DESIGN | FH JOANNEUM

Mark Allen_Machine Project Lecture Performance

Karl Stocker — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:17:42 +0000

Yesterday at the Designmonats designHalle we had an amazing lecture by Mark Allen from Machine Project. Allen who works as an artist, educator and curator based in Los Angeles, is the founder and executive director of Machine Project, a non-profit performance and installation space in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. For more information please take a look at their website.

And as you can see at the photos, Mark Allen too did a really great performance. So please subscribe to his workshops!

Photography: Karl Stocker

Bart Tunnissen_Waag Society & Creative Research

Karl Stocker — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:02:47 +0000

These days Bart Tunnissen from Amsterdams Waag Society visits our departments for holding both a workshop and a lecture. Tunnissen yesterday in the Designmonat Graz designHalle presented us Waag Society’s design approach which is quite different as it is the Austrian custom. Waag Society works society driven, has a very strong focus to let user groups participate in internet, new media and technology that otherwise have limited access. Their method of “Creative Research” brings applications that are suited to needs and possibilities of their users and is related to participatory design, rapid prototyping, practice based research and tinkering.

Highly recommended, check out their website.

Photography: Karl Stocker

Cities and Design

Karl Stocker — Wed, 09 May 2012 15:44:49 +0000

In 2011 Paul L. Knox, Distinguished Professor and Senior Fellow for International Advancement at Virginia Tech published the remarkable book “Cities and Design”. It discusses the complex relationships between design and urban environments. With its socio-historical approach and with many case studies this publication is a highly recommended instrument for people who are working in the fields of design. It offers a social perspective on the economic and cultural contexts of design in contemporary city development. Anyone who is interested in topics like “Muzeumization and the experience economy” or “Globalization and ‘starchitecture’”, please take your time and read the book.

Citation Typography: Lucia Jarosova

AUF, NEBEN UND ZWISCHEN DEN STÜHLEN

Erika Thümmel — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:30:50 +0000

The interaction of analog and digital worlds, exemplified by works of graphic designer, writer, musician and FH JOANNEUM Lecturer Fritz Herms. Don’t miss this exhibition (on, next to and between the chairs) @ Design Month Opening. Looking forward seeing you there.

Exhibition open from april 28 to may 27, 2012 (Mo-Sa 12:00 – 19:00)

Event venue: designHalle, 62 Lazarettgürtel, 8020 Graz

Photography: ciscommunity / Creative Industries Styria

IATEFL @ Glasgow

Martina König — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:32:21 +0000

Martina König, language teacher in the department of Information Design, attended and gave a talk at the 46th annual international IATEFL conference and exhibition, held at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC – see photo) in Glasgow from 19th to 23rd of March 2012, among 4000 other delegates. The conference offered five exciting plenary sessions and around 500 interesting talks, workshops, debates and symposiums.

On the pre-conference day, traditionally dedicated to the Special Interest Groups (SIGs), I joined the SIG of “Learning Technologies” in which the role of the teacher as innovative learning designer was elaborated on and the influence of the use of new media on foreign language teaching was discussed. Special focus was put on mobile learning , e.g. the use of appropriate teaching apps. Led by experts in the respective fields such as Gary Motteram, Diana Laurillard or Scott
Thorne the plenary sessions as well as the workshops and lectures opened up new insights of how digital technologies can enhance the learning experience in so many different ways – through analytical tools, online communication through text, audio and video, multimedia presentations, digital games, virtual reality environments…almost every type of digital technology can actually enhance some aspect of learning. There is so much language teachers could do with technology-based innovation, but this is also a huge demand on teachers, of course.
Other workshops were held in the fields of Business English, English for Specific Purposes, ES(O)L, Global Issues, Leadership&Management, Learner Autonomy, Literature, Media&Cultural Studies, Pronunciation, Research, Teacher Development, Teacher Training&Education, Testing, Evaluation&Assessment and Young Learners and Teenagers.
The talk I gave was embedded into the overall topic of English for Specific Purposes (ESP) and broached the issue of the use of an authentic text as basis for ESP teaching, and of the development of didactically relevant, motivating, multimedia-based teaching material.
The conference also hosted a great exhibition where over 50 organisations brought us up-to-speed on latest developments – one could get an overview of new books, exams, online materials and more.
The British Council, which annually hosts the IATEFL Conference, also organised evening events where delegates could not only indulge in networking receptions or celebrate new editions of teaching books with Cambridge or Oxford University Press but also connect with like-minded individuals from all around the world. One of the evening events included a live show on some Scottish themes in literature presented by the leading, world-famous linguist David Crystal (see photo: “linguistic groupie”), his wife Hilary Crystal and his son, the renowned actor and author, Ben Crystal.