Electives for the Creative Mind

We’ve just added some fabulous electives to our course lineup. If you have a student who enjoys taking photographs or designing eye-catching graphics, these two courses will increase her knowledge and skills, maybe even help her to build a portfolio, if that’s a goal. Image Editing and Creation with Deanna Galgano is a 36-week course for middle and high school students that will teach them the basics of how to edit and manipulate an image. The class will use the free software GIMP, which is similar to Adobe Photoshop but available online as a free download. This class will not only teach students the basics of how to use image editing software but also what kinds of effects can be applied to digital photographs, how various editing features work, and ways to find just the right tool to bring out the best in every photograph. Introduction to Graphic Design with Meredith Duke is a 17-week course for the same grades. Students will be introduced to the basics of graphic design and will be taught how to recognize quality graphic designs in the products they see and interact with every day, what makes certain designs stand out, how to design an eye-catching ad that communicates a specific message to a target audience, and what types of jobs are available for graphic designers today. Time will be spent discussing the legality questions graphic designers face; the importance of fonts, colors, white space, and more; the message they are trying to convey in the design; the specific design; and what they can do as a graphic designer.

Tammie Bairen
Editorial Assistant
The Old Schoolhouse’s® SchoolhouseTeachers.com
The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC