CHArt Eighteenth Annual Conference

Andrew Hershberger, Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA
Using OhioLINK's Digital Images in the Classroom: Extending the Case Study

At the 2001 CHArt conference, Jane Carlin of the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, presented a paper entitled "Digital Consortia: Opportunities for Collaboration. A Case Study from North America - the OhioLINK Digital Media Center." My presentation extends this case study by demonstrating how the OhioLINK Digital Media Center can be and is being used in a university environment. As a new faculty member, I teach with digital technology in all of my art history courses and introduce students to online resources. To this end, I have found OhioLINK's art historical image database indispensable.

My presentation will demonstrate how I incorporate OhioLINK's innovative and unique database into the creation of my lectures, which are presented via PowerPoint. Additionally, I will address issues such as the costs and benefits that I see in utilizing digital images in general, and OhioLINK images in particular. The quality and quantity of online reproductions will be discussed, as well as the related topics of access and pedagogical value. With regard to a specific course, I will examine the fundamental differences between teaching the history of photography with slides as opposed to teaching it with digital and online images. Based on my own experience, the benefits of using OhioLINK, especially for a history of photography course, far outweigh the costs. The OhioLINK Digital Media Center provides an excellent collection of high quality reproductions that can be employed with other web-based resources and digital technology to create a superior, interactive classroom experience for both teachers and students.

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