[Year 12 Its] OT-Design and IT

[Russell Woodford]

Hi Frank

It sound like it fits perfectly into the VELS model for an Arts  
subject - in fact "technology" becomes an integral part of every  
other subject/domain under VELS.  But you know that - you just have  
to convince your art person!

We have a Yr 9/10 subject here called "Computer Aided Design"  which  
has usually been an arts subject taught by arts staff who have the  
necessary skills and inclination - they use tools like Photoshop and  
Illustrator to produce "art works".  On the other hand, we have a  
similar unit called "Desktop Publishing" that is clearly an  IT unit  
- again it uses Photoshop for the first half, and we do a small  
amount of "digital art" but the main focus is the Design Cycle.  We  
then move to InDesign to do real DTP stuff once they have the  
Photoshop skills and a better understanding of the Design Cycle.

You are correct - it's the PURPOSE of the unit that should determine  
which faculty writes it, runs it, and refines it.  If the main  
purpose is to teach IT skills and an understanding of the design  
process, then it's a technology unit.  If the main purpose is  
producing artistic works, then to me it's an Arts subject.  The VELS  
structure is a useful guide here:

Arts is broken into 2 dimensions - Creating and making  -  Exploring  
and responding

The unit you describe seems to fit neatly into "creating and making"  
- the use of  ICT tools also meets the requirement of addressing  the  
Interdisciplinary domains of Design, Creativity and Technology  
[Investigating & Designing] and  ICT [Creating].

Cheers


Russell Woodford

rwood at shc.melb.catholic.edu.au
Learning Technologies Coordinator
Sacred Heart College Geelong
http://www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/

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On 10/05/2006, at 6:05 PM, Frank Merlino wrote:

>
> Hello All,
> I have a dilemma...we are reviewing our unit offering for 2007, we  
> being the Technology Faculty. Currently there is a cross KLA (Arts/ 
> Tech) unit that is largely based on using PhotoShop to design a  
> chocolate box and then the students make it. Along the way they  
> learn how to use PhotoShop and they learn about design, the unit  
> being largely designed by a graphics teacher.
>
> With VELS, we have decided that the Technology faculty will become  
> the provider of IT units with a technical flavour, eg. rather than  
> concentrating on the product, we would design units that teach  
> stdents the basic skills required for the use of software, as well  
> as teaching them how the required hardware operates, effective  
> selection of file types for saving work, how files can be  
> compressed for example, implicatiions of use of the technology in  
> society. We would teach students the basics, how other KLAs use the  
> ICT skills we teach the student is up to them, but at least they  
> will know that the basics have been taught by IT staff. On the  
> other hand I suggest that the Arts people would focus more on the  
> prioduct and how to "get there".
>
> I am having a hard time explaining to the arts co-ord. why they  
> should take over the unit as we no longer see it as an IT unit. Any  
> ideas on what I have missed in terms of my reasoning?
>
> Regards,
>
> Frank Merlino
> Technology (IT and Systems) Co-ordinator
> Web Site Manager
> St. Joseph's College
> 135 Aphrasia St, Newtown
> Geelong, Victoria, Australia, 3219
> Phone: 03 52 268100
>
>
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