2011 2012 Course: Graphic Design 1 Teacher: Kim Gassman Email: kgassman@cfsd16.org Room: Computer lab, House 1 Office Hours: 7:30 AM Fee: $40 payable to the bursar Class Website: http://www.cfsd16.org/teachers/gassman Welcome to Graphic Design! Welcome to a new school year at Catalina Foothills High School. I hope you had a fun summer and are ready to learn some great things in graphic design. Having worked as a graphic designer for 30 years, I have quite a bit of design experience that I am excited to share with you. My top priority is you. If something is not clear or if you have questions, please ask. My goal is for you to get as much as possible out of this class. You will determine how far you can go. I encourage outside of the box thinking. I hope you will feel comfortable enough to experiment and be creative. I am expecting great things this year and I am excited to see all of the creative ideas you will bring to class. This is a CTE/JTED class. This gives you a variety of opportunities that you can take advantage of. You can earn free college credit through Pima County Community College. As soon as I get the information for this I will pass it on to you. Graphic Design also counts as a fine art credit or an elective credit. By the end of this course, you will have a digital portfolio that can be used if you are applying for a job in the graphic design field or planning on entering an art or design program after high school. This year we will be utilizing our class website. Everyday you should check it for warmups, project details and other information I need to communicate to you and your parents. Every week lessons will be archived so if you are absent you can check back to see what we are working on. Expect to be challenged! It is going to be great year! Mrs. Gassman
Course Description Graphic Design 1 introduces students to the fundamentals of graphic arts and design. Students will explore 21 st Century skills including career paths in graphic arts, design, and communication. Professional standards, skills and ethics will be addressed. Students will learn digital media techniques and data input and output media applications. This exploration class offers an orientation and understanding of communication, problem solving, critical thinking, information technology, organizational systems, leadership and teamwork. Class Expectations 1. Be Responsible Students are expected to come to class on time and prepared to work. Most of the work can be completed in class. I am aware that most students do not have Photoshop on their home computers so they are given ample time to work on projects in class. Class procedures will be explained and students are expected to follow those procedures. If a student misses a class, it is his/her responsibility to find out what was missed and make up any missing assignments. Daily work will always be posted on the class website. 2. Be Respectful Students are expected to respect themselves, others and the equipment in the lab. This is a brand new computer lab and students will be expected to follow the rules that have been established for the labs. 3. Be Positive The graphic arts classroom should be a place where students feel comfortable to experiment with new ideas. Negative comments about another person or their work will not be allowed. From time to time we will look at your projects and give feedback. All feedback should be helpful. If you donʼt think a design is successful, explain why and give suggestions how it can be improved. Class Procedures Please take care of locker/restroom/drinks and socializing BEFORE you come to class. I expect you to stay in class for the entire 101 minutes. If you need to leave to use the restroom, you will sign out on the clipboard at the front of the room with the time you left and then sign back in with the time you have returned. Write down the daily learning goal in your sketchbook (It will always be written on the board.) This will let you know what you are expected to get out of the day s lesson. Sometimes the learning goal will be the same for a few days. You only need to write it down once. Check the class website for daily warm-ups. These will vary from day to day. Do the warm-up in your sketchbook. There will be sketchbook checks from time to time, which are worth points. Attendance Policy: CFHS policy - 4 tardies = parent contact. 11 absences = failing grade. If you are late, report to the office for a pass. If you arrive after 23 minutes, it will be counted as an absence. Absences - It is your responsibility to find out what you have missed. Ask one of your classmates for the daily warm-up and learning goals. Check the class website, Daily lessons will be archived so you can access them at any time. Handouts will be on the front table. You can always come and ask me for anything else you may need to know.
Grading: I want to see every student be successful in this class. Being on time, working hard in class and completing assignments on time will contribute to your success. Your grade will consist of a combination of things, projects, quizzes, and a studio grade (what you do in class each day). STUDIO GRADE Let s discuss the studio grade. This is a CTE/JTED (Career, technology education) class; students are expected to conduct themselves in professional manner. Your behavior in class is expected to be the same as if you were working in a design studio. Inappropriate language, not being on time, playing games, looking at blogs or anything not related to the assignment will not be tolerated. You will receive a studio grade everyday. This has nothing to do with doing what is asked on an assignment. That is graded when I grade the project. If you finish something early, I have plenty of tutorials that will build your Photoshop skills. Nobody is an expert. Studio grade is all or nothing. It will have an impact on your final grade! These points are designed to reward the effort you put forth everyday regardless of your skill level. Rubrics are used to assess your work. You will always know what an A looks like through examples. Criteria for each project will be clearly stated so that you will know what is expected. CFHS Grading Scale: A+ 97-100 A 93-96 A- 90-92 B+ 87-89 B 83-86 B- 80-82 C+ 77-79 C 73-76 C- 70-72 F 0-69 Computer Lab Rules: THESE RULES ARE DISTRICT POLICIES AND MONITORED BY THE ADMINISTRATION, TECH SUPPORT AND TEACHER All work should be assignment related No DRINKS except water. The container must have a screw on lid and be kept on the floor. NO FOOD No games, music, or videos (they use up too much bandwidth) No email unless it pertains directly to the assignment All websites must be school appropriate and pertain to your assignment Only sign on to your account. NEVER share your password Make sure to follow copyright laws when using images. Always site your sources.
Electronics: Cell phones should not be used in class. It is a school rule! Consequences for using cell phones: First offense I take them for the period 2 nd offense I take them and turn them into the office. Parents will need to come and get them. Music cannot be played from computers it takes up too much bandwidth. When you are working on a project I sometimes allow IPods or MP3 players. They are not allowed during instruction time. If I see them out during instruction I will take them for the day and you will lose the privilege of listening during work time. Project Content: School appropriate content must be used. No violence, blood, weapons, sexual content, vulgarity, drugs/alcohol references, gang related content. Ask yourself if you would hang this in the principalʼs office. If in doubt ASK!!! With all of that said I am looking forward to a great year with all of you. Please don t hesitate to ask if you need clarification on anything. I m always open to help you out.
Graphic Design Information sheet This information will be kept confidential. It will only be used by Mrs. Gassman. This helps me to be able to communicate with parents if necessary. Studentʼs name Grade level Studentʼs email: This will only be used if we use Google docs in class or if students need to email a project they are working on. This will not be used outside of class. Parent(s) names: Parent(s) email: Parents, what is the best way to reach you when it is not an emergency? Email listed above Cell Phone: Home Phone: I have read and understand the 2011-2012 CFHS Graphic Design Syllabus. I am aware of the expectations, rules and consequences when I enter the House 1 Computer Lab Student Name Student Signature Date (Print) Parent Name Parent Signature Date (Print) Student Parent I am familiar with the class website: www.cfsd16.org/teachers/gassman I have the materials list. I have paid the class fee of $40 to the CFHS bursar. I have signed and returned the website release form.