ecampus blog

Here we go again, another beginning of the quarter, another (whopping 225!) class of eLearning students starting their SCAD career online from their hometowns. It’s always exciting and stressful and fun, I love talking to new students and hearing their anticipation and questions, fears and hopes. Hopefully we do pretty well getting everyone adjusted to learning online at SCAD, but I’m always open to ideas and suggestions!

One thing I like to spotlight is the SCAD eLearning Resource Guide, it’s a self-guided resource in Blackboard that we make available to every student taking an eLearning course. Students first get access to it the first term they are enrolled at SCAD eLearning, it’s a part of the eLearning Orientation. But since it’s updated each quarter and has a ton of information, we started making is available to all eLearning students.

Usually we send a couple of emails out, detailing what’s updated so current students can go right to the new information without wading through everything they already know. But new students are borderline-bombarded with messages about the Orientation and Resource Guide; I just hate for anyone to miss it and end up struggling in their course when there’s so much guidance readily available. And, it’s available two weeks before the quarter begins and throughout the quarter, so it’s always accessible.

If you’re enrolled in an eLearning course, you can read through it by logging into MySCAD, going to Student Workspace, then clicking My Blackboard Dashboard. On the next page you’ll see all your courses, plus the eLearning Resource Guide. The most active time for the Resource Guide is two weeks before and one week into the term, things slow down a bit after that as everyone dives deeper into their coursework. But we still use it to post information and reach out to students after week one.

Check it out if you haven’t already, and file it away for the future – one night, in the middle of the night, you might be desperate to learn about off-campus programs in Lacoste or Hong Kong. I’ll be sleeping and won’t be checking messages for another eight hours, but you can read more in the Resource Guide!

And welcome to all our new SCAD students, at Savannah, Atlanta and Hong Kong, but especially to our new SCAD eLearners (don’t tell anyone, but you’re my faves…).

Sara Pitts
Director of Online Student Success
SCAD eLearning

Game developers, mark your electronic calendars. Registration is open for the 2011 Game Developers eXchange, a major SCAD event that draws some of game design’s most talented artists and designers. Scheduled for May 13 in Savannah, GDX unites SCAD students with game development experts who have directed and programmed some of 2010′s best-selling games. GDX offers a variety of sessions on game art, design and production techniques. Find out more about the event and take advantage of early-bird registration prices at SCAD’s newly launched http://www.scad.edu/experience/events/gdx GDX Web site.

Full-time students have quite a lot on their plates. Not only are they taking three or more courses at a time, but they also might have part- or full-time jobs, family care or other duties that fill their time. Sometimes it’s easy to get so busy that you forget that you are going to college for a career after graduation. Before you switch to auto-pilot, be sure you evaluate where you want to be after you walk across the stage and receive your well-deserved diploma.

Employers generally like to see that you have been active in a type of volunteer work, both to see what interests you and to prove you have a well-rounded lifestyle. If you are planning a specialized career and already know what you would like to do, you can probably find an office in that field of work that needs a one to a few hours of help each week, or a local charity branch where you could donate your time working in your desired career field.

If you are unsure of your career pursuit after graduation, there are more generalized forms of volunteer involvement. Check with your professors and local elementary-high schools to see if there are positions that you would be interested in where you can be of help such as tutoring. A local church might have positions open either donating time to its congregation or within the community. Local charities, such as food banks and shelters are good places to find a niche. By helping others, you will help yourself, both by getting to know community members, learning a new skill and building the interest section of your résumé.

Record your activities in the interest section of your résumé.

Professional Pursuit is a weekly eCampus blog column about career news and discussions. Please post questions or suggestions, and go to LinkedIn.com and search for SCAD eLearning to join its career-focused group.

Ellen Weinstein will lecture about her work and life as an illustrator on Tuesday, March 1 at 7 p.m. EST.

Ellen Weinstein was born and raised n New York City. She is a graduate of Pratt Institute and New York’s High School of Art and Design. Her awards include American Illustration, Society of Illustrators, Communication Arts, Print Regional design Annual, Society of Publication Designers and The Art Directors Club.

Her exhibitions include “La Favalose Matite Colorate Nel Monodo” featuring the work of 40 women illustrators form around the world, including Rome, Naples and Venice 2006-2008; “Artists against the War”; Society of Illustrators “Favorite Flicks,” Society of Illustrators; and “Inxart,” a traveling Exhibition. Illustration anthologies include “Curvy,” “New York Based Creatives” (from Taiwan), and “Drawing Inspiration: Visual Artists at Work” by Michael Fleishman.

To attend the Ellen Weistein presentation, go to www.livestream.com/scadelearning.

For more about Ellen Weistein, go to www.ellenweinstein.com.

A recording of the David Berman lecture is available online. David Berman is a renowned graphic designer and popular international keynote speaker. He presented his keynote speech “Making The Planet Your Client: Designing Sustainability” to SCAD students through SCAD Connect.

To view the recording of his presentation, go to http://scadconnect.scad.edu/p77017760/. Audio kicks in after a minute and a half of the session.

B&H Tools of the Trade Workshops
Friday, Feb. 18, 9 a.m. EST
The Tools of the Trade event offers students the choice of two concurrently running workshops. This event is focused on video and photography production. All students are welcome to attend. Students have the ability to access the workshops via SCAD Connect. Please log in using your SCAD student username and password.

Adobe Production Premium CS5 Workshops
Presenter: Sebastian Distefano
1. 9 a.m. EST- Native Tapeless Workflows in Production Premium CS5
2. 10:30 a.m. EST – From Stills to Motion, using DSLR cameras featuring the Canon 5D
3. 12 p.m. EST – Deep Dive into Photoshop CS5 Extended for Photographers, Designers and Video Professionals
To join the SCAD Connect meeting, go to MySCAD and look under Personal Announcements.

SCAD DSLR Video Production Workshops
Presenter: Paul Bear Brown (SCAD Faculty)
1. 9 a.m. EST – Building your DSLR Kit
2. 10:30 a.m. EST – DSLR Cinematography
3. 12 p.m. EST – Understanding your DSLR camera
To join the SCAD Connect meeting, go to MySCAD and look under Personal Announcements.

David Sherwin is a senior interaction designer at Frog Design, a global innovation firm, where he helps to guide the research, strategy, and design of novel products and services for some of today’s leading companies. He has worked at a wide range of creative agencies, from large marketing consultancies to smaller interactive agencies for clients such as AT&T, Cingular Wireless, Holland America Line, Onyx, Microsoft, Toshiba, and many others.

Watch the lecture and interact with other viewers online at http://livestream.com/scadelearning starting at 7 p.m. EST.

Join the conversation on Twitter using hashtag #scadef11.

SCAD students in search of effective ways to communicate thoughts and perspectives should contact the Writers’ Studio to schedule an appointment. The studio provides one-on-one and small-group assistance for students, professors and staff interested in taking their written communication to the next level — whether that includes prewriting, developing a thesis statement or structuring ideas in general.

To book an appointment, go to MySCAD > Student Workspace > Learning Resource Network > The Writers’ Studio.

SCAD off-campus programs allow students to earn degree credit while gaining a global perspective on art, architecture and design. Students in all majors will find sessions relevant to their career preparation and will broaden their understanding of other cultures and societies. Go to www.scad.edu/programs/off-campus for information about upcoming short-term programs and quarter-length programs in Lacoste, France, and many other off-campus locations.

2011 Dates

Hong Kong, China: March 24-May 29

Orlando, Florida: March 19-26

Lacoste, France: March 24-May31 and June 23-August 30

A celebrated African American painter, mixed media sculptor, performance artist and illustrator, Faith Ringgold will explore diverse art historical and cultural traditions as well as complex themes of freedom, feminism and race through her rich visual imagery.

The presentation will be streamed live Monday, Janurary 31, at 7 p.m. EST. To attend online, go to http://www.livestream.com/scadelearning at the appropriate time.