By attending the virtual conference, it had impacted me greatly according to the following:
Art teaching knowledge and/or ability
From my experience participating in this year virtual conference, my peers and I were able to acquire a strong new array of teaching ideas and strategies to be used within our own educational practices and personal classrooms. Whether the knowledge acquired included ideas on teaching multicultural pedagogy, applications to be applied towards online teaching, methods to be used in the production and discussion of art, or serving students with exceptional needs, there was a wildly extensive amount of selection for whatever (upcoming and pre-existing) educators to choose among. As for myself, despite having a large amount of other activities calling my time and attention during the length of this conference, I found myself again and again, not only enjoying the material, but feeling excited to hear and learn more from my peers already active in the field. The conference allowed me to witness a more in depth take in the practices of online teaching methods, as well as other topics (such as the practice of multiculturalism) to be more fully explored in the teaching context.
Confidence in and/or passion for teaching
One thing that stands true, is that the 2020 virtual conference has undoubtable given me a new collection of knowledge to be employed upon my teaching methods, strategies, and approach- in turn, yes, improving my confidence in the teaching context. I feel that in the case of most, having access to a wider spectrum of knowledge and being able to absorb the information provided, gives learners a more thorough level of understanding, not only for what they are expected of in practices, but also how to counteract difficult situations they may find themselves in. In turn, this results in a more confident figure in the face of the practice they are employing. In terms of my passion of teaching, I feel like it has always been there. I have always had a love for the craft, but (I guess) the conference did achieve improving my love for Art Education and what it entails.
Desire and commitment to be an art teacher
As previously stated, the desire to pursue a career in the field of education has been a long running commitment of mine. From beginning as a volunteer at a local summer camp (just over 7 years now) as the arts and crafts station leader, to my high school experience interning at a plethora of different schools within the district, teaching art and working with students has brought me a tremendous amount of joy throughout all my experiences- and is not anything I plan to forfeit lightly. In terms of what the 2020 virtual conference has done to elevate this commitment to art education? Being able to come into contact as well as witnessing additional male figures in the field of art education was a wonder experience to see, not that any of my female peers have been any less of a genuine joy to work besides, it is still at times just nice to see the diversity amongst the crowd. On that note, witnessing art educators of color and how they introduce diversity into their classroom was equally a beautiful experience to have during this conference.
Overall mood, happiness, or well-being
I was genuinely excited every time I tuned into the conference. For myself, the art and beauty in learning and diving deeper into just any subject matter is so enriching in the experience itself that to appreciate the accumulation of a deeper understanding really should be reflected on more often. I make the joke whenever I am in relationships, but it honestly holds some truth, my true love is education. Learning more about the things that take place around us and becoming fully aware of all sides to a topic, is the only to genuinely make an educated decision and achieve actual growth and change, two things that the U.S. is in desperate need of during this time. Although the conference did not bolster my mood for days following it, I did enjoy my time attending, and for me that is enough.
Relationships with other art ed, students or networking with other art ed. Professionals
Although the conference unfortunately had to be held online, I am genuinely grateful for the experience, and besides that for the plethora of resources and contact information (such as personal emails, YouTube pages, and Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook accounts) that so many of the speakers put out into the world for upcoming and present art educations to access. What is more, is that although I attended much of the conference solo, I know that I will be able to contact any member of my peers who also attended the conference and be able to hold a discussion with them on the knowledge acquired through the conference videos as well as like Ted Talks that were presented.