Desktop Publishing To Be or Not to Be?

Prompt: Given the current climate of new and flashy is always better, how do you view the future of low-tech tools such as desktop publishing software? Are we at the end of an era with other tools poised to take over? Is there still a worthwhile space for publishing tools in today's curriculum?

In chapter 9 of his book, Big Russ and Me, Tim Russert shares his experiences in seventh grade when Sister Lucille makes him the editor of his school newspaper. Sister Lucille tells Russert that he will give out assignments, edit the copy, lay it out, write the editorials and be the publisher. Tim goes on to say that because his school had no photocopier, the paper was produced on a mimeograph machine. Russert states, “…this was my first lesson that a newspaper or a broadcast required not only content, but an effective way of delivering it as well.” In 1963, after the assassination of President Kennedy, Russert said he learned, “that no publication is too small to have an impact.” Russert sent copies of his school’s memorial issue to Jacqueline Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and President Johnson and received responses from all of them.

Desktop publishing is not going to go away, but it is being refined with updated applications to allow for effective delivery. Just as Russert and his classmates in the sixties learned a lot about teamwork and marketing from their school newspaper, students today need to learn these same skills. While today’s papers may not be duplicated on mimeograph machines, the lessons learned are similar. It takes teamwork, dedication and creativity to compile the important content. Through the use of templates available from desktop publishing software like Pages and Publisher, students are able to spend time focusing on the content. It is the content that has the potential to make an impact on the audience. Desktop publishing software makes producing brochures, newsletters, flyers, posters and invitations easier, while still allowing for creativity as students select the formatting. In addition to developing the content, critical thinking skills are employed as decisions are made about fonts, font sizes and colors, images, and placement. The practice that students receive with their writing skills is another valuable plus to using desktop publishing tools.

In many private schools, students are required to take classes to learn to use desktop publishing tools so that students are able to create quality products that extend their learning for their various classes. In public schools, access to the computers is probably the major obstacle that keeps teachers and students from selecting brochures and flyers as end products for assignments. The goal is for a one to one ratio of students to computers. When that day comes, more may be done using the desktop publishing so that students gain valuable writing and critical thinking skills while creating brochures and newsletters. Desktop publishing software can and should be used across the curriculum. Brochures, for example, can promote candidates and books, describe countries and careers, inform about health-related issues and protecting the Chesapeake Bay. Students have to determine what is important enough to include and what to leave out. Students have to decide what is featured on the front and what is relegated to the back of their products. They need to make sure the products speak for themselves, without further support or explanation.

Creating brochures and newsletters will benefit students who go on to design wikis and web pages. The elements that work in desktop publishing are similar to the elements that work on the World Wide Web. While the process may be a little different than in Russert’s middle school days, the essence is the same. The skills developed while using desktop publishing tools are valuable and create a foundation for publishing in whatever formats may be created in the future.