2013MCPhoto: Syllabus

Photo I

Mountain Crest High School

Mr. Steve Williams

Winter 2013-14

This course is designed for students who have little to no experience with digital photography. Students with more experience taking pictures and using settings on their cameras will be given the opportunity to expand on their current knowledge and further develop their skills.

This course is set up as a student driven course with some of the concepts of a flip classroom. This means the students are responsible for using the online content and articles to learn the content and take the photos as part of their homework and bring the photos to class to compete the lab activities in the computer lab classroom. This concept is flipped from the traditional classroom hence the name “flip classroom”. Some short demonstrations and lectures will occur in the classroom but most of the content will be learned through online resources including blogs, PowerPoint, videos, and tutorials. Additional help will be given by the teacher in the classroom as needed.

Requirements:

· A digital camera is required for this course. A simple point and shoot camera will work for the assignments however a DSLR (such as a cannon Txi) with a 50mm lens is preferred (a point a shoot can be used for some of the assignments but is not recommended as the camera for the course). Because access to a camera is essential to this course, your first assignment will be to identify and describe the camera you will use. This assignment will need to be signed by your parents so they understand the camera policy, and if you do not complete this assignment on time you may be removed from the class.

· A binder to compile a portfolio of assignments for use after the course is over.

· A Google account (free) to create a blog used for turning in your assignments. (your school account will work)

Projects:

All projects will be posted on the blog found at MCPhoto1.blogspot.com. The projects will occur throughout the trimester. They will require the students to demonstrate their understanding of key concepts. Projects are worth 100 points and will be graded using a rubric. Late projects will result in a 10% reduction and further penalties possible for extreme situations.

Lab Fee:
There is a $5 lab fee that covers the materials used in class and can be paid to the fee window.

Assignments:

All assignments will be posted on the blog found at MCPhoto1.blogspot.com. All assignments will be submitted by posting to the student’s blog and will be graded on Fridays. If an assignment is not recorded correctly it is the student’s responsibility to inform the instructor and use their blog to demonstrate the assignment was completed. Most assignments will be worth 10 points and late assignments will result in a 10% automatic reduction to the grade with further penalties possible for extreme situations.

All photos taken for each assignment should include the following shooting information:

· Camera Used

· Lens Used

· F-stop

· Shutter speed

· ISO

For example:

Canon 5D, Canon 50mm f1.4

f/1.4 at 1/125th of a second, ISO 1600,

Extra Credit Challenges:

Throughout the trimester you will be given opportunities to gain extra credit points by completing challenges. These challenges will involve putting to use techniques and/or methods learned earlier in the course. Each extra credit challenge is optional and worth 2 points.

Syllabus: (time schedule)

Please note the following syllabus is a working syllabus and is constantly changing and being adapted to meet the needs of the class.

Week 1:

Lesson 1 – Welcome and syllabus

Lesson 2 – Creating blogs

Lesson 3 – Exploring camera types and accessories

Lesson 4 – Defining your own camera

Lesson 5 – Posting pictures to your blog

Lesson 6 – Quiz / Work day

Week 2:

Lesson 1 – Setting the ISO

Lesson 2 – Work day

Lesson 3 – Adjusting Aperture

Lesson 4 – Quiz / Work day