Nettrice Gaskin’s talk about incorporating STEAM into Art Education expressed myriads of lesson ideas to bring into the classroom as well as how to keep students engaged. I loved that she allowed art to tie into different fields of study, such as music, fashion, math, science and technology. This consideration for inclusive and culturally responsive Art Education, not only engages students by hopefully tying in other interests students relate to, but also allows them to learn and broadens the scope of their capabilities. Personally I did not enjoy the Black Panther piece because I haven’t seen the movie and could not relate to it. However , I found her story during the Q and A of the boy who had a hard time with classes, but was self-driven when he was passionate about learning to create something of his interest quite compelling. I think as a future art educator, I need to remember that I may not personally enjoy each project, but that I should allow space for students’  interests.

I thought the term “tinkering” was funny because I have always related that term to child’s play. It honestly made me a little more uplifted about the idea of incorporating STEAM, especially since I am not one that typically feels engaged when it comes to technology. Tinkering is about using whatever materials are available to produce work. The upside to tinkering is that students who may have less resources to art supplies can achieve creations. I loved that at around 31:46 in the Q and A video, she also discussed the application of failure and leading to success through those experiences. I think it is important for people to recognize that things do not have to be, and likely won’t, be right the first time.

When Gaskins spoke of her physical computing color glove, I was thinking a lot about the Van Gogh Expo in New York City where colors used in their film were based on certain frequencies and resembled the experience of synesthesia. I often feel that technology inhibits our senses but in this case, where she applied color to sound, it incorporated more.

I think overall, Nettrice Gaskins had a very distinctive approach to Art Education and the world of STEAM, in which her ideas can be really valuable for future reference.