Journal Entry 9

Well, this journal entry is a bitter, sweet one. This is my last journal entry for the IDD program, which is kind of a sad moment. It is weird for me to be finishing school, because I feel like it has been a huge part of my life. However, I am very excited to be graduating in a week. I am looking forward to my newfound free time! My time in the program has taught me a lot about design and development. Not only have my professors taught me well, I have learned so much from my peers. For example, I never realized how involved the 508 compliance is. One student, Diego, is very knowledgeable about this topic. He is so detailed about this that he has the cursor turn into a hand, so the user knows which icons are buttons on the screen. After talking with him, I changed this in my project. I also tweaked things such as making sure that my Where’s Walker section notifies the user when they have clicked a right or wrong answer. Now the user knows exactly what they clicked. It always helps for my peers to look at my project and get a different perspective.

I feel that I have grown so much over the past year and a half. Sebastian Fiedler (1999) states, “Learning outcomes can be defined as changes which take place in our thinking, feeling, and acting. It is the intended learning outcome that provides the criteria for evaluating the effectiveness and the quality of one's learning” (para. 75). This statement really stuck out to me because as I reflect about my time in the studio course, I feel that I have been successful. The project I made this semester is the best I have done so far.  I really tried to take in everything I have learned about design and development and apply it to this project. I paid attention to details that I have never really considered before. This is probably the project I am most proud of. I have really enjoyed this last Studio course, as it has been very informative and interesting at the same time. I never realized there were so many aspects of design and not just appearance until taking this course. I am looking forward to where this program will take me after graduation and in my work place!

                                                                       

References

Fiedler, Sebastian (1999). The Studio Experience: Challenges and Opportunities for Self-Organized Learning. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia, Department of Instructional Technology

Journal Entry 8

        We recently had our showcase dress rehearsal. It was neat to see some of the different projects people are working on. One project I got to see was Donna Mitchell’s GPA calculator. What a cool project. She is using Captivate for her project, which was neat to see because that is the program I am using. I was able to get some tips from her in regards to buttons in Captivate. Another student, Diego was able to give me some good tips as well. He helped me understand the different buttons in captivate better and how to create roll over buttons to make my buttons more noticeable. He walked me through the steps of creating these types of buttons and showed me an example from his project. Having more noticeable buttons is also something I need to keep in mind for 508 compliance. The user will clearly be able to identify the buttons. He also showed me how to create closed captioning for my videos. I had planned to just create a script for these but this is a much more efficient and cleaner idea. It looks pretty professional too! By having the closed captioning I can maximize my slide space too by making my video viewer bigger. It is always nice when others are able to look at your project and offer outside advice. Many times what we think is great can be better based on the user’s thoughts. Nelson and Stolterman (2003) state “to design is to be creative and innovative, but more importantly design is to cause things and/or people to stand together as a unified whole—a composition” (p.  207). I completely agree with this statement and that is why I think having the showcase dress rehearsal and desk crit assignments are so important for us in this program. We are able to learn from one another and grow as designers. These activities allow us to truly focus and make our projects the best they can be. “Once the designer dives in fully, it is one of the most inspiring and rewarding activities imaginable” (Nelson & Stolterman, 2003, p. 223). This statement is so powerful to me because I do feel like I have to devote and learn all that I can to make my project the best that it can be. This not only helps me as a designer, but also gives my user the best experience they can have. I cannot wait for my classmates to try my final project!

                                                           

References

Nelson, H. & Stolterman, E. (2003). The design way. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Educational Technology Publications.

Journal Entry 7

      This week in class we had another group desk crit. I decided to participate in this session again. I really enjoyed the group desk crit session last time and it really helped me enhance my project. Since the last group desk crit, I have come a long way. My project was all on paper and very basic, but now it is in PowerPoint and much more detailed. I received some great feedback in regards to my project. My pictures do not pop out enough from the background, so I am going to look at putting a frame around them to create a clean, crisp look against my background. In one of my pictures, I need to resize Walker to make him look more proportional. In my about me section, I have quite a bit of text. An idea that was presented was to take pictures of me and break up the text. It will almost be a photo story effect. In my pictures I could create speech bubbles to keep the cartoon theme going. I really enjoy the clipart in a real photo effect. I can also use this idea in the Where’s Walker section. Throughout the project it was recommended that I have less text and more audio. I agree with this recommendation since my audience is children. I will just have to figure out a way to create a script to be in compliance with the 508 rule.         

       Sitting in these group desk crits has helped me realize that there is more to the project than the content itself. The design of the project is what grabs your audience’s attention. There are looks or aesthetics that are important to the project. Wilson (2005) discusses that “designers don’t fully determine or control the learning experience, but they fashion available resources to help learners have a particular kind of effective learning experience” (para. 37). I want my students to have that “effective learning experience” when they complete my media center orientation. I may think that something looks good, but after allowing other eyes to see it I can learn how to make it look better. Creating an all around good look for my project as well as keeping my content intact is part of being a designer. This is something that has stuck out to me this semester as I have continued to learn about design and the process of being a designer.

                                                           

References

Wilson, B. G. (2005). Broadening our foundation for instructional design: Four pillars of practice. Educational Technology, 45 (2), 10-15.

Journal Entry 6

      Well, I am about done with my PowerPoint prototype. I was able to create more graphics for my program. I inserted my eagle clipart into the pictures of the media center for the guessing game. I really like how they look! This project is really coming together and I get more excited about it every time I work on it. I like the hand drawn cartoon look I have created for this project. It looks very child friendly. I inserted my shelf marker song video into the prototype as well. The only thing I need to add is my demonstration video for using Web Safari for the students. Web Safari is our online catalog. I was planning to use my home computer, however I will not be able to start from the desktop icon like the computers at school. I think for it to really benefit my users, I need to demonstrate it as if they are using it. All of my parts are coming together nicely.

       This week I read Wilson’s article on “The Four Pillars of Practice” was an interesting read. It allowed me to look deeper into what designing instruction should be. All of the pillars are important when it comes to design. The second pillar really stuck out to me. Wilson (2005) states, “These second pillar principles help designers keep in mind the need authenticity, rich information resources, and links to the world outside of instruction” (para. 25). I like that he mentions as designers we must look past the instruction and how it will help the learner outside of the instruction itself. I feel that so many times we are concerned with the content, but not so much how the learner can use the content to further their learning. It is important for my project to help my students learn how to find resources independently. I am hoping that my project is a fun learning experience they can come back to whenever they need to, to enhance their search skills, even for use outside of school.

       My goal for the upcoming week is to obviously have things ready for the upcoming showcase dress rehearsal. More specifically, to finish my prototype quickly. Then I need to get my prototype into Captivate as a working interactive media center orientation module. Hopefully putting it all together in Captivate will not be too challenging! I can’t wait to see my first draft of the project in Captivate.

                                               

References

Wilson, B. G. (2005). Broadening our foundation for instructional design: Four pillars of practice. Educational Technology, 45 (2), 10-15.

Journal Entry 5

      This week I have been working to get a good prototype of my project into PowerPoint. In chapter 10 of Designing Interactions, Moggridge (2007) states, “prototype early and often, making each interactive step a little more realistic” (p. 643). I feel that if I can get my design and layout the way I would like for it to look, then once I get into Captivate I can focus on the interactivity. One of my classmates made the point that by having your design and graphics complete before working in Captivate, it will be easier to manipulate buttons and other interactivity features. It will also save time because the graphics will be completed.

       Other items I have worked on this week are creating my video for the shelf marker song and taking pictures of my media canter for the “Where’s Walker” tour. As I was filming my video, a student happened to be in the media center watching me. She thought it was neat that I was singing a song to teach shelf marker skills. I actually had 2 songs that I was working with and she heard both of them. She approached me and asked me whom I was making the video for and what age group would be watching it. I was floored that a child could think ahead about audience. This is one of the very important things we discuss in Studio as part of the design process and I couldn’t believe I had a child asking me that question. I thought to myself what a smart child! Moggridge (2007) states, “his first principle in design is to think first about the people part of the design: Who are the users? What do they want from the experience? What will give them satisfaction and enjoyment? (p. 665). With that child asking me that question, I knew which song I had to use because the other one just did not fit my age group. I want my students to understand how to effectively and appropriately use the media center at my school. I want my project to look kid friendly and have the basic information needed for the students to be successful when they come to the media center.

       My goals this week are to continue working on my prototype in PowerPoint, continuing sketching some graphics for my site, and use Photoshop to insert Walker (an eagle) into my pictures for the media center. I would love to be able to get everything into my PowerPoint prototype, so that I can begin working with the interactivity in Captivate soon. I really like the way things are looking for my project, and I continue to be excited to work on it each week.

                                   

References

Moggridge, B. (2007). Designing interactions. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Journal Entry 4

       I really enjoyed the group desk crit. It was helpful getting feedback form multiple people at once. I also liked seeing what other people in the class had come up with so far for their projects this semester. We really have some creative people in our cohort. Some of the suggestions given to me were to either create an icon; an eagle perhaps, for students to click on to enter each module or simply add text boxes. Dr. Kopcha suggested actually cutting and pasting these things onto my original drawing to see how much real estate these items take up. In feedback that he gave me this week he also suggested getting my drawing into PowerPoint to create another prototype. I have met my goal for the last journal of creating my drawing and getting it into Photoshop, so I think creating the prototype is going to be my next goal. I am really enjoying getting to work on this project. It is always easier to get things done when you enjoy what you are doing.

        Last week in class we talked more about giving desk crits and the purpose they serve for us as designers. This made me think back to Gibbons article “Contexts of Instructional Design”. His article discussed finding a purpose for creating projects and thinking about the foundations of which the project is created for. Gibbons (2011) states, “The importance of design contexts begins with the assumption that what designers think they are designing guides their choice of the design architecture and of the building blocks they use in their designs” (p. 11). Not only am I thinking of the building blocks for my project, but others are helping me get to a final product that is beneficial to the user through the desk crits and design conversations that I have in class. As I continue to receive feedback and develop my project I need to remember that “A designer’s job does not involve choosing one design problem to the exclusion of the others as much as it involves climbing upward using the continuum of problems to reach the level of problem that leads to the most powerful and innovative design solutions for a given context and purpose” (Gibbons, 2011, p. 10). My design context can involve more than one trajectory and I can move up the ladder through time, however it may not always be necessary. One thing throughout the process is to remember that things can change and change is not always a bad thing.

                       

References

Gibbons, A. S. (2011). Contexts of instructional design. The Journal of Applied Instructional Design, 1(1).

Journal Entry 3

        So it is time that I get busy on my project for this studio class. Honestly I am having a hard time setting time aside to do so. It seems like the other class I am taking this semester and the portfolio for graduation are consuming my time. However, I was able to create some sketches of my project. I took the advice my professor; Dr. Kopcha gave us. He suggested sketching a prototype in crayon. He said that it will give us a better idea of the real estate we will have to work with on the computer, while also being an outlet for stress. I must say that it was beneficial. Not only did it help me relax by coloring, but it also got me going on creating my project. I was able to layout a basic outline of the interactivity of my project. Parrish (2006) states, “the most critical ID skill is the ability to step outside one’s own perspective and see the design through the learner’s eyes” (p. 72). I agree with this statement because I can create a project that I absolutely love, but if I do not have my learner in mind, then the project will serve no purpose. I honestly think by creating my prototype, I am able to see the outline of my project through a learner’s perspective. I can get a basic idea of what will happen when someone clicks on different parts of the main screen.

         I am looking forward to the group desk crit this week. I think it will be beneficial in giving me some much-needed feedback.  The members of the group will be able to look at my prototype from a different perspective than mine and offer valuable advice. I am curious to see what suggestions they have to offer. I plan to be able to use my project at school with my students, so I want to make sure all perspectives are taken into consideration. My goal this week is take the advice I get from the desk crit and apply what I feel is necessary. I would like to get a good sketch of the main screen scanned and imported into Photoshop. I think by setting small goals each week with this project, I will stay on task and not fall behind on the completion. If I am able to do more than my goal for the week, then that will be a bonus. I think setting goals is important anytime a project is created, however, I feel it is necessary in order for me to create my project on time.

           

References

Parrish, P. (2006). Design as storytelling. TechTrends, 50(4), 72-82.