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Desktop Publishing has taught me a plethora of things over the past few weeks.
I would like to reflect on each assignment and reveal my feelings about what
was learned from each. In week 1 we were asked to identify the four basic
principles of design; Contrast, Repetition, Alignment and Repetition, within a
website, an infographic and a poster. I wanted to very thorough when describing
how each element was present. In doing so, I realized that this was the
beginning of me discovering just how this class was made for me in a sense. I
have my undergraduate degree in Interior Design and am very familiar with this
elements but not as they relate to websites and other graphics. I have always been interested in designing
posters and such but for some reason I never related my interior design knowledge
to designing web pages or things of that nature. Throughout completing the
assignment I realized that creativity is creativity…in any genre but the
principles of making things beautiful and understood is a science whether it is
designing a living space or a space to be navigated by online consumers. Discovering this allowed me to be able to
relate more to the assignment and approach each artifact as if it were
something I were designing and if the elements that I would look for as a
designer were in place. We were also required to submit a teaching tool. I
decided to make my tool a poster that would teach the four basic elements that
we were being taught by this assignment. I decided not to be a wimp! As stated
in our reading assignment by Robin Williams. As paraphrased by our assignment
overview, don’t be afraid to make
graphics very bold of very minimal as long as the result complements or
reinforces your design or your attitude (Williams, 2008). This is just what I
did. I wanted to impart my design esthetic into the design of the poster but
always keeping in mind the principles. Be able to post the poster (teaching
tool) to the discussion board was helpful because it allowed for not only feedback
but for me to be able to interact creatively with my colleagues. I was also
able to see how they interpreted the assignment, which I believe is also very
important.
Week 2 was in a word, FUN! We were asked to
list words that described us and from that create a personal logo/brand. This
week I learned a lot about Logos but mostly I learned a lot about how I
perceive myself and how I am perceived by others. I decided to start by taking
advice from L. Alcantara, The author of one of our reading, The art of self-branding. Alcantara suggests
when considering your brand, “define who you think you are…
and then, without revealing that, ask others to reveal who they think you are.” So I did just that. I put a post on Facebook
for my friends and family to describe me in three words. I got plenty of
replies but the one that stuck with me the most was from a former co-worker. I
had only known her a few months but in those months we had talked a lot. She
described me as poised, confident and connected…three words that I have never
used to describe myself, but I loved them! The flow and the design of the words
themselves were just what I had in mind for my brand. This week also introduced
me to a new program which I never knew existed, Gimp. It was not an easy feat
initially but I discovered how to utilize the program to create exactly what I
had in mind to accomplish. This week’s assignment allowed me to further connect
my design background to the work in desktop publishing. We also started the collaborative process of
working on our group web site assignment. I have to admit that I was a bit leery
about a group task because they can be truly frustrating. Discussing with my colleagues
about the subject of branding in schools was very thought-provoking. Branding begins from birth I believe and the
concept should be nurtured throughout a child’s education.
Week 3 exposed me to the art of
Animation. I had never dabbled with animation or the concept of using animation
as a learning tool for students. Studies
have shown that animation enhances learning. According to Understanding Multimedia Learning:
Integrating Multimedia in the K-12 Classroom, when students are able to start and stop animation and view
at their own pace or manipulate the animation it has shown to be more effective.
I decided to work with GoAnimate, a wonderful animation tool powered by YouTube
that was recommended to us by Dr. Borel. It was amazing to see how easy these
tools have become and just how accessible to students and educators. Being able
to be hands on in learning is very pivotal to my learning experience. I was
able to add scenes, transitions and dialogue to make the animation uniquely my
own. The discussion board of the week asked to elaborate on Bloom’s Digital
taxonomy which can be used with co-workers as a way to help them to understand
the process the order of thinking skills. It assist teacher with their ability
to teach and understand the process by which their students learn. In turn
teachers can develop lesson plans and curriculums that are more useful to
students. This theory was enlightening because it is one of my passions to
figure out ways to engage students more through curriculum and more intriguing
lesson plans.
Week 4 brought it all together for me. All the previous elements
learned are now on display. I was able to utilize all the elements learned in
the previous week to create my groups logo and work to bring the concept of out
over all site to fruition. Designing a full website is something that I had
never done so it was very interesting and sometimes difficult getting all the
parts to work cohesively for the project.
Think that I utilized the four principles of design when designing my
assigned pages. I explored different subject and learned about technology in
special education as well as many things about cyber ethics and digital
citizenship. My eyes were opened to just how important technology has become to
all forms of learning and made me see how important this master’s program
really is. The discussion for the week asked if what the web would be like in 5
years. The options are endless and it is exciting to imagine all the new things
to be held in the future of the web, concepts and programs change every day.
Websites can be implemented in the PK-12 classroom in numerous
ways. I think that in the near future schools will have a system such as
Blackboard in place. Students will be able to retrieve readings and assignments
as well as access grades. Students and teachers can interact beyond school
hours on discussion boards or open forums. On the elementary school level,
teachers will be able to interact with parents about assignment and student
progress. Parent can help their children post artwork to school blogs, etc. All
these things will allow interaction between parents, students and teachers
bringing the learning process beyond school walls.
Leaving this class, the things that I learned will carry
through the rest of my master’s journey. The skills acquired through this class
will assist me in endeavors that I have dreamed about for years now. I have
always wanted to start up a website for my small business but I never wanted it
to be cookie cutter. With this knowledge I can express myself and bring my
vision and uniqueness to the site. Collaborating with my colleagues on the
group assignment brought me friends that I believe I will be able to
collaborate with in the future on class projects and beyond. The assignments as
a whole didn’t challenge me so to speak but the means by which they were
completed were new and exciting, but sometimes posed a challenge in the process
to complete the task.
References:
Williams, R. (2008). The Non-Designer’s Design
Book, 3rd Edition. Typographic Principles for the Visual Novice
Alcantara,
L. (2009). The art of self-branding. Retrieved from http://www.lealea.net/blog/comments/the-art-of-self-branding-part-one/
Understanding
Multimedia Learning: Integrating Multimedia in the K-12 Classroom. (2008,
September). Retrieved from
http://www.brainpop.com/new_common_images/files/76/76426_BrainPOP_White_Paper-20090426
