Friday, April 21, 2017

A Talking about DMD: Meet with Thomas E. German

Xinyi Chen, November 10, 2006
 This Wednesday afternoon at 2:10, I met with Thomas E. German in his office and interviewed him with some questions about his teaching life in DMD (Digital Media Design) major of Muskingum University. Thomas E. German am associate professor in DMD major, he was a student that has been graduated from Muskingum University and after graduating he worked for CNN and Ohio State University, also he is my advisor. We had good time in this interview and enjoyed it.
  German has been working in Muskingum for 9 years since 2007, before he works in Muskingum, he worked in television production for about 10 years, but German thought it isn’t interesting actually. Then he worked for Ohio State University in their television station, they gave him an opportunity to take master’s classes and graduate from school for free, so he gets master degree from Ohio State University and goes on his PHD. German told me that if you graduate school for PHD, there is not a lot of options for most people, you basically be trained to be a professor and researchers or some sorts.
    “So, as I finished up, there was a job that sounds like perfect to me, that was Muskingum, so I applied for it and get hired.”
  After that I asked him what is the favorite class when he teach DMD, German answered that it is visual communication (DMD-300). You need to do and learn a lot in visual communication. He told me that many students would have some misunderstandings about this class and have many questions, what’s the signs, symbols and environments might mean, and maybe they don’t understand that they can interpret differently by variety people. He really like how students come to understand things and it is interested. German told me that visual communication is not easy to learn and you have to learn a lot for it, it is a challenging class.
  “A lot of people I think have signed up for that class because it sounds very interesting sounds very cool, maybe fun and I think it is fun, but it also need to learn at the same time.”
  About the favorite part of his job, he said: “Watching student and young people start to gain a better understandings and appreciation of things that we teach.” As a professor, a teacher, it is a great honor and achievement to light up students’ interest and become involve with DMD major.
  Then we talked about the tendency of DMD and convergent medias’ developing and the importance in this internet era. German claimed that they are emerging major programs today, “Emerging means it is constantly and possibly changes.” Then he shared his experience about his teaching content changing. In 2007, no one has iphone because smart phone wasn’t created, now, you need to do a lot of design by using multiple equipment and technology, and they will change very fast, so you have to learn new staff new technology on and on. So today’s DMD classes is not same as past. “It is good,” German said, “It is good things to keep learning.” He smiled and said that if you teach the same class over and over in several years, you will get bored.
  The last question is about the hobby or the favorite thing he like to do outside of class. German said he loves music and pursue music. He plays trombone and he join in a local community band. Also he can play a little bit guitar and drums, and he said it is fun to play them for his cat and himself.

   After the interview, we talked about more about the DMD class, the differences between digital art design and art design, I got a lot of information about the DMD major and know more about my future work line. I really appreciate to have this chance to talk with Prof. Thomas E. German.

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