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Illustrator in the Science Classroom?

Posted on Jul 24, 2012 by TJ Fletcher Latest activity: Feb 21, 2013

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Teaching
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Anyone have resources or lesson plan ideas for incorporating Adobe Illustrator into the Science classroom?

Comments (11)

John Tompkins

Posted on Feb 21, 2013 7:14 PM - Permalink

Yes - Use Adobe Ideas (App) on IPad as your primary sketch pad for computer projection. Files can be read by AI. If an App does not take directions to learn how to use, it is a good App...this is a good one. Add to your classroom Apple TV $99 (On either school or make your own Adhoc network with Apple Airport Express $99 - you are the Administrator with password protection). Adobe Ideas App files are readable by Adobe Illustrator so you can edit, save as pdf, print, etc. for future reference. Given: A computer projector (Either VGA or HDMI input) Buy: Apple TV (With an HDMI to VGA/Audio splitter) and and Apple Airport Express $99 (For making your own Adhoc network). Buy: Epson Airport Printer (less than $150.00) Now what you can do as an educator is amazing for student engagement - a very inexpensive "Whiteboard" within a tight budget: Draw on electronic plain paper, pictures, graph paper, ...students can be handed sketchpad at their desk for solving problems at board; and if text not big enough use two fingers to expand to whatever size you need so all students can see.....options are endless. .very easy to setup; does not interfere with local school network access if Adhoc setup option; IT Department not required for support.

TJ Fletcher

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 10:13 PM - Permalink

Debra Keller said:
My suggestion is to talk to your CTE teachers, they may have ideas and resources too!

I think this is a valuable piece of advice. Good call!

Matt Niemitz

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 6:31 PM - Permalink

Having just listened to a presentation on infographics, I think science is an awesome subject to have students create infographics for. They could use Illustrator or Photoshop to visualize abstract concepts or present information in a compelling way.

In my former life as a science educator, I used Adobe software to create infographic posters like this one and this one. I entered one of them in the National Science Foundation Science Visualization Challenge which is a cool gallery of examples to inspire students.

TJ Fletcher

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 6:35 PM - Permalink

Really liked your two examples, Matt! Thanks for sharing the NSF link as well!

Debbie Keller

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 9:11 PM - Permalink

That's a great idea! And probably easier than trying to use say InDesign, although InDesign could make it more interactive.

Dan Armstrong

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 4:51 PM - Permalink

Yes we need to make the Bullseye bigger but I belive that is something that has to come through inspiration. We have to infuse people with the bug to get them going. Maybe a presentation of the first tutorial that points to the next set of tools. In this way you could inspire the teacher and then you can show them what to do next. Get them started on a path.

TJ Fletcher

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 5:06 PM - Permalink

I agree that "inspiration" is a powerful driving force. As a chemistry teacher, I would not be looking at implementing the Creative Suite apps directly into my classroom curriculum...in other words, my goal would not be to teach students how to use the tool. My primary goal would be to allow my students to express their understanding through a variety of ways. I might look to incorporate Adobe Illustrator into a project, because I'm having the students create element posters. I might choose this route, because I am familiar with Illustrator. How do you inspire non-design teachers to look at incorporating Illustrator and other Creative Suite apps into their projects? Most non-design teachers probably aren't looking here for inspiration or guidance. I think that's a challenge that needs to be overcome.

Dan Armstrong

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 4:31 PM - Permalink

I think they shy away from things like Illustrator because they may not understand the tool and as a result the tool becomes a hinderance more then an assistance. Imagine you had to hit a bullseye with a dart to open the staff room door. You would get frustrated pretty quick and probably walk away not having had any success. As a result I think that we need to create sucessful experiences for educators to give them the confidence to use the tools. Showing them what it can do may not be enough, it needs to be a very specific experience that makes them feel sucessful at something they created.

TJ Fletcher

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 4:35 PM - Permalink

Dan, I agree...so, maybe we need to create a set of resources (lesson plans, tutorials, cheat sheets, etc) specific to non-design topics in order to help them overcome this hurdle...or in your analogy...expand the bullseye to make it easier to hit and open the door.

TJ Fletcher

Posted on Jul 24, 2012 10:47 PM - Permalink

Do non-design teachers generally shy away from tools like Adobe Illustrator for fear that they might not know enough to help students through a project?

Debbie Keller

Posted on Jul 25, 2012 9:09 PM - Permalink

I teach CTE classes and try to incorporate the core whenever I can. Last year we used Illustrator for a typography project and some students chose famous people that could then be used cross-curricular. One student used some of the famous writings of Edgar Allen Poe to create his portrait. I hung it in the hallway and teachers of the core, not just English, were so excited. A couple teachers even wanted to learn how to do it. My suggestion is to talk to your CTE teachers, they may have ideas and resources too!