These are very strange times we are facing now…are you now finding yourself:
- Teaching to an empty classroom?
- In front of screens for most of your day?
- Unsure of how to support struggling students?
- Frustrated by what you consider unfair circumstances?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, PLEASE continue reading!
FIRST, know that you are NOT alone! I have opened up my private Facebook group to non-DAT-members here, so if you want to stay updated on both what new things I have coming for you OR you want to get connected to teachers working under similar circumstances, be sure to join.
SECOND, when you start to despair or stress or otherwise obsess over our current crisis, remember that this is a season. And seasons pass! Hopefully that will give you comfort as you move forward into uncharted territories.
and THIRD, I want to be as helpful as I can be to the most amount of digital art teachers that I possibly can. So, with that in mind, I have divided this blog post into 3 sections:
- IF you are fortunate enough to HAVE THE ADOBE PROGRAMS for students at home, but don’t have lesson plans or resources that students can use at home, read the first section.
- IF you are in a place where there are computers for students at home, but NO ACCESS TO ADOBE PROGRAMS, read the second section.
- IF your students have NO COMPUTERS AVAILABLE at home, read the third section.
Section 1: Your Students Have Access to Adobe Programs
At Digital Art Teacher, we have both a full year of graphic design curriculum and one full semester of digital photography units available.
Just click this the button below to get started!
Section 2: Your students Have Computers, But No Adobe Programs
It is truly unfortunate to have to completely change the way that you have been teaching for months and months on the turn of a dime! Thus, I have created an excellent option for you!
While MOST of the units available on my lessons page use either Photoshop or Illustrator, there are a few units that teach outside these programs.
For graphic design, these free units include:
- The Graphic Design Legends Research Series,
- An Introduction To Graphic Design, and
- Copyright…or Copywrong!? (which could also be used for digital photography.)
- This should give you a full week plus a couple days of content for your students.
For digital photography, these free units include:
- The Famous Photographer Presentation (for this one you will need to have a way for students to PRESENT via zoom or similar at least to you, if not to others in the class as well),
- Beginner Photo Assignments (many of these can be performed with a smart phone camera, feel free to skip the assignments that students don’t have the resources for), and
- Beginner Photo Composition (this unit corresponds with the Beginner Photo Assignments unit above).
- This should give you at least 3 weeks of content for your students.
You can also check out these Adobe alternatives below to see if any of them could work for you:
Option 3: Your Students Have No Computers at Home, It’s Paper All the Way Baby!
First of all, let me just acknowledge the tough situation that you’ve been placed in. I know that it doesn’t help, but I truly feel for you right now!
HOWEVER, all is not lost! You could still use the free units I mentioned in section 2, but you will have to do some leg work to prepare (you know, print, copy, and distribute…archaic, I know).
Also, below are some links to some…creative options that I’ve found as I searched out this problem. I hope you can use a few of this in your “classroom”!
This is a creative exercise where you combine geometric and organic shapes together. It looks like fun! I may try it if I can find the time!
This is a back to the basics exercise. How to combine all the different elements and principles together. Of course, this would require that students have covered these at some point. I wouldn’t expect them to understand them all without any previous knowledge.
This could keep them busy for quite a while. Have them design different ways to present the alphabet! The link takes you to examples of EACH ONE done by Christopher Rouleau. Scroll to the bottom to download his free template.
Alright! Whew! Well, that’s all I have for you for now. Hopefully this will at least get you started. Keep checking back for more ideas! I’m continually searching!
Hang in there and God bless!