery and symbols with real-time data and relaxing sound, this living organism alters every moment responding to the movement, color, light, sound, and temperature of its surroundings.2

Sensory Extension as a Tool for Cognitive Learning

The practice of educational technology has long been driven by a relatively restricted set of operational metaphors: typically, computers are identified as potential “teachers” or “tutors” of material or (arguably more productively) as “learning tools” for students. Recent developments in technology suggest the advent of another, perhaps still more fruitful metaphor – namely viewing educational technology (not limited to computers) as a means of sensory extension. In this view, technology is seen not as a repository of content, but rather as an extension of scientific instrumentation (telescopes, microscopes, bubble chambers) and prosthetics (eyeglasses, cochlear implants). This chapter is intended as an initial, partly speculative exploration of what it would mean for science and arts education to rethink the role of technology in terms of sensory extension rather than classroom instruction.

AiryLight

This chapter explores the practice of combining ubiquitous computing—information in everyday objects—with the approach of calm technology – designing ambient, intriguing presentations of information. Borrowing from these two approaches, we can define a more faceted path, imbuing physical objects and environments with data about their own surroundings in an aesthetic, tangible, and crucially subtle way. The chapter presents the concept of combining three sensory methods to strengthen learning in unexpected situations. One, the role of the spectacle produced through a dynamic, aesthetic object in learning and engagement. Two, providing an optional, detailed reference layer for said spectacle. Three, placing this experience in physical space. Information need not be constrained to the physical page of paper nor the digital screen (European Commission, 2004). Instead, it can flow through our daily life, finding place in subtle (Weiser & Brown, 1995), thoughtfully designed (Löwgren & Stolterman, 2004) surfaces and objects. This chapter discusses the example project, AiryLight, and how its motivation and execution exemplify the more faceted path and the three methods – abstract spectacle, layering of detail, and placement in physical space.

On Creativity of Asian and American Asian Students

This chapter examines ways to encourage Asian and American Asian students to learn how to use their creativity and develop their independent cognitive thinking skills. It is greatly beneficial for the Asian American students to embrace and understand both cultures. Exercises are described that are designed to help students improve their creative thinking skills and combine ideas from both their cultures naturally. Further discussion is proposed that would analyze the presumed students' thought processes and define future assessment of the efficiency of particular exercises by testing students' solutions and abilities.