orange

the picture above taken today is one that I was using to show ways of using adobe CS4 with some creative and media students.

it is only tonight while I was looking at the images that I was using that I realised just how much I have been influenced by the orange advertising campaign, probably some 8 years ago now perhaps more.

the thing is I am getting fed up with them (orange, not the students) at the moment as they have, while charging me more money, cut my broadband connection speed at home as I have supposedly exceeded their 'unlimited' download limit. I use a 20 megabit connection at work all day which is provided by BT which is more than fine.

orange provide my broadband at home. I do work during the evening as well when and the 6 megabit I was getting was ok (even though I am paying for 8 megabit). tonight and for the last month or more I am getting 0.415 it is a bit silly. really hard to work on anything web based.

more software >> more options >> learn less

I have thought a lot about the post I made about powerpoint a couple of days ago and realised that I am finding myself going backward in the use and application of software. a few years ago the functional skill of pupils reaching the end of KS3 was pretty good, in that they would know what was need to present information in a clear and concise way whether through the use of words or images.
there software knowledge was easily measurable and obvious.
I have just spent the morning teaching macromedia (well adobe now) fireworks, and the results to the untrained eye look pretty good, but the problem is the student don't really know why they are doing what they do.

it could be argued that it doesn't matter (if it looks right it is right) but I think it does, with every new piece of software and upgrade the thought process becomes less and the software create the answers for you so you don't have to think.
I have even go to the lengths of getting pupils to draw out how they want their finished work to look on paper before they touch a computer then they have to make the computer do what they want it to do, it makes it harder but the end result is better.