Digital Photography Education Program

After falling in love with photography in his high school
class, Ivan’s portfolio improved in a very short time. With
the confidence he gained from the classroom, he applied
for a local job with a national portrait studio, which hired him
on the spot once they opened his book. They were awestruck
at his level of competence. Work like this is highly unusual
in a high school level student. Way to go Ivan!

http://www.digitalphotoed.com/education/success/

At 8 a.m. on the first day of school, a line of eager students snaked down the hall from the registrar’s office. They were all waiting to hear if spaces had opened in one of the newest classes at Rossview High School.

Years ago, high school students who did not see college in their futures had few subjects to choose from; however, one year ago a new vocational program based on digital photography and graphic design was integrated into Rossview’s curriculum. The impact was overwhelming.
Rossview High School, in Clarksville, Tenn., is the first in the nation to get ahead of the changing economy and prepare their teachers and students for a technology-dependent future. In 2006, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) partnered with the Digital Photography Education Program (DPEP) to transform its art and photography class into a career and technical education course. The program responds to the growing need for educators trained in visual communications and competent students prepared for careers in design.
“There’s a student population out there that deserves a way to make a living,” said Helen Gooch, Technology Literacy Coach for CMCSS. “And it’s not only the ones who are off to college.”
These developments have surfaced during an important time in career and technical education as employee demand in the high tech industry continues to increase. The program has given many students a renewed sense of optimism as well as the hands-on experience necessary to prepare them for a career in the “real world.”

A breakthrough Tech Prep Program prepares teachers and students for work in graphic design

Once registered with DPEP, teachers either complete online coursework or participate in a two-day, hands on Teach the Teacher workshop. After completing the required material, educators are qualified to return to the classroom and teach the material to their students.

There are many opportunities for students to succeed in normal academic subjects, Gooch said.This is an effort to recognize students with an eye for the visual arts.

The program has been very successful, as some students have gone on to major universities with scholarships for what they’ve achieved in graphic design. Mary Bryant, the art instructor at Rossview High School, was among the first to participate in the program and lead it through its first year in the classroom.

The Teach the Teacher workshop occurs over two full days and introduces the processes and techniques of digital photography, indoor and outdoor lighting and portraiture. It is led by one instructor and an assistant and gives participants access to supplementary lessons for review before and after the workshop. The workshop is the first of four steps in the DPEP program. It is followed by updating classroom technology, teaching students graphic design material with supplementary lessons, and becoming industry certified in digital imaging and editing.

Bryant acquired extensive photography and design experience from her years as a commercial artist. Once she began teaching, she became determined to bring graphic design into the school as a valid art medium. In the program’s first year, she completely updated her classroom’s photography and lighting technology in addition to building a digital darkroom. The students will rush the studio, Bryant said. Anything that’s new, they just eat it up. I think it’s been a wonderful success. The classroom vibrates with the student’s excitement. Focused on the computers that line the walls, the young men and women use Photoshop to adjust the color and improve the contrast of shots taken in the studio next door. Many of them complement and criticize each others work, pushing for perfection.

The materials for the digital photography studio kit came from Photoflex, Inc., a professional photographic lighting manufacturer associated with DPEP. Photoflex, Inc. encourages development in the industry by providing equipment to educators at reduced prices.

Funding for the DPEP program and the high-tech equipment was generated in part through the support of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act. Perkins is a federal resource that helps to ensure that career and technical programs are academically rigorous and up-to date with the needs of business and industry. This year, Perkins has been used for equipment and staff development, said Frances Richardson, Career and Technical Education Director of CMCSS. Because of it, we have been able to support [Bryant’s] training and buy cameras and computers she needed to set up her lab. Perkins funds are provided to states that, in turn, allocate funds to school districts that distribute need-based grants.

To be eligible for a grant, the course must be part of a vocational program; however, policies and qualification requirements vary by state. The act, originally passed in 1984, was reauthorized in 2006 to give state and local governments more flexibility when apportioning funding. In order to measure the progress and success of a vocational program, enrolled students are held accountable for performing at an established standard. Without Perkins funding, schools with little money would find it difficult to support a program like DPEP.

A breakthrough Tech Prep Program prepares teachers and students for work in graphic design

“I’ve always believed that career technical education is for everybody,” Richardson said. “It’s an outlet for their interests. It’s the hook that keeps a lot of kids in school.” One of Bryant’s students, Ryan Vinson, was never interested in art and had little experience with a camera, but once he learned about Rossview’s graphic design class, he immediately enrolled. In the first semester, he found his passion.
“It gave him something to be proud of besides just being smart,” Bryant said. “I could sense in him that he had a hard time fitting in and now he has this as something that he’ll always want to do. He and his classmates are proud of their work and very proud of their knowledge.”

Bryant, Vinson and his classmates have taken their inspirations outside the classroom and founded Hawk Advertising, a full service student-run advertising agency. They do real design work, published by real clients, giving the student employees a competitive career edge. The success of their agency has led to the first three publications of In a Different Font, a bi-annual literary magazine that hosts student writing, artwork and photographs.

The Clarksville-Montgomery School District is one of the nation’s forerunners in integrating technology into the classroom. By instating the DPEP program, teachers are preparing their students to go into the field of graphic arts or digital photography. If they apply themselves, they will have the skills and the portfolio to confidently enter the workforce.

Each school district faces different challenges. For CMCSS and Mary Bryant, it was being the first to pilot the program through its first year. Although the Teach the Teacher workshop was, as Bryant described, interesting and important, they were also geared towards teachers with experience in photography.

As DPEP enters its second year, they are establishing workshop prerequisites and giving registrants full access to the online tutorials before and after the workshop occurs. As the program grows in classrooms, DPEP evolves to meet the needs of educators and students.

For districts looking to start the DPEP program, Gooch emphasizes having the backing of well-informed stakeholders. Buying the equipment is a small portion of the issue, she said, staffing and scheduling is a large part of being successful. There has to be support at all levels. This is a valid technology, it’s a valid medium that is not being taught in high schools as a career opportunity, Gooch said. This program puts professional touch to it, so in that way it’s very important.

The Digital Photography Education Program offers professional development programs that culminate in a measurable certification or assessment in the field of digital photography and editing. DPEP is the choice of Career & Technical Educators and industry leaders alike because our programs follow rigid industry standards while maintaining flexibility for individual learners.

DPEP branches off into the two fields of Education and Industry. While every program is focused around the education of digital imaging, our education programs are geared primarily towards teachers and students in the secondary education level. Industry programs focus on professionals already working in a field where digital photography is a component of their jobs.

Digital Imaging & Editing 1a & 1b Workshop

This seminar prepares educators to instruct photography & introduce the digital darkroom into the classroom.

This seminar prepares professionals to use digital imaging & introduce the digital darkroom into the workplace.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

PRICE: $990.00, two-day hands-on workshop

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Read the rest of this entry »

Digital Imaging & Editing 1a & 1b Workshop

This seminar prepares educators to instruct photography & introduce the digital darkroom into the classroom.

This seminar prepares professionals to use digital imaging & introduce the digital darkroom into the workplace.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

PRICE: $990.00, two-day hands-on workshop

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Read the rest of this entry »

Digital Imaging & Editing 1a & 1b Workshop

This seminar prepares educators to instruct photography & introduce the digital darkroom into the classroom.

This seminar prepares professionals to use digital imaging & introduce the digital darkroom into the workplace.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

PRICE: $990.00, two-day hands-on workshop

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

INCLUDED WITH THE WORKSHOP

Hands-on, one-on-one demonstration and training in portrait and product photography

Discussion on how to bring the digital darkroom to your classroom

Disucussion on how to bring the digital darkroom into your profession

Personal Digital SLR Camera to use in the workshop

One month free, pass to digitalphotoed.com 1a & 1b programs for the attendee

Photoflex LiteDisc to take with you

Box Lunch for both days

Photoflex Wear

Date: Monday, November 5^th & Tuesday, November 6^th, 2007

Time: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM with a one-hour lunch on your own.

Location: Watsonville, California

Workshop Trainer: Garry Belinsky is a Photoflex Studio Photographer and lesson writer of online lessons for Web Photo School.

Curriculum: Follows competencies and skills tested in the A.D.D.A. Digital Photography & Editing Certification Technician Exam. Lessons are visual, using many photo illustrations to demonstrate each step of the photography process (equipment, camera and image output). Online lessons consist of digital camera operations, studio lighting equipment use, setup, and photography techniques.

ABOUT THE STUDIO LIGHTING EQUIPMENT

Photoflex Studio Lighting Equipment for Portrait & Products – www.photoflex.com. Outdoor reflectors will be covered – weather permitting.

Would you like put the training into action in your classroom or business as soon as possible? Ask Tracey about the Digital Imaging & Editing Kit that will be used at this training – it is for sale!

Click here to register today

Please send P.O. #’s to:

Tracey Lugo

Marketing Manager, Web Photo School

831-786-1370 office

831-786-1371 fax

Email: tlugo@webphotoschool.com

Web Photo School ׀ Digital Photography Education Program ׀ Hangar Way Watsonville, CA 95076

Phone: 831-786-1370 ׀ Fax: 831-786-1371

Digital Imaging & Editing 1a & 1b Workshop

This seminar prepares educators to instruct photography & introduce the digital darkroom into the classroom.

This seminar prepares professionals to use digital imaging & introduce the digital darkroom into the workplace.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

PRICE: $990.00, two-day hands-on workshop

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Read the rest of this entry »

Visit DPEP at the Photoflex Booth

NAB 2008

April 12^th – 17^th, 2008

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Get Solutions. Find Opportunities.

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WPPI 2008

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