Term Paper on "Design Education"

Term Paper 7 pages (1855 words) Sources: 1 Style: Chicago

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Education

Graphic Design Education in Windows on the Future by McCain and Jukes

Ted McCain and Ian Jukes offer many opinions and suggestions on technology and education in their book, Windows on the Future: Education in the Age of Technology. While the authors include suggestions for how to change current education for the better, many of the suggestions seem to be common sense to those of us currently working and learning in the technology-laden environment. Many of their assessments are nevertheless valuable in that they collect all of these ideas into an accessible text for teachers and education students who have not spent a large amount of time with technology. Among the most valuable assessments made by McCain and Jukes is the need for students and teachers to look beyond technology for answers, even in fields like graphic design. In this case, though they are proponents of technology, they also promote awareness of all resources. Graphic design educators would benefit from adopting many of the suggestions in this facet of the authors' arguments.

In pushing technology on education in this book, McCain and Jukes are addressing educators rather than students. The authors want educators to prepare students growing up in the "world of data explosion" with the skills they need to succeed. Obviously, this sounds good. Preparing students, especially those in fields like graphic design, is important so that those students can access the programs and technology resources that are applicable to their field. For example, a graphic design student who has had little to no experience with Adobe programs might be at a disadvantage in the classroom. McCain and Jukes respond with the suggestion that all students in all majors receive basic training in technology and communication. This may go without saying, but so does much of the information provided by the authors.

McCain and Jukes say that students should be aware of the many media options that they can use in the classroom. Educators are charged with presenting and encouraging many of these options. These include audio clips, video clips, verbal presentation, written communications, debate, essays with graphics included, and illustration. These suggestions seem unnecessary if they are aimed at the student, as few graphic design students are unaware of these options. Where these options become more important is at the educator level, and this remains the focus of the book throughout. Here, the authors do have many valid points, even if they still seem rather obvious to those who have had free access to many technologies growing up.

The value of McCain and Jukes' suggestions, then, can be found in a focus on teachers and administrators. Educators who are feeling frustrated with the level of technology and communication currently available to the classroom might take the authors' suggestions for diversifying their expectations. This may include teachers changing their classroom assignments and allowing students to choose their own media. In graphic design education, this might include more freedom in the resources used to reach the end product. For example, educators might require graphic design students to master both traditional and technology-based (digital) design options, and encouraging the mixing of both.

Additionally, the authors suggest restructuring traditional education by focusing on problem solving and critical thinking exercises. McCain and Jukes explain that the traditional teaching model of presenting problems and asking for a specific answer is no longer relevant, as it was made for the Industrial Age; in that mindset students are trained to follow direction in assembly-line workplaces. I agree that a focus on critical thinking makes students entering the job market more desirable. Students who can manage their own projects and think beyond menial tasks will assist them in first getting jobs and then in excelling at them. In graphic design, many students are still looking for a quick answer. Since many American high schools are still products of the Industrial Age thinking that the authors mention, many university students come to the table expecting to be told what to do and how to do it. By teaching students to think for themselves rather than simply follow directions, the authors believe that students will become more valuable thinkers and team members. This is especially true in graphic design, where originality is imperative. Students who expect to learn how to work in the graphic design field can only go so far by learning the basics of technique. Individuality is what matters, and teaching students to associate their own abilities with their own ideas is key. The authors call this an ability to "turn [information] into useful, personal knowledge."

McCain and Jukes call for graphic design and communication understanding in all classrooms because of the sway and power that those tools have over the observer.

Their assessment of the power of communication is correct -- graphic design applications like advertising have a lot of power. Windows on the Future explains the necessity of every person in every classroom learning about the power of video, publishing and multimedia graphic design applications. I would even go further and say that students at the high school level and possibly even earlier should be given basic tools for how to cope with the manipulation that is aimed at our subconscious minds through advertising and other communications. Television alone gives our minds many cues that we are not aware of both within the programming and out.

A agree, also, that there is a new mindset since the adoption of new technologies. Again, this relates to graphic design in a way that may or may not have been intended by the authors. As they discuss what technology really means, the McCain and Jukes show that new technology should may seem new to those of us who remember life without it. However, we must remember that new students may have always had a computer in their home. They may not think of a computer as technology any more than they think of a car or a television. I fully agree with the authors that this must be kept in perspective for educators. However, I disagree with the authors when they say not to question technology; they suggest that we should focus on the task, not the technology, in order to redefine technology as just another tool.

Instead of making technology just another tool that is taken for granted, I believe that investigating all tools is the best way teach. Students should be encouraged to consider, investigate, and even doubt all of their tools. Dependence on technology in graphic design can actually be a detriment if they are ever forced to use other tools. However, dependence on traditional methods alone can have the same effect if individuals are in an advancing workplace. While the authors may not have meant it the way it sounded, not questioning technology is foolhardy. Students should be aware of the limitations and weaknesses of technology, and all other tools. The new mindset and requirements implied by McCain and Jukes also means that teachers, especially in communications and graphic design, must never stop learning themselves. They explain: "Given the rapidly changing nature of our world, people of all ages must constantly learn and relearn what they need to know." Technology is moving too fast. I agree that teachers in graphic design will have less to offer their students if they do not stay abreast of the computer and other technological advances that continue to be presented. I also agree that even teachers who must learn new technologies alongside students (if they must) have a lot to offer students in that they actually show students how to learn. Obviously, teachers in this position are much less likely to fall back on telling students what to learn rather than showing them how to learn it.

Beyond the everyday observer, the authors imply an even greater importance for those in the field of graphic design. It is all well and good for the common person to gain "visual literacy" and be aware of how information works and can affect us. However, the emphasis implied by McCain and Jukes puts a lot of power in the hands of graphic designers. Students of graphic design should be educated well in these areas so that they can wield technologically advanced communications in an effective manner. Intended outcomes and psychological tools should become part of the graphic design classroom. Additionally, it may be important to offer ethics courses for students in graphic design. This may seem rather odd to traditional teachers of advertising design. Yet, the lifelong learning examples given by the authors are enough to explain why new methods are necessary.

Graphic designers would also benefit greatly from taking the authors' suggestion to diversify their tool base, mastering not only technology but also all other areas of communication and design. While they seem to mean this by pushing technology on those reluctant to use it, I feel that it works both ways. If they are asking for people to become critical thinkers and use what is available… READ MORE

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