Ready, Set, Art: Technology Needs and Tools for Remote K-2 Art Education

Abstract

Art education plays a central role in early childhood development, and museum outreach programs can significantly enhance art education experiences for K-2 learners in schools. Increased demand for remote learning environments where students and teachers are not co-located has forced educational contexts to adopt technology-mediated learning. However, little research has investigated how technology can integrate museum content into fully remote, K-2 school art education. We elicited design requirements for K-2 art education platforms in a needs assessment study through surveys (N = 22) and interviews (N = 4) with educators. We created a typology of existing platforms, which we evaluated against these requirements. We identified a key unmet need for students to receive feedback on their fine motor skills, and, in response, we created a prototype system with interactive scissors called Chameleon Clippers. We demonstrate its potential to provide this feedback through preliminary user tests with 4-7-year-old children (N=12).