Select one or more of the new technologies reported in the media recently. . Ask your students to develop documentation promoting the new technology to investors or government. Gather a few copies of science and technology magazines and conduct a class analysis of their design style. Focus on the visual elements. New Scientist, for example, uses a large proportion of non-illustrative images such as photos, mostly from photo libraries.
Some magazines have less visual material, others have more.
Ask your students why this approach is used and how it relates to the target audience and style of articles. If possible, encourage the use of technology in design and production of the sample page and use the student's own written material as the text. Assign groups to report on specific issues - social, economic, environmental, scientific and technological. Encourage the groups to use statistical techniques and data to communicate their information and opinions. It can work particularly well if students are equal participants in the seminar rather than just an audience.