[iDC] Re: Undermining open source: iTunes U

[Andrea Polli]

It is more and more apparent that digital art/media in academia has 
been hijacked by the software industry.  Professional design and media 
firms use commercial software tools so in order to help students move 
into the professional world we're forced to provide these tools, paying 
the software companies big bucks to create new customers. How do we get 
out of this cycle?   I'd be curious to hear how members on this list 
have addressed this in their programs and curriculum.

Requiring the use of open source tools by not providing access to the 
industry standard software applications in a digital art/media program 
seems like an extreme position that would require total restructuring.  
It seems a program would have to:

-replace software budgets with full time technical and research staff 
to work with the often buggy and undocumented open source tools

-sacrifice the moderate learning curve that allows almost immediate 
visual expression for a steeper learning curve and a limited (at least 
in the short term) expressive capability

-abandon the idea that students will be gaining entry level design 
industry skills for the idea that in the long term their highly 
developed design ability will over-ride their lack of industry standard 
tool experience.  Coming from an urban public university, I have a lot 
of students who didn't learn how to use computers in k-12 and need to 
have jobs outside of school.  I struggle with the idea of addressing 
tools or the 'craft' aspect of digital art and media in curriculum. In 
our embrace of open source, can and should we expect students to learn 
commercial industry tools outside of school if they want industry 
design jobs or to take unrelated jobs until they are at an art 
director/non tool-specific professional level?

It's a real dilemma.
-- 
Andrea Polli
MFA Director
Associate Professor of Integrated Media Arts
The Department of Film and Media, Hunter College
695 Park Ave. New York, NY 10021
t (212) 772-5589
http://www.andreapolli.com