5366+Course+Reflection

Course Reflection - EDLD 5366 - ET 8028

Digital Graphics and Web Design

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When beginning this course, I was expecting to gain knowledge in developing web sites, and other types of media. I was not certain how this would apply in the classroom. The first couple of lessons seemed to reinforce these thoughts. We talked about the principals of design, and how to recognize it and apply it. //The Non-Designer's Design Book// was very useful in applying these concepts. It gave a good basic overview of the principles and elements used in their application. Developing a logo also fell into this category for me. When we started creating the animation and discussing it's applications in the classroom, the information began to be more relevant for me. I learned more from this class than I was expecting, and found that it was relevant for my use in the classroom.======

I learned how to add new information in new ways, as well as learning new ways to give known information. By using new formats that use multimedia, multi sensory approaches, I have learned how to make information more approachable for students. It is now more interesting and more easily learned because it addresses multiple senses and approaches to learning. The Digital Bloom's Taxonomy is a great guide to help teachers increase the level of their thinking skills when applying these multimedia activities to the information they are trying to teach.

I enjoyed learning new ways to approach things that I already knew. I took the information and explored ways to apply it and ways to expand on it. I completed the assignment, then took the information and explored other ways to apply it. I hope my students would approach it in much the same way. They would learn how to use the tool, and then expand on it and make it an effective learning experience.

**__Learn as a Learner__**
When I began to develop my plan for the assignement, I decided to research information to include in the required pages. This helped me to decide what kind of page set-up that I wanted to use. It would include the different types of media I wanted to include, as well as to help address the design principles.I made a list of needed components before I decided on a design. This helped me to address the design principles in a logical manner. It was not just a random design.

I felt that my performance was competent. I was able to lay out the information in a manner that addressed the four design principles, and included the required information. I was also able to include a sample of media presentations to make the topic and page more interesting. I felt that I was able to apply the information that I learned in a useful and relevant manner.

The discussion boards, and the interaction with my peers through e-mails and the project wiki helped to clarify my thoughts and direct the approach to how I wanted to address the assignment. We each addressed topics of our choosing, but we worked together to create a product that was cohesive and consistent throughout the whole.

__**Lifelong Learning Skills**__
I know that I learn much better when I interact with the information that I am trying to learn. SEG Research found that "Our ability to process information is a multi-step process that involves the perception, attention, selection, organization, and integration of information (Sweller, 2003). I like to play with what I am learning. If I have access to a computer, I will approach the topic in a variety of ways including video, images, text, and a variety of research information. I like to see how it interacts with other topics and the ways to use the information once I have it. The more I can "play" with the information, the more I will retain it and be able to apply it at a later time.

My collaboration with peers affects my learning because it provides me a different outlook and approach to information. Their viewpoint may give me a new starting point, or a new way to connect the information with my prior knowledge. I see things from my viewpoint. This is not always the best vantage point when approaching new information. By being able to see things through someone else's viewpoint, I may be able to see around the edge of a problem that I have been unable to see previously.

Topics that grab my attention, that make me want to learn more usually have to do with ways to approach things in a new way. A way to make life better. This can be in a vital life changing way, but may just as often be in a way to make someone smile or laugh. A way to interact in a positive manner. Many times, the little things interact with so many other items that I can spend hours learning about new ways to apply simple things. I then spend many more hours expanding on those thoughts to make it more interactive as a whole.

**__Implementing Websites into a PK - 12 Classroom__**
Websites provide a great communication tool for PK-12 classrooms. It is a way to keep parents and students connected to classroom activites and events. It provides a way to access resources from any location, and a place to interact with teachers and classmates. This tool is becoming a necessity for teachers, parents and students in today's digital world. Another way to use websites in the classroom is to use them as a base for projects. The home page can provide the details and requirements for the project. A resources page can provide a place for students to start, as well as videos, links, and audio media that will be needed to complete the project. A blog page can let students communicate and interact togehter. It will provide a place for them to brainstorm and ask questions of each other. A link to the teacher will let them interact with the teacher as needed. Interactive pages can also be used for them to create and post their products. For assessment tools, quizzes and tests are easily added. Websites provide a great tool for teachers to communicate and interact with students and parents in and out of the classroom.

Churches, A.. //Bloom's Taxonomy Blooms Digitally.// Educators' eZine. Retrieved on 2/7/2012 from [] Understanding Multimedia Learning: Integrated multimedia in the K-12 Classroom.(September, 2008). SEG Research Williams, R. (no date). //The Non-Designer's Design Book. 3rd Edition//.