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