The FRACTAL logo. The word "fractal" is spelled out in lowercase letters primarily in a vibrant purple with accents of blues, pinks, and yellows.

Furthering Rural Adoption of Computers and Technology through Artistic Lessons

 
An image of a table filled with colorful craft supplies. A bucket of colored pencils sits among shape punches and containers of paper stars and circles.

WHAT IS PROJECT FRACTAL?

In a series of five week-long expeditions, students complete art projects, learn computer science concepts and digital literacy skills, and practice art critique and presentation.

THE MOTIVATION

In a landscape that is being constantly shaped and reshaped by advancements in technology and AI, digital literacy is becoming increasingly important for students to understand in order to interpret the world around them and prepare themselves to join a tech-powered workforce. 

Self-expression is a powerful means to engage students and inspire experimentation. There are many connections between the visual arts and computer science—such as the overlap of process art and software algorithms—that can be leveraged to provide strong metaphors and improve student understanding in both subjects.

 

  • Students learn computer graphics basics as they create digital and traditional (analog) pixel artworks.

    • Visual arts: Students are introduced to mosaics, quilts, and abstraction.

    • Computer science: Students learn about pixels and resolution.

  • Students learn programming basics as they write code to create abstract digital artwork.

    • Visual arts: Students explore patterns, structure, and animation expression.

    • Computer science: Students learn about algorithms, loops, and logic in programming.

  • Students learn the basics of generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help them critically engage with cutting-edge tools.

    • Visual arts: Students practice art critiques on AI-generated artwork.

    • Computer science: Students experiment with AI prompts and controls to shape their image output.

 
An image of a student with headphones on facing away from the camera and working at a laptop.

OUR TARGET AUDIENCE

Project FRACTAL seeks to engage a wide array of students, particularly those in rural communities, where the prevalence and importance of agriculture can overshadow other fields—like computer science—that students might otherwise take interest in.

FRACTAL is designed for integration into 6th - 8th grade North Carolina arts curriculums.

 

FOLLOW THE PROJECT

FRACTAL is funded by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) through the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant.

Currently, Katabasis and our partner WestEd are leading the development of the FRACTAL application and curriculum with support from our teacher partners in Jones, Granville, Greene, and Robeson counties. We have been hosting co-design sessions with teachers to collect teacher experiences and refine existing prototypes to seamlessly integrate into art classrooms.

To follow this project, feel free to visit our official project site and social media channels. We hope to see you there!

This project is made possible with support from the U.S. Department of Education.

Special thank you to our project partners:
WestEd and Empirical Education
Jones County, Granville County, Greene County, and Robeson County