EDLD+5366

= **EDLD 5366 Digital Graphics** =

EDLD 5366 Week 5 Course Reflection
==== This course was probably the most enjoyable of all the courses I have taken through Lamar. I was a photography major at one point while getting my Bachelors in education in the mid-90s, so I have had some exposure to design classes in the past, and found them quite enjoyable. I’ve always had an eye for what “looked right” to me, and been able to move design elements around until I discovered an arrangement that pleased me, but wasn’t fully aware of the design principles that drive the creative process. I’m very glad that we learned about the CRAP principles the first week of the course, because it really helped me to focus on specifics when I started to design new projects for assignments, and helped me decide __why__ a particular arrangement "looked right". I teach computer classes at the junior high level, and plan to use many of the new concepts and materials that I have learned as part of my coursework into my teaching. This graphic design course has given me so many new ideas, I don't know where I will fit them all in, but the CRAP principles will definitely be a part of it! ====

==== The Week 1 assignment was fairly easy to understand because of the materials provided by the professor and IA. I have to admit, I was a bit surprised at finding out that we were to evaluate an ancient piece of artwork using modern design principles. I guess it never occurred to me that it could be done--as if design principles only applied to recent art! I'm sure that our art teacher will have some suggestions for artwork that I can incorporate into this lesson when I teach my students how to analyze art using the CRAP principles. ====

==== The Week 2 lesson on logos and branding was very interesting. My father always told me that your name is what lives on after you are gone, and that I needed to make sure that the message attached to my name was a positive one, so that concept was already something I was familiar with. I would really like to get into this topic with students, because so many of them don't realize the impression they are leaving behind them--not just physically as they pass through the world, but digitally as well, as they live a large part of their lives on the internet. Our week 2 logo design assignment was beneficial in helping define me personally and professionally. When working on my brand, I looked at a lot other logos and tried to focus on what my impression of the company or person was based on the thoughts that came to mind on first sight. Alcantara stated that we should “…‘reduce’ all the knowledge to the bare essentials. In short, **stereotype yourself**.” Alcantara, L. (2009). So I played the word game with myself where you say the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear, but substituted the words that I wanted others to think of when they heard my name. This was definitely an assignment that I thought could benefit from spending more time on, or even revisiting later to see if any improvements could be made to the original idea I submitted. ====

==== Week 3's lessons on animation were a lot of fun--so much so that I have requested that the students in my district be given access to the free software we were introduced to as part of our coursework. I think that students will like the Stykz software the best, as it offers more flexibility than Scratch, but I think both of them would be great learning tools for our students. ====

==== I also liked the web page design element of this course, too. The web page assignment found me with 2 previous group members, and two others I hadn’t had the pleasure of working with up to that point, but everything worked out great. I have been extremely lucky to work with a basic core group throughout many of my Lamar courses, and we have meshed so well together! Group projects, especially with people I have never even laid eyes on in person, were one of the main objections I had to online coursework, but this experience has shed a whole new light on the idea. I will miss my group work partners, but think that I have made some new friends that I can continue to interact with in the future apart from Masters classes. ====

==== This is also one of the few courses I have taken where the discussion board post requirements weren’t tedious and exhausting. I do not enjoy having to post ‘discussions’ that are basically mini-papers, with references and APA formatting requirements. This felt much more natural, as discussion should be. I do think more time spent discussing each person’s weekly project could have been more beneficial, though. ====