What have I done in the past?

Whenever class work is being set in class, it has to have an intent. Consideration needs to be given as to what knowledge is expected to be introduced and developed. In my case, as part of my Year 9 Photography elective students were to investigate the historical aspect of various photography movements or genre. Students were expected to research into their topic, identify key artist and pioneers and present their findings to a small group using presentation applications such as PowerPoint or Prezi such as the one below.

As I wanted students to incorporate more of a graphic design element to their presentation, I needed to find a way for students to still present their research as well as allow them to include considerations into the way their investigations was presented. 

In a previous unit, we had focused on the skills in image manipulation using Adobe Photoshop CS5. The unit included basic image editing and the use of layering and masking of layers. The skills developed gave the opportunity to apply their techniques to another area of art and design.

An example of a Photoshop exercise producing multiple portraits. Students photographed their subject from a fixed position, layered and masked their images to present a image of their subject posed in multiple situations.

I wanted to students to create a greater connection to the skills and understandings of the concepts covered and identify different ways to use the new knowledge. I also wanted to see how students could present their knowledge and research in a creative and appealing way. I saw that it was time to move away from the grips of PowerPoint that has had a hold of student presentations and increase their understanding of what good design is. I expected that students would begin to gain a better understanding of the skills required to produce informative graphic visualisations.