EDLD 5366 Wk 5 Reflection

As with most of the technology related courses, Digital Graphics, has been quite an eye opener and opportunity for me to learn more about a very interesting topic. I am a self trained graphics program user. I would not consider myself a graphics designer as I have never had any formal training in its concepts and I am hardly a creative person. As the course progressed I learned about CRAP, branding, animations, and incorporating gaming in the classroom.

CRAP, what a term. I had to explain this a little to my dear husband when I told him what I was studying. Contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity are all elements that must be considered when developing a design. As we studied these elements and I began to use them I found myself evaluating different advertisements and how they used CRAP. I have been working on some different designs for work and I am making sure to be very conscientious in regards to what I designed.

Branding is also another topic I was very interested in. In this digital world understanding and taking control of your digital identity and brand is a requirement for your professional progression. By taking control and ensuring that the image portrayed by your brand is what you want to convey, means that you are establishing the building blocks professionally.
Through this class I was exposed to the art of animation. I’m pretty sure that DreamWorks and Disney won’t be calling anytime soon, but I do now know how to get started in some basic software usage and can now create simple animations.
As for gaming, I certainly see how this enhances the learning process. The students of today live in a plugged in, interactive world and using “games” brings the real world into the classroom. Students can learn from not only the content of the game, but also from the design process. Games these days are an extremely complex collaboration of programming, design, scripting, and integration. I see many uses for this in the future, however accurate assessment methods need to be integrated to make sure that the content is accurately conveyed.

References
Alcantara, L. (2009). The art of self-branding. Retrieved from http://www.lealea.net/blog/comments/the-art-of-self-branding-part-one/

Yearwood, J. (2009). Basic Design Principles and Some Observations on How We See Contrast Repetition Alignment … Proximity Retrieved on December 13, 2010 from http://www.scribd.com/Contrast-Repetition-Alignment-Proximity/d/23940707

Wahl, L., & Duffield, J. (2005). Using flexible technology to meet the needs of diverse learners. Retrieved from http://www.wested.org/online_pubs/kn-05-01.pdf

EDLD 5366 Wk 3 Animation

Goodness me!! What an adventure. Learning how to animate and use different softwares can be quite overwhelming. I am having fun though and learning practical skills.

The main thing I am learning is that I need to practice, practice, practice! Also the more I learn the easier it will be for me to work between the different programs.

Behold my Christmas animation creation!!!