Syllabus – Digital Media – 2008-2009
Mr. Schmidt - randy_schmidt@sjusd.org - Room C-19 - (408)535-6385
Class Structure:
This is a one semester business class that focuses heavily on the use of computers for communication and marketing. The nature of this class allows for student creativity and exposure to valuable technology skills. We will be utilizing the Studio 8 professional software package as well as various supporting applications including Garage Band. Students will be assigned a computer for use in class to complete the assignments.
This Digital Media class will run under the fictional construct that the students are adults interested in starting their own digital media corporation. As novices, they have signed up for a course with a very impressive consultant named Mr. Schmidt. The consultant provides the lessons, technology, and materials to help them create their own company and website. The fee to join the consultant’s course is astronomical but thankfully he is too far behind on his accounts receivable to ever send out the bills for collection. As feedback, the customers (students) receive project grades based on structured rubrics. The goal of the course is education above all else so the customers are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity and to learn from difficulties, resubmitting projects if they feel they can place higher on the rubrics after learning more from initial attempts. In other words, the grades are the responsibility of the students, but the instructor will do all that he can to help in the education of the students.
Expectations include the following. When students enter class they will go to their assigned computer and begin working on the day’s assignment, ready for additional instructions- all without requiring direction by the teacher. Students will always be creating. If an assignment is complete, a student may catch up on other assignments, experiment with the class specific software, or be creative and make appropriate creations of the student’s own choosing with the class specific software. As a matter of practicality, all student work must include the student’s name in the file name. Also, student’s are expected to ask for additional help when needed and to arrange to meet with the teacher outside of the class time, if necessary. Finally, students are expected to behave professionally and follow all class procedures with professional decorum.
Projects:
Here is a summary of the projects that will be collected for evaluation purposes.
25 - 9/8 - 2/2 - Flash: Corporate Logo
100 - 9/18 - 2/12 - Garage Band: Two Emotions in Music
50 - 10/3 - 3/3 - Flash: Repeating Animation
100 - 10/21 - 3/19 - Flash: Animation Music Video
100 - 10/21 - 3/19 - Stop Action: Animation Movie
100 - 10/31 - 3/31 - HTML: Simple Page
100 - 11/13 - 4/20 - Dreamweaver: Staff Page
75 - 11/24 - 4/28 - Flash: Button
100 - 12/4 - 5/6 - Flash: Web Page
100 - 12/12 - 5/14 - Flash: Interactive Page
100 - 1/15 - 6/4 - Dreamweaver: Whole Site
50 - Ongoing Demonstration of Knowledge and Skill
1000 - 1/17 6/4 Total of all Projects
Please sign here to indicate that you have read the syllabus and agree to the class expectations.
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