Educational Implications
“When people have positive feelings toward using mobile devices to improve creativity, they may be more motivated to take full advantage of mobile devices and to continue to practice enhancing their creativity.” (Yeh et al., 2020, p. 54)
More Than a Selfie Device.
It is likely the experience of most educators that by the time students enter middle school they have their own smartphone. It is also likely that this device is used less within daily lessons than say a laptop. Students may begin to define devices by their use and see one as an educational tool and another as a social device. Castro (2019) states “much of mobile and social media use for young people is motivated by building one’s identity, presentation, and dissemination” (p. 3) concluding that a smartphone is "a tool for creativity, which in turn can lead to self-actualization.” (p. 6).
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As educators, we can help students understand that their smartphones can be used in an educational setting and that their smartphone cameras can be used more than to just take a selfie. Much like how our words represent ourselves to the world of online strangers, the images we post communicate messages just as strongly. LaLonde (2019) articulates this by saying “young people affect and are affected by the images they exchange. In social media environments, images can be understood as manifestations of their virtualities. They are produced in a process that is both conscious and unconscious” (p. 28). The content of an image is only a part of the communication; how the image is composed, the creative choices made (pre and post-editing) all represent the presentation of self. The device used will partially predetermine the parameters of the final image.
“Participatory culture is exemplified in situations where teens and adults, whose interests converge, interact online by sharing information, teaching, and learning from each other.” (Castro, 2019, p. 6)
Make the Digital Physical.
While Castro (2019) makes an argument for the importance of participatory culture online there is also a need to make that community just as real in the physical world.
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Bejba (2019) notes that “some students have a hard time engaging with photography for an entire unit because they miss the tactile quality of more traditional art-making materials. Printing the students’ photographs helps to make the process more tangible” (p. 167). This helps to get students to see their device as a creative tool rather than just one to record snapshots.
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Reinforcing the need to highlight the importance of quality images Fernández-de-Arroyabe-Olaortua et al. (2019) state “the mobile phone has given rise to a second type of unedited content intended for immediate distribution to friends online” (p. 66). This has created the problem where images are seen as perfunctory and as such the quality of the image and its message is not fully considered. By providing spaces and physical forums where images can be observed by a larger audience for a greater period of time the concept of the image as communication and its quality gain greater importance to the creator.
You Are What You Create
It's important to note that “the types of products [students] consume online directly influence the content they create and the way they share that content. (Fernández-de-Arroyabe-Olaortua et al., 2019, p.67). As educators, we can help students pay more attention to what they create and how their message is communicated. To do this we need to have a greater understanding of the technology that exists and the limitations some technology may place on students in the creative process.
Regardless of the technical abilities or limitations of the devices used, as educators we can help students understand that visual communication and the tools they use can be equally as powerful as the words they use to communicate.
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