Florida DOE Adopts Macromedia Web Design Curriculum
San Francisco – May 21, 2004 – Macromedia announces that Digital Design: Foundations in Web Design, a year-long, project-based curriculum that teaches the professional web design process, has been adopted for Computer Education and Business Technology Education, Grades 6-12 courses based upon the recommendation of the Florida State Instructional Materials Committee. The Digital Design curriculum enables Florida educators to provide a proven and tested web design curriculum using the Macromedia Studio MX suite of web tools, which includes Macromedia Flash, Dreamweaver, and Fireworks, and FreeHand. For more information on these products or the adoption, visit: http://www.macromedia.com/resources/education/curriculum/digitaldesign/florida/.
Macromedia understands the importance of helping schools implement a web design program that prepares students with the technical skills and business skills needed in today’s workplace,” said Megan Stewart, Global Schools Director, Macromedia. “Students value Macromedia products because they are the industry-standard professional web design tools that help them acquire digital skills that are essential, regardless of the career path they choose to pursue”.
The 150-hour project-based curriculum guide introduces teachers and students to professional web design and web-authoring tools. Students focus on developing critical work skills: project-management, web-design and technology, plus research and communication proficiencies. Through the program, students have the opportunity to work with clients – either non-profit organizations in the community or school-related organizations. Students graduate with a portfolio of personal web designs and a portfolio of client work.
“Web-design students gain real-world skills by experiential learning,” said Rick Reece, Educational Specialist with Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Web Design Academies. “We want to help them understand what the business world is like while they’re in a learning environment. They graduate with professional skills and self-confidence from working in the business world.”
Macromedia collaborated with educators from the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to create this web design curriculum as part of the Information Technology (IT) Career Cluster Initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and the National School-to-Work Office.
Digital Design aligns with key national technology standards, including both of the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards for Students and National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies IT Skills Standards.
Supplemental guides supporting the Digital Design curriculum are also available. The Digital Design Staff Development Guide is a professional development resource to enable schools to prepare instructors to teach the Digital Design Curriculum Guide. Digital Design Concepts and Technical Guide is a student companion book designed for use with Digital Design Curriculum Guide, providing information about web design and development topics plus step-by-step explanations for tasks in Macromedia Studio MX.
Florida has also adopted Macromedia Studio MX Step-By-Step, a textbook about Macromedia software designed for secondary school and college technology courses. The book includes a substantial project for each of the products in Macromedia Studio MX (Macromedia Flash, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and FreeHand), while focusing on skills needed to produce commercial websites. Students learn the fundamental features and functions of a product as they build a media-rich company website.
For more information on Florida adoption, please visit the Florida Department of Education’s website at: http://www.firn.edu/doe/instmat/home0015.htm. To view the entire newly adopted list, please visit: http://www.firn.edu/doe/instmat/pdf/newlyad.pdf.
PRICING AND AVAILABILITY
Florida educators may purchase the Digital Design Curriculum Guide for $311.50 or Macromedia Studio MX: Step-by-Step Projects for $41.50 from the Florida School Book Depository. For more information on these products, please visit: http://www.macromedia.com/resources/education/curriculum/digitaldesign/florida/.
Digital Design Concepts and Technical Guide is $24.50 and Digital Design Staff Development Guide is $121.00. The Macromedia Studio MX Site License Solution offers Macromedia Studio MX software for Macintosh and Windows for use throughout the entire school, teaching curriculum, online training, and software home-use rights for teachers. The solution is available for one set price based on school enrollment. For more information on these products, to purchase, or to find a reseller, please visit: http://www.macromedia.com/resources/education/k12/.
