Abstract

Too often, students "physically" present in the classroom retreat into the hyper-reality of their mobile phones and tablets relegating the lesson of the day to a backdrop for their online lives. To reach this "on-demand" generation we need to move towards them, to their interests, passions, and technologies. Many of the new technologies our students use on a daily basis, Instagram, Vine, and Twitter, are rooted in visual and verbal expression. As arts educators we have an edge because artistic expression and innovation are at the core of our discipline. This paper explores how we can more fully engage students and promote active learning by integrating social media tools and applications into our courses.