TEACHING CREATIVE CRITICAL ACTION BEYOND ECONOMY INTO “the ART of TECHNO-ECOLOGY”: Approaches in integrating technology ethics with STEM Art education

Creative critical action with STEM-A (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math through Art) is a philosophy, which integrates exploration of STEM subjects through project- based art inquiry. This approach to STEM education creates space for the instructor to include ethical, radical and inventive approaches to educating students. Innovation is the most prized human dexterity, and STEM education is a critical component of societies to produce innovative products. However as global economies emerge, and human impacted climate change becomes inevitable, it is critical that we radically change the face of our education system and eventually our economies, to include a broader scope of STEM innovation. Art and diversity need to be included in STEM education to foster a sustainable community of ethical technologists who create solutions for humans beyond industry. “However, STEM education without the arts simply encourages an education gap in the students’ ability to innovate, because they lack creative skills for innovation which are obtained with practice and inquiry through the arts process.” (Crayton, STEM art education movement: A creative approach to education in innovation for the 21st Century, 2011) Even more disturbing is their ability to navigate these new technologies discriminately. To be published in the Technology, Knowledge and Society journal. This paper was given at the Technology, Knowledge and Society conference at UCLA in 2012 Full paper here