Virtual Education Journal March 2012

Page 52

52

Name: David Dixon Why Are You Here? I teach graphic design, illustration, and related computer art courses at East Tennessee State University. I began using Second Life to stay informed of emerging graphics technologies, and found it to be a fascinating platform for testing and sharing creative ideas. I maintain a virtual gallery on the ETSU site that includes a variety of student work: graphic designs, illustrations, paintings, drawings, and photographs. I use the Second Life gallery as a resource for demonstration purposes and as a virtual studio for student projects. Students gain practice in using conventional graphics software for creating designs in RL, and use the virtual gallery as a venue for presentation. Students have tested their logo designs on t-shirts created in my Graphic Design I class. They have also used the building tools to make 3d models that would be cost-prohibitive and wasteful to produce in RL, such as human-scaled, point-of-purchase displays for my Display and Package Design class. My illustration class has used SL for creating illustrated narratives, too, taking snapshots to use in scenes that would be impossible in RL.


Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.