Issue #8 - Choose Your Own Issue

At first glance, I was worried about the ambiguity of the Issue #8 assignment.  However, once I decided upon a topic I really got into it and it seemed like I flew through it.  I hope that doesn't turn out to be a bad thing when it gets graded!

The topic that I selected was the difference between teachers that want to see technology funds spent on presentation tools (projectors, smartboards, elmo's, etc) and those that want to see them spent on student-use technolgies (laptops, digital cameras, hand-held computers, iPods, etc.). 

This topic really interested me because I feel the two factions at work in my own mind.  I teach every day using a smartboard hooked to an LCD projector hooked to a laptop.  My students very rarely get to use technology in my classroom.  I know better though.  Unfortunately, I am a slave to my 8th Grade math content standards and can't find time to dedicate time to letting the students use the technologies to learn.  I know it is possible and see it's potential, but don't have the time or patience to implement it now.

I also see this struggle regularly with colleagues.  Years ago, I went to a training on SmartBoards.  After seeing them at work--I had never seen them--I contacted my district's Technology Director (she has since retired) to ask what I'd have to do to get one in my classroom.  She argued that, while she could see it improving my instruction, she saw more value in things that the students can actually use to learn.  She said she could buy two laptops for kids to use instead of 1 smartboard for me to teach on.  She was right on all counts, but I didn't know it then.  I found another way to get a smartboard and am glad I did.  I can see her point though.  I'm not sure that it mattered in that situation--what are 2 computers going to do for a school system of 6,000 students?--but when faced with the decision between projectors in each room and equivalent worth of laptops, which would I choose?  That's my Issue #8 topic . . . 

Issue #7 - Future Technologies

In Issue #7 we had a choice as to what Scenario we would be writing about.

While all of the scenarios interested me at some level, the one that I found the most interesting--though maybe not realistic (no pun intended)--was the one about Virtual Reality.

I can see great potential in the thought of Virtual Reality used within the classroom to motivate and engage students as well as to actively involve them in their learning.  It is hard for a person with knowledge of the Constructivist Theory and other theories of learning and teaching to discount the potential value of Virtual Reality.

With that said, I don't see Virtual Reality having much of a future in education, regardless of whether it's worthy of it.  I am technologically-motivated, but can't see myself ever finding the time to plan or implement the use of Virtual Reality.  I am sure that the same is true of most other teachers that are interested in it.  Then, the teachers that remain, the majority of teachers I presume, would not consider the use of the tool.

I suppose in terms of education it will always be virtual, but will probably never be reality.

Issue #6: Professional Development Needs Assessment

As due dates fall in my rearview and Thanksgiving looms in the near future, I finally finished Issue #6.  

This issue was about Professional Development - something that I am very interested in, because I know how difficult teachers can be to work with and how much professional development is needed.  This Catch-22--a need for more technology training with a lack of training time and cooperation--has interested me in my recent years as a teacher.

Unfortunately, this assignment did not interest me as much (sorry!).  The idea of writing a Needs Assessment was not only not interesting, but brought back dreadful memories of late nights spent working on my ID project a few years ago.  With that said, I completely agree with the rationale of a Needs Assessment and the necessity of, well, assessing the need for particular teaching & training.  On the other hand, I also completely agree with the rationale of root canals and taxes.

I was a bit confused as to what was meant to be done.  Were we to actually perform a needs assessment?  How would one go about assessing the needs of a make believe staff of teachers?  After some discussion with Dr. Ingram in Palace, I got a better grip on what was expected for this assignment and was able to proceed.

Once I started working on the assignment, I did find it interesting to consider where the levels of our teachers really were.  I assume that some are technological luddites, but what can and can't they do?  In the position of a technology director, it's obvious that there is a need to assess where one must begin to bring all teachers up to level.

This project helped me realize what a daunting task training a staff of teachers with varying ages, varying levels of technological experience and varying levels of motivation could be.

Current Issues - Week 8 - Part 3

Today, I finally completed my Issue #5 assignment and, with it, Week 8 of Current Issues.  I wrote about CMCs.  I found it to be a rather time consuming project, to research and write about which format should be used and then to research and write about a plan for designing and implementing the particular CMC.

I ended up selecting a wiki.  I really feel like wikis are a great thing and are very useful and will be beneficial for any businesses or classrooms that adopt them.  They are capable of enabling so much learning and production.

In the process of reading about wikis I also came across an article about Google Docs, something that I had not looked into or learned about yet--despite hearing it mentioned often.  I was very impressed and excited about the potential of this tool.  I plan to suggest that our school's math teachers use Google Docs for things that we are creating together, like assessments or lessons.  What a great resource!

Current Issues - Week 8 - Part 2

Chapter 14 is about digital developments, television and video in particular.  As a child of the 80's video and television has been a constant part of my life & a nearly constant part of my education.  So, I don't view TV and video to be as big of a current issue in instructional technologies as others, though I am excited by the advanced that we've made.

As the text discusses, there have been numerous improvements in quality (color, HD, DTV), improved abilities to transport the signal (antenna, cable, fiber optic cable--I have this through AT&T UVerse now) and improvements in our ability to preserve television content (VCRs, DVDs, TiVo's, DVRs).  It also has become far easier to create video--just about anyone can do it now and the equipment is cheaper, more accessible and easier to use than ever before.  The advances in editing--iMovie for Apple-ites like myself--have improved the ability for any of us to make near-professional quality video.  All of these improvements have led to teachers' ability to utilize television and video as a form of presentation/instruction and our ability to archive those videos.

Channel One, a service that I experienced as a high school student in the 90's and now as a teacher in the 00's has provided a welcome source of televisions and student-engaging current events broadcasting.  It also provides the opportunity to easily access PBS educational videos.

Current Issues - Week 8

This week we are discussing an overview of digital technologies.  The first of which is hypermedia (along with hypertexts & hyperlinks).

In the Chapter 13 of the textbook I discovered some things about hypermedia.  First off, hyper means better (just tell that to the parent or teacher of a particularly hyper child).  Secondly, I learned about hypermedia's strong relations to certain learning theories.  I never thought of those little links in this way, but now it's so obvious how strongly it relates to constructivism and associated learning.  As the book says, hypermedia "provides a multiplicity of potential learning paths, rather than just one."  This seemed to pose such exciting possibilities for learning with hyperlinks, until I read further.  I then realized that hypermedia can have negative effects, especially with students with lower cognitive maturities (either by age or intellect or both) and students with attention problems, namely ADD or AD/HD.  It also can be detrimental when the links are poor.  They may link to poorly designed websites, websites of questionable accuracy or no longer existant sites.

This topic reminded me of a program that I learned to use in high school--HyperStudio.  It was a new program at the time and only a few students were enrolled in a class in which we learned how to use it.  I found it to be very fun, but years later felt that PowerPoint was a much better resource.  Now I realized that while HyperStudio was not as visually appealing as PowerPoint at that time, it's ability to work in a nonlinear by limited space was not to be underestimated.

This chapter also reminded me of a learning tool that I have never used, but should consider implementing in the future - an advance organizer.  The idea of having these materials ready at the beginning of every math unit is a wonderful and exciting idea.  It is something that I will surely keep in mind in the future.

Current Issues - Week 7

This week's topic for discussion, our assignment and reading was Fair Use & Copyright.

I selected to do my Issue 4 assignment about Fair Use, as I found it more relevant to my job (in comparison to the interesting situation about the college professor's "Hoaxocaust" website).  I have barely taken copyright laws into consideration when preparing materials for teaching my students.  In the past, I have asked for certain books to be purchased so that I could use them in my lessons.  However, if one copy of the book was purchased, I may have used multiple copies of its contents and if no copies had been purchased, that did not necessarily stop me from using the contents.

For most teachers, it all comes back to two things:

• Time - As the book discusses, teachers don't have the time to figure out what constitutes fair use and if payment should be made or permission should be obtained, how this is to be done.  The situation is like the one in the book pertaining to the video of the KSU shootings.
• Teachable Moments - Most teachers would rather risk the unlikely punishment for copyright infringement in order to obtain those teachable moments.

The continuing developments in technology in recent years are certainly changing the scenario for "fair use."  Last year, I had a student that had moved to America from China just days before starting in my classroom.  He spoke very little English.  His ESL (English as a Second Language) Tutor  had copies of Rosetta Stone--a program that you probably often see advertised when watching late night television--for use in the library.  Unfortunately, the student was often unable to participate in classes because of the language barrier, so his teachers wanted to find some way to help him, without taking instructional time away from the other students.  I won't say what I did or did not do, but . . . Would it be (copy)right or (copy)wrong to copy the Rosetta Stone software CD so that it could be used in the student's classrooms?

Current Issues - Week 5

Well, I wish I was in bed now!  Unfortunately I'm trying to keep up with my coursework rather than my sleep!    My responsibilities at school are starting to wear on me, especially in the time constraints that they are imposing.  Because of this, it is hard to concentrate on my work for this course, but I am doing my best!

This week's issue is Computers in Education.  This is a definite "Current Issue in Educational Technology!"  I selected the Lab or Classroom  topic for my Issue.  In this scenario, I had to write a proposal to my district's (in the scenario) technology committee as to how I feel that 20 new computers should be used in our elementary school, which currently has no computers.  When I first read the scenario, I considered creating a computer lab to be the obvious best choice.  With more thought and consideration, I realized that this school had no computers in any classrooms, nor did the teachers have computer of their own, unlike my real school.  When I realized this, I decided that it was obvious that computers were necessary in the classrooms, even if they were used solely by the teachers for research and instruction.  They would hopefully also be used for student investigation and differentiation.  This is especially relevant in an elementary school classroom where the students stay all day, unlike my middle school classroom where the students are only in the room for 50 minutes at a time.

Current Issues - Week 3 - Part 4

Today I submitted my Issue 2-Scenario 2 assignment.  I enjoyed finding ways for Janice to apply technology in her classroom in a manner that applies constructivist learning theories.  I wish that we could have been more involved in actually applying those technologies, as my goal in my Master's program is to learn to effectively apply technologies in teaching, but this project at least gave me the opportunity to work with selecting technologies to apply.

Current Issues Week 3 - Part 3

This week we are discussing Constructivism & Technology.  As a teacher, I would have to say that my major theories about teaching are most often in the realm of Constructivism.  As a math teacher, I use Connected Math, a textbook series that is largely based on the constructivist principles.  I often apply these theories in other ways as well.  I feel that students are more likely to gain and retain knowledge when they develop and build it themselves.

I feel that Constructivism truly is a Current Issue in . . . Everything Educational.  I'm not sure that it's specifically a Current Issue in Instructional Technology, but it does have relevance in the instructional uses of technology.  For K-12 teachers like myself, this week's topic may be an unnecessary one to discuss, despite its relevance, since we learned about this as Undergrad's and apply it regularly.  For the ITEC students on different paths, like trainers in the business world, this is probably an invaluable thing to learn about, as they may not yet be familiar with it.

Current Issues - Week 3 - Part 2

After hearing from Dr. Ingram today, I am relieved to find out that I can do my Issue #2 assignment individually since I am so late.  Unfortunately, this will mean that I've got to do a lot more work than my classmates, but I am relieved to have some way to make up for my procrastination in attention to Issue 2!

I will be doing Scenario 2, which is about Making Constructivist Lessons for Janice a teacher with 9 years under her belt who is hoping to use new technologies and newly learned constructivist theories with her students.  

Current Issues - Week 3 - Part 1

Well, I really dropped the ball with this issue's assignments.  I never posted my preferred Scenario for Issue 2 nor was assigned to a group because of this.  I should have had this done days ago.  Fortunately, there is still a week before the assignment is due, but it maybe too late for me to join a group.

Current Issues - Week 2

I'm almost back on an appropriate pace in this class!  I feel like I've been a few days behind through this whole process so far!  Hopefully I am getting back on track, after a few days of hard work.

We've been dealing with our first "Issue" and assignment that goes with it -- "What is ITEC?"  I've enjoyed this assignment and discussion, as it is primarily opinion based.

In our discussions, we discussed ITEC as a practical field, academic area and the definitional issues of ITEC.  As for ITEC as a practical field and academic area, the part that I find the most interesting about ITEC's uniqueness is the fact that it involves rapidly changing and evolving technologies in a slowly changing and evolving arena--education.  It seems that educators often see these excitingly appliable technologies on the educational horizon, but are slow to implement them, for various reasons.  As for the 3rd part of the discussion, Three Definitional Issues, I found this to be the least engaging thing that we've discussed thus far.  I don't find defining things to be nearly as engaging or relevant as applying them, as a PBL class certainly exemplifies.

Also this week the Wiki Resources link was made available.  I am not sure what to do here, though I believe that this is an optional sharing opportunity.  I tried to find something include, but was unable to find something of value to my classmates that wasn't already posted!

Current Issues Class - Week 1

As I settle in to my Current Issues in Instructional Technology course--a little late--I am finding that the class is very rapidly moving ahead.  I am trying my hardest to catch up and keep up!

I am excited about what I may learn about in this class.  I feel that my technology usage--like most teachers'--is behind the curve of what is available.  I am hoping that discussing the "Current Issues" may push me forward into applying new and exciting technologies (like Web 2.0 tools) with my students.

I am apprehensive, but excited, to see that the majority of our coursework will be in a PBL format.  I feel that this format can be difficult, but is much more engaging and has potential for stronger learning outcomes.  In my math classes, we started using a book titled Connected Math a few years ago.  It's format is a derivative of problem-based learning and I feel that it is very well designed and a great learning system.  Hopefully, the PBLs in this class will prove to be the same!

Our first discussion is on the Big Issues of ITEC.  I think that the big issue is technology usage in education.  While most people tend to point to funding for technology leading to low-usage of technology, I think that there is more to it than this.  I feel that, even when the funding is found, the technology is under-used, because teachers have little time to learn and implement new technologies.  With better planning for training, continued professional development and comp. time school districts can get technology implemented in a way that is more cost-effective because the teachers will use the technologies more often and more effectively.

Other issues discussed in the Big Issues discussion that interested me were the use of Wii's--my wife and I have one and have so much fun with it, it could be a great Phys. Ed. tool--and the use of Engrade--I discovered this free gradebook program during my summer school class and thought it was very easy to use and efficient.

I am also excited to take this class in Palace, as we did in ID.  I enjoy having opportunities for synchronous meetings and like using Palace better than programs using video or voice like LearnLinc, which we used in Distance Education.  I like that Palace is easy to use and can be used on an Apple computer (unlike LearnLinc).

Universal Principles of Design - Decisions

How can I make better design decisions?

Principle 1 - Accessibility

As a middle school teacher this is something that I have to constantly consider in my design of visuals, instruction and other materials.  How can I assure that my design is perceivable to my colorblind students or my hearing impaired students?  How can I assure that my design in operable by physically handicapped students?  How can I assure that my design is simple enough--especially in wording--for my learning disabled students?  As the end of the page in Lidwell discusses, my best design to account for this not only considers the questions above but utilizes Affordance and Forgiveness.

Principle 2 - Weakest Link

This Principle reminds me of two things.  The first is that game show that had its 15 minutes of fame a few years ago in which the rude British woman would say "I'm sorry Beatrice, but you are the Weakest Link."  Ouch.  The secod thing that it reminds me of are my numerous car accidents as a teenager.  Fortunately the crumple zones of the numerous crumpled cars that I drove when I was younger kept me safe from impact (impact which I normally caused).

Universal Principles of Design - Learning

How can I help people learn from a design?

Principle 1 - Signal -to-Noise Ratio

My students finished off this past school year with a project that required that they complete at least one graphical representation of data.  Many students, in an attempt at creativity, created displays with a very low signal-to-noise ratio that involved styles of shading and coloring much like the 3 left-hand graphs on Pg. 183.  It was hard for the reader(s) to interpret the graph, because they tried to comprehend how the shading styles relate, and they often did not.

Principle 2 - Progressive Disclosure

This principle first reminds me of the way that a good lesson in math class doesn't normally start with all of the problems (or topics) that will be covered readily visible at the board, rather it builds them up--progressively--one at a time.  This also reminds me of a concept that is of importance in a recent assignment in this class: many resumes end with the statement "References available upon request." to avoid overwhelming a potential employer with information that they are not ready to consider.

Moodle "Topic Outline"

"You need to keep blogging about your experiences. What have you learned this week? (You do not need to outline the chapters or “sum up” the chapters….I like random musings about your thoughts and feelings!)"

I like using the Topic Outline in Moodle as a "checklist" to keep myself progressing through the course.  I do things in the order that they are discussed, to ensure that I don't skip anything.  I often don't read the entire Topic Outline postings until finishing all of the work for the week, as I stop at each assignment or reading and complete that, before moving on.  You can probably guess how disappointed I was upon reading this after completing each of this week's readings and then painstakingly posting about each of them!  I assume that the hours that I have spent on my readings and postings have been unnecessary .  .  . So, I apologize to the readers of my blog, as it is probably a lot to process!

Color Matters: Color & Cultural Matters

Color & Cultural Matters

I'm not sure whether to be proud or embarrassed that I was born on St. Patrick's Day, nor what to think of my wife's white wedding dress!  I can see that different cultures and backgrounds see colors in such contrast and contradiction, that it would be difficult to take these things into account unless a "design" was to be geared to one particular culture (i.e., advertising a wedding dress in China!).

Color Matters: Design And Art: Color & E-Commerce

Color & E-Commerce

After reading all of the readings and articles in this section, it has become very obvious to me that someone designing a website in hopes of making a profit must take many things into account, especially in terms of color.  This site provides a nice, concise checklist of the things to keep in mind.  If I wasn't a math teacher, this would hang on my bulletin board . . . 

Website: Color Matters

Color Matters

Computer Color Matters

I was glad to read this as it helped me get a somewhat better understanding of RGB (which was the first thing that I have not understood from Williams' description) as well as why color appears different on different sources.  This reminds me of watching TV on an older TV, and trying to figure out why your favorite sports team is wearing a different colored jersey!

I also enjoyed seeing the point that all Mac's come with video  cards and good monitors.  Point, Mac.

Is your Computer ColorBlind?

White pixel test - I felt like the color on my monitor was brighter than that of a piece of white paper . . . 

Gamma Test - I read mine as a 1.8.  Is that good or bad?  The article doesn't say.

Lightness & Darkness Test - I could see all 10 sections as different shades & tints.

Color Test - My computer passed this, too.  Though I must say, in the 4th color, they almost set us up to see the last color as white-like, as they put it on a poorly contrasted white background.

The Power of Gamma

My computer, it seems, has good gamma readings.  I can tell because in the test above, I got a 1.8, and the first picture lists 1.8 as "fully corrected."  My first thought on these issues was that you can see how correcting your pictures in software like iPhoto or Photoshop may actually make them look right on your computer and terribly wrong on other computers, or in print for that matter.

Color, the Chameleon of the Web

This portion of the site is a bit depressing.  Here the points on how Van Gogh's works would appear different on different monitors could make a designer only want to consider the colors they use when dealing with print or, worse yet, use only cheesy clipart.

Article: Symbolism of Color: Using Color for Meaning

Symbolism of Color: Using Color for Meaning

I was initially surprised to see such a large resource dedicated to the different meanings of colors, as I thought that colors didn't typically have meanings.  However, once I started reading, I found that it was all rather obvious to me (black = death, blue = water, green & red = Christmas).  I initially considered referencing what the colors meant in the backgrounds of students that I have that are from other countries, but realized that so many of them carried opposite meanings, that it would be impossible to find something that works in all settings.

Fortunately, the decision has been made for me: our school copier is black and white only.  Sorry kids, but your worksheet is death colored today, again.

Article: Color in Education

Color in Education by Sheri Thompson

While I found this article interesting, especially in the fact that the color in the room can lead to learning and motivational results, not just results in "feeling."  Given the opportunity to repaint my classroom, or to repaint an entire school building I would certainly look back at this article.  Unfortunately, classrooms in my building rarely (if ever) get repainted.  In my 5 years, I spent one in a room that needed repainted and it was requested, but never happened, and the other four in a room that doesn't need it as badly, but still has not been repainted (as the article suggests is important).

I will say, however, that I would consider some of these ideas someday when I have children and look to paint a bedroom (that is, if my wife let's me help pick the colors!).

Universal Principles of Design - Appeal

Concept 1 - Archetypes

This is a concept that often is employed in visual design, but subconsciously.  We often don't realize that we select our font, color, imagery, etc. based on the topic and the feeling that we hope to put out, but we are using this exact concept.  I especially liked the discussion of the "Hero's Journey."  It is a given that at least one movie per summer (a low estimate!) involves this exact story.  For example, I haven't seen it yet, but I can make this prediction, "Indiana Jones, you must save the world."  "No."  "Indiana Jones, I want you to save the world."  "OK, but I hate snakes."  "Doctor Jones, look out."  "Wow Indy, you saved the world."  The End.

Concept 2 - Attractiveness Bias

This is sad, but so true.

Concept 3 - Baby-Face Bias

An interesting principle.  I was particularly surprised by the statistics relating abuse of premature babies to normal-term babies.  It is astonishing.  However, I wonder if there are other factors that lead to premature births that may also relate to higher probability of abuse.  I can say, though, that there is an obviously different perception in personality of the people on the left of page 29 from those at the right.

Concept 4 - Color

While I read this section in one of the prior reading assignments, I decided to review it since it was relevant to the current assignment.  In re-reading it, I caught the sidenote about the effect of colors on peoples' attitudes -- " . . . the only observable influence of color on behavior is its ability to lead people to repaint walls unnecessarily.  For those determined to use colors to calm drunks and win football games through the application of color . . . "  HA!

Concepts 5 & 6 - Fibonacci Sequence/The Golden Ratio

Finally, something of importance to a math teacher!  However, it's importance in design is directly downplayed by the author's in the final few sentences.  A fun story though: my first year of teaching in my current district came during the height of the popularity of the Da Vinci Code.  As a true procrastinator, I had yet to read it, but have since.  On a test in my Advanced Math class, I asked the students to list two irrational numbers (numbers that go on forever without repeating; i.e., pi, the square root of 5, and 2.362357...).  On one of the first papers, someone listed "pi and phi."  I laughed. I thought it was a hysterical display of sense of humor when they didn't know another correct answer.  Then another student listed "phi."  "A cheater!" I deduced.  And another.  "Yet another copier!" I figured.  After a few dozen listings of "phi" I decided that I should ask Google where they had found this word, only to discover that my 8th grade students were aware of the Golden Ratio, while I was not.

The Non-Designers Design Book, Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Using Color

When starting this Chapter, I had the thought in my mind that there were rules to color selections, but in reality any combinations of colors worked--if they looked okay.  After a few pages, I thought that was wrong--as I learned about combining complementary colors--and then became more assured that the theory behind this stuff was irrelevant (sorry!) as it just came down to how it looks.  I became more assured in this thought after learning about split complementary triads, analogous colors, monochromatic colors and then, most importantly, in this quote from Pg. 102: "Are there any colors that don't look great together?  Not if you subscribe to the Robin's Wildflower Theory of Color . . . "  So, while I found the terminology and manners of selecting colors, I realized that in the future I will simply check with my senses on this matter, i.e, what looks good?

I did find a few things rather interesting in this chapter though.  First, I was interested to learn how the color wheel was created from the primary, secondary and tertiary colors.  I was also interested in learning of the difference between shade and tint.  I looked around myself in the room that I was in, which is painted what my wife and I call a "shade of yellow."  Now I know: it's a tint of yellow!  D'oh!  I also made mental notes to "watch the tones" in my color selections and to use warm colors and cool colors appropriately.

I must admit though, CMYK and RGB made my head spin.  I understand the main characteristics (CMYK is based on combinations of cyan, magenta, yellow and a key in rosette patterns and RGB acts differently because it is used on screens on which light is not being reflected, rather being sent right to our eyes), but not the how.  This is especially true of RGB.  How the heck does red and green give you yellow?  Also, I did not know that I could select which I worked with.  Maybe the distinction between CMYK and RGB is a moot point for an 8th grade math teacher?

Proper use of fonts, colors and graphics for the web

From the iCIT (University of Wisconsin Instructional, Communication & Information Technology) Web Support Team web site

This article discussed many things relating to font & design for websites including:
Font Color - The article points out that while the web offers more options for color than print typically does, black is still the best choice.
Heading Font Color - While black may be the best choice for reading font, a color that works with the color scheme of the page and has a strong contrast with the background is often the best for headings.
Font Families - This site recommends selecting Sans Serif fonts, while keeping in mind that how your font is viewed depends on the browser and computer that is using it. I was glad to see the tip for how to assure the font is viewed in way you'd like by using the CSS commands given.
Font Size - While this site recommends using one of two possible methods (pixel-based or em-based) for selecting font size, I think that I will always follow the ideas discussed in the Williams book, with major reading fonts as 12- to 14-point and other fonts relating to that based on contrasting font sizes. I will say, though, that on many sites, including this one, I have to increase the font size ( key + = key) in order to make large amounts of text comfortable for me to read.

Article: Proper Font Selection Can Make a Difference

I like the list of the most readable fonts for business purposes. I feel as though this list will help me in designing future materials, including my resume for this course.

As for the rest of this article, I felt that it mostly reiterated many of the points in Williams' writings on font selection, but with a focus on basic reading documents, rather than fliers and advertisements, as Williams often focused on. To some extents, it was a less "risky" lists of do's and don'ts (i.e, "Don't: Use more than two or three font styles in one document. Doing so can make the document look unattractive.") as it pertained to business publications and educational items such as essays.

My Design Studio's MyDesignPrimer.com

"Putting All the Pieces Together"

One element of this page that I found interesting was the things that came up after pressing the link to "Font" that was embedded in the text.
I was interested in learning about the difference between PostScript and TrueType.
I also found interesting the fact that each "font" has 256 separate characters involved, 4 sets of 64 keys. I accessed the printable version of the chart of the 256 characters to print out because knowing where to type certain symbols, such as Ø, ∏, √, ∑ without navigating through annoying menus is invaluable for a math teacher. I'm excited!

As I went through the descriptions of the categories o typefaces, I was surprised to find that I believe some of the pictures were incorrect. For example, I think that the two fonts pictures for Modern (http://www.mydesignprimer.com/fonts/modern_typefaces_fonts_bodoni.shtml ) were not, in fact, Modern. I am sure of this, especially for the 2nd one pictures, as it has no serifs! I also feel as though the first one pictured as a Slab Serif (http://www.mydesignprimer.com/fonts/slab_serif_fonts_typefaces.shtml ), is not a Slab Serif, as it appears to have some thick-thin transitions.

I had never thought through the "repercussions" of using font styling before reading that portion of the page, but it makes sense to me. In the future I will use the special types of fonts (i.e., Arial Black) when they are available, but will stick to using Bold and Italic links, when they're not. I can understand the concern though.

I also found it interesting to learn the relationship between Points, Pica's and Inches. While I thought out loud about the conversions, my wife kept questioning, "Pikachu?" and I of course explained the difference between the two. We came to the conclusion that Pikachu is far more interesting that Picas, but picas may very well be more important.

I finally also know why some fonts are bigger than other fonts when at the same size. They are not actually larger, they just appear larger because of the way they "fit" into the point size. For the examples shown on the page, the 28 pt. script font has such a low "x-line" that it appears to be much smaller than the 28 pt. Stone Serif which has a very high "x-line" and is also ver wide. Regardless, the maximum height of the two sets of letters are the same!

One Space?!? One space between sentences? I am trying to switch right now while writing this, and it is hard! What if I can't transition and I do both in the same paragraph? One, two, two, one, one, two, oops, one, two, oops, one. I keep doing it subconsciously! I might have to give up and stick with two spaces. Maybe I'll ask my Mom for input, she always knows what to do here. If not her, my priest, maybe. I will surely explain to them that the rationale does make sense.

–-–-–- ---- --- _– At first, while making these symbols, I didn't realize that some were different from others. I was frustrated that my computer wasn't making "en dashes" different from hyphens, but once I zoomed way in, I could see the difference. I never knew that it was supposed to be different. Is that what happens when you use two of them -- and then hit space and they become one bigger one? It didn't appear to happen there, but it sure does in Microsoft Word.—See, now I've switched to an Em Dash!

*Notice, by the way, I have fallen right back into double-spacing between sentences. It's hopeless!

Finally, I always found quotation marks terribly frustrating in high school. periods in or out? commas in, or out? do I put a period here? here and here? here, or here? This always frustrated me. I'm glad that computer programs like Word are smart enough to pick the correct quotation mark (direction it faces) and to tell me when I've puncuated improperly. How nice!

I found this site interesting, though very in depth. I never knew there was so much to typography, and was surprised by some of the things that I learned!

Universal Principles of Design - Usability

How can I enhance the usability of a design?

Principle 1 - 80/20 Rule

When I first began reading about this rule, I was surprised by how confusing it sounded.  However, after looking at the example of the Microsoft Word toolbar and how the 20% of its functions that compose 80% of its use are shown as icons, while the 80% that only compose 20% of Word's use are tucked away in drop-down menus, I found it much easier to understand.  This reminds me of the manner in which I organize my classroom materials.  I have a desk organizer that holds a dozen or so hanging file folders and a filing cabinet that holds hundreds of hanging file folders.  The folders that I access regularly (i.e., the resources for a chapter that I am teaching) are in the smaller, handy organizer on my desk, while those that I don't access regularly (i.e., students' past grades records) are tucked away in my filing cabinet.

Principle 2 - Confirmation

While the dialog boxes in computer software often drive me crazy, I have often had cases in which that confirmation was welcomed (i.e., are you sure you want to delete all music from your iPod, NO!  CANCEL!).  I use similar methods with my students in long class activities.  I often write in certain checkpoints in their work.  For example, "Once you finish problems #1 & 2, come to me to check your answer before moving on to #'s 3-10."  This prevents my students spending large amounts of instructional time working through activities with incorrect comprehension that I could have detected earlier.  By confirming their comprehension (or lack thereof) I can be confident in them continuing (or help them get on track).

Principle 3 - Cost-Benefit

This is something that designers--of all sorts--need to take into consideration and often do not: Is the effort needed to complete this process (the cost) worth it to obtain the result (the benefit).  As a designer of instruction, I often consider this with my lessons.  It could be a consideration of, "Is this long dry teacher-led instruction worth the learning that it will result in?  Or will this cost lead to student boredom and apathy before the benefit is reached?"  I also do the same thing for fun things in class.  For example, "Is the amount of time that this game (or lab or investigation takes) worth the learning that it will result in (benefit)?  Or does it take up so much time that it doesn't account for the benefit?"

Principle 4 - Mental Models

I also need to take System Models and Interaction Models into account when designing class activities, especially those that are investigations.  Often, I can design an investigation that makes total sense to me (its system model, how it should work), but result in surprising mass confusion from my students (its interaction model, how it actually works with when interacted with).  In these cases, I look back to the 3rd principle I discussed, Cost-Benefit!  I also liked the example here of anti-lock braking systems.  I can remember when I was 16 and first driving--a pick-up truck, no less--sliding through a snowing parking lot thinking to myself, "Do I slam on the brakes?  Do I pump the brakes?  Do I have ABS?"

Principle 5 - Readability

This is a major concern for teachers--making sure that their instruction of new material is accessible to their students.  While the concept may be new and difficult, the reading involved should not be.  I also enjoyed viewing the Edward Fry's Readability graph, though I think that it is easier to simply use Microsoft Word or OKAPI to determine Readability levels.  Regardless, it is an important thing to take into consideration.

The Non-Designers Design Book, Chapters 9, 10, 11, 14

Chapter 9 - Type (& Life)

Upon starting my reading of this set of chapters, I could tell just how serious Ms. Williams was with this topic of type as she starts out with the comment, "Type is the basic building block of any printed page."  I completely agree with her though and have often wished that I better knew how to apply different fonts/typefaces, rather than just picking by what "looks cool."

I was interested to learn about the different types of relationships between fonts:

• Concordant - Which is the safe route; it can be dull or it can be okay, depending on its use.  I find that this is what I often use (i.e., one type face with different fonts (bold, italic, etc.)
• Conflicting - The wimpy method!  This must be what keeps people scared of moving away from concordant--the take so little risk in their attempts at contrast, that their creation conflicts with itself, and scares them right back to concordant!
• Contrasting - This can very well be the ideal, when it is appropriate (it may not be appropriate in some formal places, like the pages of a novel) as long as it is done well, as in the quote that is "full of sound and fury" (I really liked this) or Popeye and Olive Oyl's wedding invitation.

The discussion of Popeye & Olive Oyl's Wedding invitation made me worry about the invitation that I designed for my wife & my wedding last summer.  As I look back at it, I realize that I used way too little contrast, and a little bit of unsuccessful conflict (though not a deal-breaking amount) and too much centering!  Aside from changing the centering to something a a bit more creative, I wish that I could change the conflict to contrast.  I put our names (my wife and mine) in a different bolder font, that is definitely in the same general section of text (script, see chapter 10).  Because of the changes in weight and color that I used, there is some contrast, but because I did not make enough changes in structure and size, there is a bit of conflict, though, as I said before, not a deal-breaker.

Chapter 10 - Categories of Type

My only experience in comparing categories of type came in my Distance Education course this past spring.  We discussed why sans serif fonts can be better than serif fonts in Distance Education, as the serifs may not come out clear when the text is "transmitted" through the distance.

Here I got to get a little more experience with the categories of type, which I found interesting.  The 6 categories were:

• Oldstyle - Which is a serif category of fonts that replicates lines that would be made by a pen in writing the letters.  This font is good for reading mass amounts.
• Modern - This serif category of fonts is a very vertical font, which has a strong thick/thin transition in contrast to Oldstyle's diagonal stress.  These characteristics made Modern fonts not quite as good for reading long passages as Oldstyle is.  As I read about Modern, I wondered if this was a result of the manner in which the type faces were made for the printing machines.  It seems that these would be easier to make typefaces for than Oldstyle.
• Slab Serif -  This serif category of fonts is one in which all parts of the letters are thick, including the serifs.  There is no thick/thin transition or diagonal stress shown here.  This category includes my most-used typeface, American Typewriter.  I was relieved to find out that they ". . .  are very high on the readability scale, meaning they can easily be used in extensive text." which made me feel good about my frequent use of American Typewriter in worksheets and the like.
• Sans Serif -  This category of fonts has no serifs and typically have no thick/thin transition.  The best known of these fonts is Arial, which implies to me that sans serif fonts must be good for reading (if Arial is so often used).
  
• Script -  This broad category of fonts is, as Williams says, "like cheescake" in that it should not be "consumed" in large amounts.  She also insists that you do not use these in caps.  *Here is one of my mistakes on our wedding invite, it was all script!  Not only that, but when I tried to contrast our names, I was smart enough to change weight and color, but stuck with another font of the same structure, script!
  
• Decorative -  The fun stuff!  Chiller!  Fajita!  Although she phrased it surprisingly, I was not surprised by the concept of Williams' quote on Decorative fonts, "If the thought of reading an entire book in that font makes you want to throw up, you can probably put it in the Decorative pot."  I agree whole-heartedly with this sentiment in that these fonts, which can be serif (i.e., Blue Island) or sans serif (i.e., The Wall), are not good for reading in large amounts.  I discovered my new favorite font, FlySwim, here!

Chapter 11 - Type Contrasts

In this chapter, Williams helps the reader work with contrasting (not conflicting) through the following types of contrast:

• Size
  
• Weight
  
• Structure -  Williams recommends utilizing 2 families with different structures (i.e., Slab Serif vs. Sans Serif) in order to assure contrast, not conflict.
  
• Form -  Williams discusses contrasting between caps & lower case, while keeping in mind that TEXT WRITTEN IN CAPITAL LETTERS IS OFTEN HARDER TO READ.  This is something that I have to look out for, as when I write by hand, I use what a computer would call "small caps" and what I call, "engineer's handwriting."  She also discusses the difference between Roman text (a new term to me, it stands up straight) and Italic text (along with the difference between "true" and "fake" italic fonts.
  
• Direction - Williams discusses the difference between positive (up to the right) and negative (down to the right) direction, and its use.  She also discusses how vertical and horizontal directions can be created in a sense of perception.
• Color - Here, Williams discusses the difference between warm and cool colors in writing.  The effects that they have on the way that we process information is impressive.  She also discusses how black & white color contrast can be utilized.  I also learned about the "leading" of a block of text, which gives the text a lighter color.

I was surprised to find in these chapters that Ms. Williams was not following the rules between the difference of the terms typeface and font.  I suspected this from early in these readings, but it was confirmed on Pg. 180 when she stated at the end of the 3rd paragraph, "both lines use the same font."  According to the wikipedia readings about typeface and font, I believe that she should have stated, "both lines use the same typeface."

Chapter 14 - Typefaces in this Book

Chapter 14 managed to do two things for me:

1. Confirm for me that Mr. Miller's font of choice, American Typewriter, is a Slab Serif, and therefore okay for "reading."
2. Make me want to get more typefaces/fonts off of the internet!

Timeline

Hello readers,

Here is my Visual Design Timeline.  I hope you enjoy looking at it more than I enjoyed making it!

If you click on the picture, it'll come up bigger so that you can see the details a bit better.

            The “ability to construct meaning from visual images” (Giorgis, Johnson, Bonomo, Colbert, & al, 1999: 146) is known as visual literacy.  Essentially, this skill refers to the ability to process information presented in a visual format or simply to “read a picture.”  As an educator, I see visual literacy playing its most obvious and important role in the classroom.  In order to help students learn, a teacher must present information through a variety of methods.  The most common of these methods is visually.  The first tool that was available for educators to help their students process information visually was a hornbook, which “ . . . was a flat board on which a sheet of paper printed with the alphabet, the Lord’s prayer, and several simple words were pasted” (McGrath, K., 777).  These “ . . .  appeared in Europe at the end of the 15^th century” (Anzovin, S. & J. Podell, 80).  The hornbook was followed by textbooks, the first of which was “. . .  published in 1658 . . . for teaching Latin . . . ” (Anzovin, S. & J. Podell, 81).    The globe revolutionized the teaching of geography, in years following “. . . 1810, [when] a Vermont farmer and copper engraver named James Wilson made the first American globes” (McGrath, K., 777).  A major improvement in visual instruction came with the invention of the blackboard or chalkboard, which “. . . was patented in 1823 by Samuel Read Hall of Concord, Vermont . . .” (McGrath, K., 777).  The 20^th Century saw numerous changes in the way in which teachers are able to present information as a visual to their students.  Among these was the use of films, which “. . . came into widespread classroom use in the 1940s and 1950s” (McGrath, K., 777).  The first commercial application of a copy machine “ . . . was the Model 914, introduced in 1950 by the Haloid Company of Rochester, NY” which changed its name to the Xerox Corporation years later (Anzovin, S. & J. Podell, 371).  Visual displays of materials further developed through the use of the overhead transparency projector, which premiered in the mid-1960s (Litas, C.); the LCD video projector, which was invented in 1984 (Gene Geldoff), but did not see widespread use until around the turn of the century; and the use of dry-erase or white boards, which “. . . did not begin to appear in business organizations until the mid-1980s” (About Blackboards); and the opaque overhead projector, which Hoo-Shik Kim received a patent for in 1996 (US Patent 4597207 – Overhead Projector).  While there have been far more inventions in the field of education that have improved student learning, these are amongst the most important applications of John Debes’ idea of visual literacy in the American school systems.

Universal Principles of Design - Perception

How can I influence the way a design is perceived?

Principle 1 - Alignment

The use of the "butterfly ballot" of Palm Beach from the 2000 presidential election provided a great point on how we should consider things like the alignment and how they affect the perception of the reader, not just the writer.  While the person who created this ballot probably completely understood how it was to be used, they should have considered the possible misconceptions it could create for the voters.  I will be sure to take this into account with my instructional materials.

Principle 2 - Color

On Page 38, Lidwell, Holden and Butler state, "Do not use color as the only means to impart information since a significant portion of the population has limited color vision."  Late in this school year I recall asking a question to one of my students that went something like, "Which line has a steeper slope, the green one or the blue one?" and his neighbors began to giggle.  Embarrassingly, I then found out that this young man was colorblind.  While I am not sure why neither he, nor his parents, ever notified us of this disability I became very worried about how many times that his inability to differentiate between colors may have hurt his understanding of concepts in my class.  I'd hope that in the future students would admit to this disability, but I will make efforts to avoid it anyhow.  While I may still use colors, I will also use other different forms of contrast (i.e., a solid red line and a dotted blue line) and reference them with their pictures rather than by stating their colors.  This may prevent confusion, without removing the richness that color can bring to materials.

Principle 3 - Consistency

I make efforts within my own class, as mentioned in my previous blog, to maintain consistency within the design of my instructional materials.  I try to maintain specific fonts, specific formats and specific methods of arrangement.  This internal consistency " . . . cultivates trust with people . . . [and] is an indicator that a system has been designed, and not cobbled together."  My team teachers and I (our middle school operates with teams - a science teacher, a language arts teacher, a social studies teacher and a math teacher that all teach the same students - try to utilize external consistency when possible as well.  We don't necessarily use the same fonts or test layouts, but we do tend to maintain consistencies in classroom management, etc.

The Non-Designer's Design Book, Chapters 1-6

Before discussing the individual concepts in this book, I must say that I really like the way that the book is written, organized and presented.  Ms. Williams' writing style and sense of humor made it much easier to follow along and not get bogged down while reading.

Chapter 1 - The Joshua Tree Epiphany

I have noticed this same phenomenon in my own life.  My wife and I have been a home owner for just over a year now and the things that we notice while driving down the street never ceases to amaze me.  In years past I may have only noticed pretty girls or nice cars.  Now, however, I have become aware of other things: furniture on the porch while we shopped for ours, shades of mulch while I put down ours, arrangement of flower beds while I updated ours and presence of different flowers, shrubs and trees while we added our own.  Once you can name the problem, you can find the solution!  I then delved into the following chapters about, well, CRAP.

Chapter 2 - Proximity

I saw many design elements that I needed to be sure to apply when designing things for my students--worksheets, reference materials, tests, presentations, etc.  I also began to feel what Ms. Williams mentioned on Pg. 10, ". . . [I] will never again look at a page in the same way." as I noticed from the menus on Pg. 26-27 that my favorite restaurant--Crave in downtown Akron--needs to seriously revise their menu!  It looks just like the one on Pg. 26.  I still recall the first time I took my parents there . . . "What's this? ... I don't know what the names of these things are ... How much does it cost?"  The Proximity (and contrast) added on Pg. 27 really helped!

Chapter 3 - Alignment

Ah!  I center align too much!

It even looks bad now in that one sentence that I put there in a joke.  I never realized how much stronger a left or right alignment can be.  Right alignments don't get enough respect.  I also really like the way that she points out that aligning things on page relative to one another, rather than the page, can really unify and organize a page.

Chapter 4 - Repetition

My school system puts out a monthly staff newsletter.  I always found it difficult to follow and concentrate on reading.  Although it could have been because I was tired of reading about so-and-so becoming a grandma and how to write budgetary checks, I now think that the Design of it played a role.  The designer made every section look different, as if to show off the ability to do so.  More repetition, like the text in the articles about the "Darn Honor Farm" or "Evanescent wan think, itching udder" on Pgs. 54 and 55 may have made it easier to follow.  I also enjoyed the use of repetition in the "packages" like the Mom & Pop Grocery store stationary and the Red Hen promo materials.

Chapter 5 - Contrast

I felt guilty while reading this chapter.  A year or so ago, to instill a sense of consistency in my materials in my math class I decided to utilize the same font in everything--tests, quizzes, worksheets, presentations--and picked something that I thought was amusing.  I selected "American Typewriter" Font because I thought it was a fun, retro, math-nerd kind of font.  The students definitely new when materials were designed by me.  However, now I notice that it may have been wise to expand this consistency with some contrast.  Maybe headings should be a new text, not just bold?  Maybe directions should be a different text as well?  Maybe that would assure that the students read the directions which, trust me, they often do not.  As you can see, I took these principles of contrast to heart in this blog in two ways: different texts for writing & headings; and the spacing between segments (one extra space before headings, none after headings).  The resume on Pg. 69 really drives home the importance of this.

Chapter 6 - Review

Don't be a wimp!  The principles really do work well together, and this can be seen very visibly in the title page on Pg. 85.

Introduction

Hi!  My name is Jake Miller.  I am an 8th Grade math teacher at Kimpton Middle School in the Stow-Munroe Falls Schools and a Master's student in the ITEC Program.

Along with numerous around the house projects, vacations and teaching summer school, I will be taking Designing Visuals for Instruction & Research in Educational Services this summer.