Assignment Week #5 Reading Takeaways

From the reading of New literacies and social practices of digital remixing by Lankshear and Knobel, the authors introduce a concept called "remixing" that involves taking different cultural artifacts into combination and manipulation to create something new.  They further articulate the "remix" in music industry where the segments of different songs are mixed together and re-worked into new songs.  The analyzation of how people interact with each other that eventually lead to the production of new cultures reminds me of our daily life that's filled with the idea of remix. We're all contributors to our culture with our perspectives, knowledges, experiences through every little thing we do, and I feel proud to share my aesthetics and opinions with my education in art making, design and history.   

I can't agree more with the statement of "remix as a necessary condition for culture." We all come from different backgrounds and experiences, and that's a gift by nature for every individual in this society, and each of us is already a remix ourselves. The technology today has provided a much easier way to have our voice heard, which also promotes the production of remix, provoking diverse conversations, communication, competition and opportunities of growing, and it dosen't only apply to people but also the culture we live in.

In the reading of New opportunities for interest driven art-learning, I learned that the field interest-driven arts learning represents a resurgence of traditional visual and performing art forms through new technology enhancements. Kids today are obviously making a renewed commitment to the art forms that offer a lot more variation of creation and presentation. As a student in art education, I've only realized how important it is to keep our eyes refreshed and our mind updated in new technology, so that we'll be able to teach kids what they want to and need to know. I also believe schools should offer more opportunities, such as workshops and classes, for kids to open their eyes on the digital world, to learn and experiment. Kids today have the access of the arts that is invigorated by new variations of traditional art forms, and it's a great advantage for them to develop a broader horizon and catch up with the digital age.