What this class is
Students make real work for a real purpose, then explain the choices they made
They learn professional software — but the larger goal is learning to plan, make sound decisions, solve problems, use feedback, and direct their own work.
I set the purpose, the safety rules, the deadline, and the proof a student needs to show. Your student chooses the topic, the style, the tools, and the creative answer inside those limits. Think of an obstacle course: the objective is to reach the end, and taking a different responsible route is not cheating just because it is different.
The rules
Two sets, and both are simple
Daily policies
- Phones stay in backpacks unless I permit them for a class task.
- No eating in class.
- Water only, in a sealed container.
- No water on the computer tables.
- Computers are for the assigned project.
Studio habits
- Arrive on time and ready to work.
- Use class time for the assigned project.
- Follow classroom, safety, and equipment rules.
- Give and take feedback respectfully.
- Save the work, or show progress, before leaving.
Points can be deducted when a student breaks a classroom or school-wide policy. Nothing here is a surprise — students hear all of it in the first week and it stays posted for the year.
Grading
The finished product matters, but it is not the only thing graded
I do not grade whether I personally like a student’s style. I grade visible evidence of purposeful work. Two categories carry the grade.
Daily studio habits
Participation, judged on the studio habits above — preparedness, focused work time, safety, and respectful critique.
Project evidence
- Purpose, direction, and thoughtful choices
- Proof the work developed over time — drafts, tests, versions
- A response to feedback, testing, or a real problem
- Useful peer reviews, and a response to the reviews received
- Technical, safety, file, and credit requirements
- A clear presentation and reflection
This is why a student who turns in a polished file with no process behind it does not automatically earn full credit — and why a student who hits a real problem, adjusts, and explains it can do very well. If there is no evidence, I cannot give feedback or credit for the thinking.
Every project, same path
Six steps, repeated all year
The steps do not change from project to project. What changes is how open the project is and how much your student decides alone.
- Think itName the purpose, the audience, and the limits.
- Plan itChoose a direction. Sketch, test, name the next action.
- Make itBuild it, and save proof of progress along the way.
- Fix itUse feedback or a real problem to improve it, and say what changed.
- Show itShare it with the audience. Review two classmates; two review you.
- Assess itExplain what worked, what changed, and what carries forward.
What I will ask of you
One short update per project
Once during each major project, your student sends you a brief update and copies me. It shows their current work and their next step, along with a tardy count I have verified and a short, factual note on classroom conduct or learning habits.
You only need to acknowledge that you read it. You are not grading or approving the project. If email does not work for your family, tell me and I will set up an approved alternative. These updates stay private — they never appear on any public page.
AI and privacy
Approved tools, labeled use, student judgment
How AI is allowed
We use approved, school-appropriate tools for research, organization, and trying variations. Students must direct the tool with their own purpose, label where they used it, and stay responsible for accuracy, taste, and the final work. AI cannot make the important choices for them.
Submitting AI work as fully original without disclosure, using unapproved tools, or using AI to impersonate a real person is not allowed, and is handled through school discipline procedures depending on severity.
How student work is protected
Students learn to protect personal and student privacy, credit sources, and recognize bias and misinformation. Faces, names, and private information do not go into unapproved systems.
Anything created with generative tools is made inside approved classroom systems with safeguards, and I review it before anything is shared publicly.
Where to look
Two places, and they do different jobs
Canvas
The official record. Current assignments, due dates, submissions, rubric results, my private feedback, grades, and progress. When you want to know how your student is doing, this is the place.
The Student Hub
The teaching side. Tutorials, design guides, class slides from each day, examples of finished student work, and creative references. Nothing is graded here — it is what students use while they work.
opa-student-hub.crackle-uracil5a.workers.dev/student-hub/