This is the project report that, outlines two seperate but inter-related projects about enterprise skills and and networking skills. The project was run by the ICA and the design council. At the moment I'm spending a bit of time thinking about the future of our course, what has been working well, what could work better. The bridging between the campus and the workplace is one of those things that is always in the back of mind, and this report summaries two approaches to dealing with these problems. It's interesting the projects where not drive by .edu places but by industries organisations.
Platform was a basically a series of networking events that focussed around job hunting skills, this was cross sector eg not just graphic design students which meant there was chances for connections to be made between students. How could this work for us ? Locally I could see this working, but what I see the problem as being is getting the industry people along. I can see the students come together, eg students from textile design, and furniture design and graphic design and maybe even from the business areas.
The incubation project was a classic model of a business incubator. It was a series of 5 day workshops, with mentors working with the students to produce presentations on the last day. I think what really important was the fact that alot of the people involved understood the creative industries real well. They where not just business people but they where creative business people. Maybe it was a bit more live and interesting for the students because they had to do the presentations at the end as well and the fact they had to apply.
Reading the article really makes me think is we still have a long way to go to making our enterprise skills more successful. It was interesting reading the comments from students about the fact that during a normal course most art and design students don't think the business skills are relevant to them. I could see the mentors idea working extremely well in my local context with most of the staff being paid as casual staff, which mean most of the time they are running there own businesses. What I think we need is more of them, eg not just one business skills teacher maybe, well maybe one person to over see the process.
It's the tuesday after easter, after 4 days of really doing not much at
all. I finally feel like working again. But part of me has had some
trouble with working recently because the type of work I'm meant to be
doing is different to the "get things done" mode that I've been in for
the last few month. Part of the "Get things done" mode was because of
doing Jo's work as well as my normal work load.
What I've realise is that I'm not good at making to time to plan, and
think and work with my notebook while I'm at both my work office, or in
my office at home. There is always things to be done, and they always
seem more important taking away from my time to think and plan. Most
projects are now at that stage where some serious thinking needs to be
done, even the small projects need some project planning.
Even as I'm writing this I'm on the deck, with notebook and pencil
ready to start some that thinking. 5 work days before I have to start
back teaching and that is a great to be able to do this planning, maybe
to get ahead of myself on a few things and to think about making some
art. Even if that is just about more mapping out of the ice piece and
starting to learn how to use 3ds Max.
One recent thought is that some of the projects need "names/brands" to
give a bit of energy to them.
Well I'm back on the deck "thinking" well in actual fact what I'm doing
is avoiding writing an essay that I should be working on. Somethings
never change .... Maybe I should just accept that writing is not
something I like doing and I should avoid it. I'm sure the paper will
come together in the next few days, and that is all that is important.
While I've been time wasting I've realise how my mind has become so
wired by hypertext, almost hypertext as a way of thinking, being and
doing. Which is not great when you need to concentrate on something
to get something done ....
Not sure why I didn't find this before, it a great example of what Flash can do in terms of animations !!!!!! I need to add it the list of sites I show to students.
Macromedia - Developer Center : Taking Flash Animation to DVD Video
This could be a good resource to give students as part of the next project, but it some ways it outlines the problems but does really give the answers to the problems in the sort of detail I would like. But I will look at using swf2video for the conversions I'm going to need to do.
Open Source Web Design - Home /\^/\
Open Clip Art Library :: openclipart.org
Our Favorite Fonts of 2004 || Typographica - could be a good way to introduce typographics, or could be good as part of that introduction.
gnomz.com - comic creator - comics creator - this is a realy quite cute comic generator. I could be great to use as an example of user generated content. Or it could be used as part of a story telling process.
accessibility resource - this is the outcome for Helen Houston etc Learnscope project last year. There is some great information and quick clear solutions about make a number of different types of documents more accessible.
Thomson Education: Desktop Publishing (InDesign) Distance Learning Course ]
Thomson Education: Desktop Publishing (InDesign) Distance Learning Course
They have a number of distance ed courses in the area, all in the rang of 1800 AUD.
Seven Ways of Design Thinking - Oultines a nice model of design thinking, but it seems to be aimed to K-12 market. It's one of those times when I wish I had more time and energy to able to actual sit and download and read all the site. ( which isn't at all like me)
micah j bauer [graphic journal] - great example of a designers blog/journal.
Macromedia - Breeze Live Service Plans - Session of breeze live can now be bought at a cost of .32 US per min/user. This could be great for some of the online short course I'm planning.
LukeW: Interface Design Quotes this another great resource/page from this site.
Functioning Form - User Experience Diagrams a great collection of user experience diagrams. I could be good to look at make some of these into posters.
Designers Toolbox - a great set of templates includes contracts
Stefan Sagmeister is Coming Down Under!
Hobart event
Hobart Monday 21 March 6.00 for 6.30pm
Main Lecture Theatre (off cafeteria), School of Art
Hunter Street, Hobart
$15.00 members $30.00 non-members
$ 5.00 student members $10.00 student non-members
(all Utas School of Art students free)
Join AGDA on the day and enter at member prices.
RSVP M: 0409 016 478
E: james@jnewitt.com
CamStudio - this another free tool for screen captures that can could be useful. I need to test how small it makes the .swf files
Adobe After Effects- Customer stories - inlcudes some great examples and the Canel Street Studio video is a great intro to what After Effects is about.