The Art of Sneaky Teaching with Print Projects Presented by Jerry

The Art of Sneaky Teaching with Print Projects Presented by Jerry Smith Office Technology Instructor Breathitt Area Tech Center

Keep It Real Even the best software tools mean nothing without a distinct purpose Learning to use the software is secondary The best way to achieve a thorough understanding of Desktop Publishing is with good projects

Promotions Treat DP as a print promotions class Good promotions focus on specific markets Good projects force the students to consider the audience!

Presentation Road Map The tools I use Task List Children’s Book Newsletters Projects Flyers CD Labels/Covers Letterheads Brochures Order Magazine Covers/Ads Banners Posters Calendars Forms/Invoices

The Tools I Use Adobe Indesign CS Indesign CS Classroom in a Book Adobe Photoshop Digital Camera Scanner MS Word Google/Yahoo Images (Internet) Imagination!

A Word on Microsoft Publisher Pros Lots of professional looking templates Interface is very familiar (Microsoft Created) Slim learning curve Cons Underpowered Home-Centric Poor images editing/manipulation Cookie-cutter documents

Flyers Students get their feet wet Most basic tools can be learned Small in size and scope to help build confidence Extremely customizable

Example Flyers Yard Sale (frames) Lost Dog (graphic frames) House for Sale (5 w’s) Grand Opening (shapes) Dr./Dentist/Laywer Office Local Festivals (drawing tools) Most Wanted (digital camera) Concert Promotion Wrestling Promotion

Brochures Advanced layout techniques Can contain lots of content Students do the writing More difficult

Example Brochures Company Theme Resort Career Using the online Occupational Outlook Handbook

Magazine Covers/Ads Extremely market (audience)-centric Fictitious Magazine Cover targets students unique interests Forces students to put a great deal of information into a small space Ads force students to consider interests of target markets and not just themselves

Example Magazine Covers/Ads Covers Fictions Theme Magazine Ads Cola Marketing Teens Baby boomers Stickman action figures Students draw poseable stickmen using drawing tools Ad is meant for boys and girls

Banners Great way to foster community involvement Local Festivals Kiwanis Parades Charity Events Requires large format printer (or plotter)

Posters Also fosters community involvement Power Verbs poster for local grade schools Advertising for school events Car Show Open House School Schedules As with banners, requires large format printer

Calendars Ultimate project for learning tables Calendar for October, November, December because all the holidays In Indesign, tables are non-intuitive

Children’s Book Students create a children’s book based on images they find in clipart or on the Internet Sections, pagination options, & master pages Usually 6-8 pages, less than 100 words per page

Technical Manual Students create a technical manual for a simple task i.e. make a peanut butter sandwich, shaving Utilizes complex book features Indexing, glossary, etc. Students draw illustrations on paper, scan them, and import them into the manual

Newsletters Excellent group projects Covers all task lists items dealing with columns Can be simple or complex

Syndicated Newsletter Group Project Mini-Newspaper Split students into groups of three Have them go to news sites with AP articles and “syndicate” some of the content Gossip column, headline stories, horoscopes, sports, weather, etc.

Newsletter (cont.) Any content that does not fit must be shortened to fit in the allotted amount of space Students work together to create character and paragraph styles, pick a color scheme, and layout At the end of the projects, team members rate one another

CD Covers Students create a band, then create the front, inside, and outside cover for a CD case Smaller form-factor project The band info sheet helps students learn how to associate ideas with imagery

Letterheads & Invoices The beginnings of DP Letterheads are not complex Invoices, timesheets, etc. are usually very complex Usually give students a vanilla copy of an invoice which they must mimic and customize

Photoshop Remarks Number 1 most important skill: Cutting images out Online tutorials work fine http://www.good-tutorials.com Choose carefully as some are not well written Play with Photoshop yourself If you can’t do it blindfolded, how can you teach your kids?

Some Photoshop Tutorial Suggestions Create fire text Splice multiple pictures together Model “air brushing” Collage Texture filters

Things to Remember Walk around the room continuously while the students work on projects Remind students of techniques they have learned Sometimes, point out a design flaw Not always, since students learn from mistakes If a project is going bad, stop and re- introduce in another way

Things to Remember (cont.) Be patient You didn’t learn DP in one day Nobody is perfect Use constructive criticism Don’t make fun of a student’s work Push, push, push the students to stay on task When a student does good work with good designs, make a HUGE deal out of it

Thank You! Any Questions?