Teaching Graduate Students
I think it has been going well. I really like the class. They seem very enthusiastic and open to the experience. I am afraid that I have been spoiled for time with my other class. I found that I was not able to cover everything that I wanted. I sort of expected this and have been assuming that the students reviewed the resources I provided and read the chapters that you assigned.
Class 1: I tried to introduce them to the interface and some of the quirks of drawing and creating graphics with Flash. I think this went very well. The students seemed to like Flash's drawing abilities and did not seem "put off" by its quirks. I think this is because they do not have a lot of experience with other graphics applications. Some of my CMT students are initially very resistant to drawing with Flash because they have grown used to a particular software. This can be a large barrier when working with Flash. If you only create graphics in PhotoShop (for example), then you will always have to be going back and forth between applications if you need to do even minor editing.
Class 2: Continue with graphics, learn how to create symbols and a little animation. This was too much for one class period. I did not have much choice but to cram it in. They seemed to be managing though. It is all about practice. Over the weekend they were supposed to open Flash and "play". It is the only way to learn something like Flash. It requires lots of time.
Class 3: Review symbols and animation and build a simple slideshow
Class 4: Will be adding to the slideshows
Class 5: Lab time
I am glad I did not do a PowerPoint presentation for these sessions. I don't think it would have helped at all. These students seem to be taking good notes, and everything I discuss, and more, can be found in the handouts. I focused on the simple basics of drawing and animation because that is what Flash is very good for. I also wanted to reinforce good usable design and the importance of project planning. I had to leave the latter two topics mostly in the handouts or your students would not have even opened Flash. Maybe that would have been a better thing for me to present on? I did not want to get too deep into interactivity because that would require too much programming and some abstract thinking about how to control the timeline.
The skill level of your students dictated the content I brought with me. As graduate students, I assumed that they are comfortable with digesting plenty of written material. I was sure they would be motivated as well. That is why I felt I could cover as much ground as I am covering. You informed me that their technical skills were not as great but I hoped they were of the stock that learn to swim by being thrown in. I hope I have not plunged them too deeply. I wanted to try and balance a beginner's look with a glance at Flash's power.
Because you have such a diverse group with varied interests, I decided to put them into two categories (appropriate or not), so I could decide what to focus on. I chose to see your class as people who might get excited about multimedia and actually create some themselves and/or people who would eventually work with multimedia developers and needed a better understanding of the process. I wanted to try and remove the mystery from it without spouting terminology and company jargon about what Flash can do. The have seen and done drawing, animation, programming and publishing in Flash. They may not have absorbed it all but if they continue with Flash, or make another attempt at it later, they will find that something I showed them will have stuck.
My students and yours are not that different. I see some of the same reactions:
1. Awed by Flash and afraid to play and explore
2. Confused and frustrated, maybe never use it again
3. Confused but determined to learn it
4. Inspired and learning quickly
There are many more but these seem to be the most common. More of your students have a greater level of motivation. Many Branch students I think are still finding their feet. They are younger and less sure of what their educational goals are. However, my students are technically more proficient. They have had the benefit of a few graphics tech classes already.
I have some other thoughts but I think this is probably enough for one post.
tra
Class 1: I tried to introduce them to the interface and some of the quirks of drawing and creating graphics with Flash. I think this went very well. The students seemed to like Flash's drawing abilities and did not seem "put off" by its quirks. I think this is because they do not have a lot of experience with other graphics applications. Some of my CMT students are initially very resistant to drawing with Flash because they have grown used to a particular software. This can be a large barrier when working with Flash. If you only create graphics in PhotoShop (for example), then you will always have to be going back and forth between applications if you need to do even minor editing.
Class 2: Continue with graphics, learn how to create symbols and a little animation. This was too much for one class period. I did not have much choice but to cram it in. They seemed to be managing though. It is all about practice. Over the weekend they were supposed to open Flash and "play". It is the only way to learn something like Flash. It requires lots of time.
Class 3: Review symbols and animation and build a simple slideshow
Class 4: Will be adding to the slideshows
Class 5: Lab time
I am glad I did not do a PowerPoint presentation for these sessions. I don't think it would have helped at all. These students seem to be taking good notes, and everything I discuss, and more, can be found in the handouts. I focused on the simple basics of drawing and animation because that is what Flash is very good for. I also wanted to reinforce good usable design and the importance of project planning. I had to leave the latter two topics mostly in the handouts or your students would not have even opened Flash. Maybe that would have been a better thing for me to present on? I did not want to get too deep into interactivity because that would require too much programming and some abstract thinking about how to control the timeline.
The skill level of your students dictated the content I brought with me. As graduate students, I assumed that they are comfortable with digesting plenty of written material. I was sure they would be motivated as well. That is why I felt I could cover as much ground as I am covering. You informed me that their technical skills were not as great but I hoped they were of the stock that learn to swim by being thrown in. I hope I have not plunged them too deeply. I wanted to try and balance a beginner's look with a glance at Flash's power.
Because you have such a diverse group with varied interests, I decided to put them into two categories (appropriate or not), so I could decide what to focus on. I chose to see your class as people who might get excited about multimedia and actually create some themselves and/or people who would eventually work with multimedia developers and needed a better understanding of the process. I wanted to try and remove the mystery from it without spouting terminology and company jargon about what Flash can do. The have seen and done drawing, animation, programming and publishing in Flash. They may not have absorbed it all but if they continue with Flash, or make another attempt at it later, they will find that something I showed them will have stuck.
My students and yours are not that different. I see some of the same reactions:
1. Awed by Flash and afraid to play and explore
2. Confused and frustrated, maybe never use it again
3. Confused but determined to learn it
4. Inspired and learning quickly
There are many more but these seem to be the most common. More of your students have a greater level of motivation. Many Branch students I think are still finding their feet. They are younger and less sure of what their educational goals are. However, my students are technically more proficient. They have had the benefit of a few graphics tech classes already.
I have some other thoughts but I think this is probably enough for one post.
tra
posted by Matt Byrnes at 8:55 AM
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