Teaching with images – a holistic approach

The current research project is short and sweet hence the need to narrow the focus to image presentation software. However at the same time in the back of my mind I am aware of the need to take a holistic approach looking at everything required in order to effectively support teaching with images.
Some issues and thoughts:

• Copyright is the biggest issue for education in the UK, next to copyright, issues about image presentation software pale into insignificance.
• My final report will emphasize the good work already done by the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS), for example, the Digital Picture, and Picshare UK, other endeavors, and our current project Look-here!
• In addition to the project’s literature review looking at existing work in this area, there are also a number of organisations who have long term relationships with VADS, two of the most relevant to this project are: the Association of Curators of Art and Design Images (ACADI), and the Art Libraries Society/UK & Ireland Visual Resources Committee
• Further to the Enhancing VADS project, I will also seek to explore how the VADS light box could be further developed in order to deliver presentations.
• It doesn’t matter how good the software is if you don’t have the correct hardware in place and working properly.
• It doesn’t matter how good the software is if the IT training is not appropriate for the visual arts and/or the software’s full potential is not realised.
• Ultimately none of the software, hardware, IT skills, copyright issues etc are as important as the teacher/lecturer.