Spotlights

Links

Newsletter Archive

Help Guides & Documentation

Technology has become an important part of my design classes. Graphics programs have developed to the point where they allow students to create sketches of design problems, and they are also very efficient at producing finished products. Drawings that at one time were done only by hand can now be easily rendered using graphic drawing or rendering programs. In my basic design classes many of my students design on laptop computers even when their projects will eventually be constructed with paper, chip board and wood. I encourage this use of the computer as a tool because it has become part of the design process.

In color theory classes the properties of color can be instantly illustrated and experienced through computer generated color models. Relationships that once could only be described abstractly in words, such as how adjacent complementary colors react to one another other, can now be visually defined for students. Student presentations and portfolios have also evolved with technology. Many students create all their design work digitally. Samples of material boards are scanned in, while renderings of buildings or objects are generated by 3-D rendering programs which are then refined further in Photoshop.

Students are therefore able to revise their work continuously. Electronic projects are also portable. Projects can be worked on in a variety of locations while portfolios can be sent electronically to employers or burned, via files, onto compact discs. Many students also maintain websites dedicated to their own work. A more recent development has been the use of digital video to tape demonstrations of student projects in use. I have also used digital video to record student presentations.

This past semester I used a course management program for the first time. The program, Blackboard, enabled me to provide a resource where students could access assignments and grades. The program?s ability to give tests and correct them instantly was very helpful. During the next year I plan on using Blackboard in the multiple section classes that I teach with adjunct faculty. I am sure it will enable the various sections to function more cohesively.