Innovation & Technology

Innovation & Technology

Our Innovation and Technology Department offers students the chance to immerse themselves in 21st Century learning and “real-world” skills that are important to their success in college, career, and life. This new and expanding department allows students and faculty from all departments the opportunity to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects which emphasize doing, creating, and innovating. Students have a choice of courses including, Kiski STEAM, an introductory science, technology, engineering, arts, and math course; Inventionland Institute, an entrepreneurial course in partnership with Inventionland Incorporated; Media Production Studio, a client based, targeting, marketing, and production course; and Computer Applications, in which students explore existing Apps and learn to design their own.

Coding

Coding is a semester elective intended to give students an introduction to the art of programming. Using an object oriented approach, emphasizing stepwise refinement and top down design, students will be introduced to problem solving methodologies and algorithm development. While the focus language of the course will be Java, other languages including the scripting languages of Python, Perl, and JavaScript may be used. Students interested in the fields of Engineering and Computer Science are encouraged to take this course, however this is not required, coding is for everyone! There are no prerequisites for this course but students who have already taken Computer Applications, Digital Media, Production, or Robotics will be well prepared for coding.

The Computer Applications course is a semester course designed to accommodate today’s ever-changing technological climate. A laboratory-oriented class, the focus of the material presented is to make certain that students become competent end-users. Adapting to the most current technologies the course model varies from semester to semester. Students are exposed to a multitude of software applications, hardware, and programming tools.

This semester-long class is designed to introduce students to visual design principles and concepts as applied to digital media-based projects.  It offers students an opportunity to learn the essentials of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator and explore the Adobe Creative Suite.

In this interdisciplinary, project-based course, students will use hands-on, real -world innovative technology and entrepreneurial skills to take their own original ideas and turn them into working prototypes. Students learn the methods developed by Inventionland founder and CEO George Davison`82. Teams work collaboratively to generate ideas and develop a concept model, and then engineer each part of their invention in the Innovation Lab, using CAD technology.
Each team’s design is made using 3-D printing technology. To visually sell their idea, each team will use the graphic design tool Adobe Illustrator to construct the external packaging for their invention. Each team then creates a product sample of their invention, develop a marketing pitch and film an infomercial. The course culminates in a “Shark Tank” presentation in front of professional entrepreneurs and inventors.

In this semester long elective, students will be exposed to all phases of the media production process, including any necessary software, equipment, and hard skills required to complete a list of productions.  Four competitive group projects will be completed throughout this semester long course in the areas of video, photography, graphics, and music/audio.  Students will meet with “clients” (who are members of various areas and disciplines within the Kiski community) to mimic real world production meetings.  Each group will then create their representation of the client’s needs, with the client ultimately picking their favorite production.  Each product will follow a similar progression with some variance dependent on the medium: Client meeting, concept design, creative brief, pitch approval, scripting/designing, story/mood boarding, pre-production coordination, production, post-production, client feedback and final approval, distribution of content.

Kenneth-Anthony Clarke

Josh Sunday