Both, virtual and printed 3D crystal models can help students and teachers deal with chemical education topics such as symmetry and point groups. In the present paper, two freely downloadable tools (interactive PDF files and a mobile app) are presented as examples of the application of 3D design to study point-symmetry. The use of 3D printing to…

In communication courses, the focus has traditionally been on text: how to craft good news or bad news messages, proposals, reports, and so on. However, rapid developments in printing and computer technology have meant that communication has become more visual than ever before. Words alone are not enough; students need to be able to communicate…

Summarizes how infograhics are produced and how they provide information graphically in high school publications. Offers suggestions concerning information gathering, graphic format, and software selection, and provides examples of computer/student designed infographics. (MM)

Presents 2 articles concentrating on middle-school teaching: 1 that describes how a teacher, using 12 zip-lock sandwich bags and 300 small ceramic tiles, may create "grammar tiles," a method for teaching the parts of speech; and another that describes several innovative ways in which students have learned to work with language while manipulating…

Discusses several theoretical and technical aspects of computer-graphics development that are useful for creating hypermedia and multimedia materials. Topics addressed include primary bitmap attributes in computer graphics, the jigsaw principle, and raster layering. (MSE)

Presents tips for creating a successful schoolwide newsletter by using desktop publishing software applications. Provides examples of information to include in a library media center newsletter. Discusses readers' needs, layout and format, graphics, news leads and headlines, and visual images, as well as various newswriting and editing techniques.…

Discusses the types of problems that arise when text is presented in electronic form: (1) surface design, which involves typography, layout, graphics and illustrations, and the quality of language; and (2) interface design, which is manifested on the levels of immediate surface of the text, internal structure, and external structure. (SKC)

Discusses new possibilities that computers and laser printers offer instructional technologists. Includes a brief history of printed communications, a description of new technological advances referred to as "desktop publishing," and suggests the application of this technology to instructional tasks. (TW)

Discusses the state of desktop publishing (DTP) in education today and describes the weaknesses of the systems available for use in the classroom. Highlights include document design and layout; text composition; graphics; word processing capabilities; a comparison of commercial and educational DTP packages; and skills required for DTP. (four…

A series of computer programs have been developed at Michigan Technological University for use with technical writing and technical communications classes. The first type of program in the series, CURIE II, includes process-based modules, each of which corresponds to one of the following assignments: memoranda, resumes, feasibility reports,…

After placing second in an international school newspaper competition for which they had won first prize seven consecutive years, and discovering that the reasons for the drop included typographical errors and poor printing, the staff of the student newspaper of Danville (Illinois) High School invested in a Macintosh 128K computer. The Macintosh…

Advances in World Wide Web design software, photo compact disk images, print-screening processes, and four- and six-color printing can make the work of campus publications easier, cheaper, and more attractive, but also have potential pitfalls. A preview of the latest innovations, with advantages and disadvantages noted, is offered here. (MSE)