Fine Arts · Class 9

Active learning ideas

Art and Technology: New Media and Installations

Active learning works well here because new media art and installations demand hands-on engagement to understand their core ideas. Students need to experience how technology changes the roles of creators and viewers, not just read about it.

• CBSE Learning Outcomes
• CBSE: Digital Art - New Media and Installations - Class 9

• 30–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 40 min · Pairs

Pairs: Digital Animation Storyboard

Pairs sketch a 30-second animation story using paper and markers, inspired by a cultural tale. Transfer to free apps like FlipaClip on shared devices for basic animation. Share and critique in class plenary.

What new ways of storytelling are possible with digital animation and mixed media?

Facilitation Tip

During Digital Animation Storyboard, encourage pairs to sketch scenes that show clear cause-and-effect relationships between viewer actions and visual changes.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How does an interactive art installation change your experience compared to looking at a painting?' Ask students to share specific examples of how their actions influenced their perception of the art.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Experiential Learning
• 50 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Interactive Installation Mock-up

Groups design a room-scale installation with cardboard, strings, lights from torches, and sensors via phone apps. Brainstorm viewer interactions, build prototype, test with peers, and document responses.

How does interactive art challenge the traditional role of the viewer?

Facilitation Tip

For Interactive Installation Mock-up, remind small groups to test their prototypes with classmates before finalising designs, noting how responses shift the artwork’s impact.

What to look for

Show students short clips of a video art piece and an interactive installation. Ask them to write down one word describing the primary feeling or idea conveyed by each, and one difference in how they, as viewers, might engage with each piece.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 35 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Performance Art Improv

Class divides into roles: performers use bodies and projections from phones to enact a theme like 'city pulse'. Viewers interact by adding sounds or movements. Debrief on engagement shifts.

Predict the future evolution of art as technology continues to advance.

Facilitation Tip

In Performance Art Improv, model how to pause and reflect after each round so students notice how their choices alter the group’s narrative flow.

What to look for

Students write a brief prediction (2-3 sentences) about one way technology might change art in the next 10 years, referencing at least one type of new media art discussed in class.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 30 min · Individual

Individual: Video Art Reflection

Students film a 1-minute video art piece on phone, editing with CapCut to layer effects. Reflect in journal on audience impact. Upload to class padlet for feedback.

What new ways of storytelling are possible with digital animation and mixed media?

Facilitation Tip

With Video Art Reflection, ask students to compare their initial storyboard with the final video to identify how technology enhanced or limited their storytelling.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How does an interactive art installation change your experience compared to looking at a painting?' Ask students to share specific examples of how their actions influenced their perception of the art.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should balance technical instruction with open-ended exploration, as new media tools often intimidate beginners. Avoid over-directing; instead, let students discover limitations and possibilities through trial and error. Research shows that students grasp interactive concepts best when they first experience the work as viewers before becoming creators.

Successful learning shows when students connect technology to artistic choices, explain how viewer participation changes meaning, and use available tools creatively. Their work should reflect both technical exploration and conceptual depth.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Digital Animation Storyboard, some may think they need expensive software to create authentic art.

  Provide students with free or school-issued apps like Flipaclip or even paper cut-outs for stop-motion animation, and have them present how resourcefulness shaped their storyboard.

• During Interactive Installation Mock-up, students might dismiss their work as mere entertainment without artistic depth.

  Ask groups to document how viewer responses changed the meaning of their installation, then discuss these observations in a gallery walk to highlight conceptual layers.

• During Performance Art Improv, students may believe technology restricts creativity rather than enhances it.

  Introduce simple tech tools like voice recorders or light sensors during the activity, then ask students to reflect on how these tools expanded their expressive options.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning