The YouTube video in week one titled Design Principles, by Barry Jahn, displayed an excellent tutorial for assisting with the creation of my Business Information Management Poster using the four principals of design, C.R.A.P. Without realizing it, I had been using C.R.A.P. guidelines most of the time anyway because the scheme of it simply made sense.(Jahn, 2007)
In week two, I was able to focus on the creation of my business cards using Microsoft Power Point and the guidelines of self-branding to convert the file into a JPEG. The article that I read told me to “find my niche” so I enjoyed putting my own special twist on a simple picture with a hidden acronym that was actually both my son’s initials. (Utecht, J. (2010).
During week three, I felt like a quitting. I could not for the life of me get Stickz animation to work on my computer or in my brain. The download was not acknowledged and certain software had to be purchased or removed. I was almost at that brink of giving up (which is not my personality) when I finally realized that I could not tackle this assignment like the pro’s. Because this was my first animation project, I needed to work this like an amateur would do and keeping things simple. I found that Scratch to be a user friendly site for a beginner and I loved it. The suggested YouTube tutorials were perfect and due to the time restraints, I was able to complete the work and feel confident enough to teach it to my students without the students teaching it to me.
During week four, I regained my confidence. I felt that the trials I experienced in week three were behind me and I had a strong team to work with me. We had great concepts in place that we would use to create a great webpage. I believe we did a great job and the work speaks for itself: https://sites.google.com/site/edld5366pedestal/
Now in week five as I reflect upon my experience, I located a passage in one of the readings that states, “The teacher must also be able to vary his or her approach in helping the students analyze what has taken place. The methods are dependent on the personalities and situations involved. At times, it might be necessary to be blunt and honest with feedback. (Kreger, 2005) This passage stood out to me because often times we provide our students one way of doing things because it’s easier for us (the teacher). My situation was no different than accommodations made for our SPED students who struggle. I wanted to use an animation site that everyone else was using but I had to struggle a little to find my way when I realize that I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t want anyone to just "give me the answers", I needed to research and find out that the best answer was not going to be like everyone else but the best answer was going to be the one more suitable for me.
References:
Citation: YouTube video - Basic Layout and Design Principles for WebPages
Citation: Utecht, J. (2010). Creating your personal brand. Retrieved from http://www.thethinkingstick.com/creating-your-personal-brand
Citation: Kreger, C. (2004). The Reflective Student. Retrieved from http://www.cotf.edu/ete/teacher/reflect.html
