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Subject:Re: Tools for newbies (was TW grad school) From:Michael Lewis <lewism -at- BRANDLE -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Fri, 13 Feb 1998 11:38:53 +1100
I share Miles's perspective and views. I recently taught in a document
design course which included workshops on PageMaker (Mac platform). The
reason for the workshops was not to teach people that software (or, more
to the point, that version of the software), but to enable them to
implement their ideas (and to enable them to complete assignments for
assessment). Many of those students will find themselves working on PCs,
and/or using Quark or Frame (or even Word). Assignments were not marked
on whether the software had been used properly, but on the success or
otherwise of the fundamental design.
Miles Kimball wrote:
>
> As an educator, I think I need to put a word in here--
>
> I must say that I agree with John Cornellier that the tools we teach
> students to use are less important than the conceptual skills they learn.
> Conceptual skills give students -- or as I see them,
> professionals-in-training -- the ability to adapt to any new tool that
> comes down the pike -- and you know how quickly they've been coming!
>
> Besides, most universities don't have the funding to keep up with every
> advance in software. I've argued from here to Tuesday that my program needs
> more and more up-to-date software, but the facts of educational funding
> make these purchases unlikely.
>
> By the way, if you know of any companies who might like to contribute
> software -- even out-of-date software -- to a bootstrap program in
> technical writing, let me know. My students are clamoring for more!
>
> For what it's worth---
>
> Miles
>
> Miles A. Kimball
> Asst. Prof. of English
> Murray State University
> miles -dot- kimball -at- murraystate -dot- edu
>
--
Michael Lewis
Brandle Pty Limited, Sydney, Australia
PO Box 1249, Strawberry Hills, NSW 2012
Suite 8, The Watertower, 1 Marian St, Redfern 2016 http://www.brandle.com.au/~lewism
Tel +61-2-9310-2224 ... Fax +61-2-9310-5056
