Proposal for Final Project

I have two different ideas that where I would like to illustrate the steps or stages of two different processes/theories.  I plan to create these images in Illustrator to make a graphic/comic style illustrations and would like to add some flash animation effects to make them more fun and exciting.  I really enjoyed the 30 second Bunny Movies, so I wanted to create something with a similar effect.  Covering a lot of information and a quick way that can be comedic and fun.  This can make boring information more more exciting for students and/or can make long or difficult processes more understandable.


A: I  would like to teach Erikson's developmental stages by making a short illustrations/animations much like the 30 second bunny movies.  The clips won't have to be 30 second clips but long enough to get across the idea of the different stages.


There will be 8 clips of the different stages: 
0-8 months (Oral-Sensory)
18 months to 31/2 years (Muscular-Anal)
 31/2 years to 5 years (Locomotor-Gential)
6 years to 12/13 years (Latency)
13 years to 20 years (Adolescence)
Early adulthood
Middle Adulthood
Maturity


These clips will be graphic illustrations with some flash animation as an accent to the drawings that will help explain the different psychosocial crisis with the corresponding developmental stages.  


The audience for this project would be and high school and college, only because thats where you would most likely study phycology.  This would be a great tool for a beginning 101 course that helps over view Erkison's theories and explains them in a different way.


B: My other idea is very similar in structure with different clips explaining steps of the clay making process.  Instead of "8" different clips they would be streamed together for a animation on how to create ceramic form from the initial making of the clay to the end firing.  I think this would be a fun project because the different imagery that could be done in flash with the wheels spinning, flames coming out of the kiln, etc.  And can show the transformation of the clay in a unique way.  


Steps:
Make clay
Construct: throw or hand build
Bisque Fire
Apply glaze
Glaze Fire


The audience for this project would be any beginner level ceramics, but could be a great tool for younger kids to get them interested in ceramics and help understand all that needs to be don for a finished piece.  

Adobe in the Classroom: Teachers who use it and student projects examples

Again, it was a little disappointed at first when searching for how Adobe programs like Photoshop and Illustrator are being used in the classroom.  I think this disappointment was brought on from my high expectations so when I was first looking, I wasn't thinking about it with an open mind.  I wanted to find the "perfect" site when the teacher showing how she uses Photoshop as an aid for her teaching plans, and not necessarily this is student work from using Photoshop.  After waiting a few days I took another dive at it with a different mind set and I've found some good links from the Adobe Digital School Collection under teacher resources.  These are lesson plans for using Adobe programs in school projects, not just in the art room but also for all subjects.  This is something that I like, using art to help understand something else, and not just making art to make it.  

Here are some links to a few projects that I liked: 
Visual Pun - In this lesson, students create a visual pun — a play on images where students use two or more images to form a new meaning. Using Photoshop Elements, students combine unrelated images and employ interesting effects to create their visual puns. This lesson helps students use technology to enhance their language arts skills and to improve communication of their ideas.


Visual Dictionary - In this lesson, students define a word visually using Photoshop Elements and add it to their class visual and audio dictionary. Students analyze a word and construct a visual representation of its meaning, thereby building higher order thinking skills.


Digital Dali - In this lesson, students turn every-day digital photographs into surrealist-style artwork by using Adobe Photoshop Elements. This activity helps students enhance their creativity and better understand surrealistic techniques by working with lighting, color, and movement to turn their pictures into surrealistic works of art. 


This website is very helpful for planning projects for students to use, but still wasn't exactly what  was looking for in terms of specific examples of teachers using Photoshop and Illustrator as a teaching tool.    


Other links that were helpful but still not exactly what I was looking for:
http://artsociety.suite101.com/article.cfm/photoshop_teaches_art


http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/high/ReliefSelfPortHS.html