graphic handout design document

7/31/2019 Graphic Handout Design Document

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INTE6710~Project2 Page 1

INTE6710~CreativeDesignsforInstructionalMaterials

Project2:GraphicNovelHandoutDesignDocument

RyanMcClintockMarch18,2012

1.SignificantPurpose

Recentlymymothersharedastorywiththefamilyaboutherfavoritegiftshereceivedgrowing

up.ItwasasetofEncyclopedias.Ilovedlookingthingsupandlearning,shesaid,towhichmy

17-year-oldnieceresponded,Wow,everythingIneedisonmyphone.Hearingthis,Icould

onlythinkthattheshortexchangebetweenmymotherandnieceexemplifiedhowmuchhas

changedasaresultofwhatmanycallaDigitalRevolution.Societyisbecomingincreasingly

networkedandinformationismorereadilyavailable.

Education,althoughchanging,lagsbehindtherateatwhichsocietyischanging.Whiletheremaybemanyreasonsforthisgapbetweensocietyandschools,oneofthemainreasonsmay

bethateducatorsneedtorecognize,accept,andadapttotheneedsofanewgenerationof

students;agenerationthatisconnected,sophisticated,and,Ithink,inherentlyhungryto

demonstratetheirabilitytoinnovateandinfluence.

Manyprogressiveeducatorsarecurrentlyworkingtoadaptbytransformingtheirinstructionto

meettheneedsoftheirstudents.Partofthistransformationinvolvesnetworkingand

collaboratingwithcolleaguesandfelloweducators.Reflectingwithcolleagueswillimproveso

manylessons,labs,andactivitiesandwillresultinthecreationofmanydeeperproject(or

problem)-basedlearning(PBL)opportunitiesforstudents.

APBLcurriculumencouragesstudentstoworktogetherastheyinvestigateopen-endedtype

questionsthatcovercontentandintroducesthemtoimportantskillsalongtheway.Theylearn

toutilizetheirresourcestoaccessinformationwhileteacherscirculateandhelpguidethem

throughtheirwork.Truecross-curricularsharingandcollaborationisrequiredtocreatewell-

designedprojects.ImagewhatateammadeupofEnglish,History,Science,andMathteachers

couldcreatewhentheyworktogethertoaddressstudentsneedsbydesigningaprojectthat

willinvolvecontentandskillsfromeachoftheirrespectiveareasofexpertise.Studentswill

engageintheseprojectsandremembertheirworkforyearstocome.

Manyteachersworkcollaborativelyastheyseektoimprovetheirinstruction.Occasionally

severalwillcreateaprojectorproblemthatspansmorethanonecurriculararea.Creatingand

implementinganoverarchingPBLprogram,however,involvesmuchmorethanseveral

teachersworkingtogetherbecausetheyrecognizethebenefitsofsuchcollaboration.Toeffect

abuilding-wideprogramrequiresmorestructureandexamples.


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Thisprojectwillcreateagraphic-noveldepictingthemajorstepsinvolvedinsuccessfulcross-

curricularPBLprograms.Thehandoutwilldepictseveralteachersworkingtogethertocreatea

project,allthewhiletheywillbedescribingtheirideasandindividualcontributions.This

handoutwillhelpteacherslearnthenuancesofPBLbybreakingtheprocessintoaseriesof

stepsandexamples,thusaddressinganymisconceptionsregardingPBLandhighlightingtheadvantagesofsuchanapproach.

TeachersatCastleViewHighSchoolwillrecognizetheirbuildingisappropriatelysetupto

encourageaPBL-approachtolearning.OurcurrentcultureofcollaborationandProfessional

LearningCommunitiesisprimedtohandleamoreorganizedpushtocreaterigorousand

relevantlearningopportunitiesforourstudents.Thishandoutwillcatalyzetheireffortsto

createmorecross-curricularPBL,whichisbecomingmoreandmoreimportantasschoolsand

educatorsseekmethodstoengageourstudentsinanever-changing,technologically-infused,

networkedsociety.

Designingyourcurriculumaroundproject-basedlearningisadynamicwayofengaging

learnersandofcultivatingtheirpowersofimagination,creativityandinquiry.

-SirKenRobinson

2.APictureoftheFuture

RecenteffortsineducationhaveresultedinthecreationandutilizationofProfessionalLearning

Communities,PLCs,whichoftenincludeteachersfromseveralcontentareas.ThePLCmovementis

centeredoncollaborationandreflection,whichoftenresultsinteacherstalkingaboutwhattheydoand

howtheycanimprove.MostPLCworkencouragesthecreationandimplementationofcross-curricular

material,thoughonasmallscale.

APBL-centeredprogramtakesthisworktothenextlevelasstudentsmakeconnectionsbetween

severaldisciplinesandthusengagemoreandengageandtakemorecontroloftheirlearning.

CastleViewHighSchoolisorganizedintofouracademiesforstudentstochoosefrom.Theseacademies

containteachersfromeachcontentareawhomeettwiceaweektodiscusstheireffortstoincrease

academicrigorandrelevance,throughtheirrelationshipswithstudents.Implementingabuilding-wide

PBLeffortwillworkwellatseverallevels.

Firstly,academieswillbeabletodistinguishthemselvesfromeachotherviaPLB.OurBiotechandHealth

Sciences(BHS)academywilldesignprojectsthatcenteronthemajorgoalsofthescience-based

academy.OurLeadershipandGlobalCommunications(LGC)academycanfocusontheirsociological

design.TheothertwoacademieswillsimilarlyfocustheirPBLeffortsonthedefiningaspectsoftheir

academies.


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Secondly,teacherswillrealizethepowerofamoreinquiry-basedapproachtolearningwherestudents

areabletomanagetheirworkinwaysthataremoreengagingandeffectivethantraditionallecture-

typeapproaches.

Thirdly,studentswillengageinmemorableworkthatadvancestheirintellectualcontributionsbeyond

thewallsofasingleclassroom.Students,therefore,willmorethanlikelyretaintheskillsandcontentinvolvedintheirprojectswellbeyondtheirhighschooldays.

Teacherswillbetheaudienceforthisparticularhandout.Hereswhattheyshouldbeabletodoafter

reviewingthehandout:

Form(join)across-curricularPLBteamofteachers ExecuteaPBLproject

o Getanideao Designtheprojecto Tunetheprojecto Dotheprojecto Exhibittheproject

ReflectontheireffortsatintroducingPBLAcademyPLCswillbeexpectedtocreateandexecuteaminimumofonePBLexperiencepernine-week

termtomeasuretheusefulnessofboththehandoutandtheapproachforCastleViewstudents.

DesignValues

IthinkagraphicnovelhandoutisaneffectivemediumforinstructingreadersondesigningPBLfortheir

students.WhatfollowsarethemajordesignvaluesItookintoconsiderationwhencreatingthis

handout.

Thisgraphichandoutwasdesignedtobebrief,concrete,yeteffectiveinintroducingandinstructing

readershowtothinkandimplementPBLintoacourse.Usingconcretenessasafoundationfor

abstractionisnotjustgoodformathematicalinstruction;itisabasicprincipleofunderstanding.Novices

craveconcreteness.Concreteideasareeasiertoremember,accordingtoHeath&Heath(2007,p.

106)regardinghowtomakeadifficultorabstractideaeasiertounderstandandrecall.Alongtheselines

IstructuredthishandoutbycreatingshortlistsofthemostimportantportionsofPBLforstudentsand

ofhowteacherscanapproachPBLtocreateamazingprojects.PortionsofMedina(2008)materialon

short-termmemory,specificallyonrepetition,influencedtheorganizationofthishandout.


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SimilartothestyleofMcCloud(2006),Idecidedtoincludeanarratingcharactertoinstructreaders

aboutPBL.Ithoughtthisstylewouldbestengagethereadersandgivethehandoutapersonaltone.This

ideaallowedmetoincludeframesthatweredescribingorexemplifyingsomeofthenarratorspoints

thathadslightlydifferentlooksandfeels(colors,texture,positioning,etc.)soitwasobvioustoreaders

thatthecontentwasonelayerdeeperthanthenarratorslides.

Handoutflowwasdesignedsoreadersaremostlytrackinglefttoright,thoughsomepanelsandframes

areslightlylargerthanothers.IusedMcCloudssixpaneltopaneltransitions(mainlyMomentto

Moment,ActiontoAction,andSubjecttoSubject)whendesigningtheflowofmyhandout.

IchosetonotincludeeachandeverysingledetailaboutPBLplanninginthishandout.Medina(2008,p.

105)alludestoourbrainsabilitytofillinthegapofdetailswhenrecallingtheeffectofwritingvowels

withastrokevictim.Ahandoutcontainingtoomanydetailsmayoverwhelmreadersanddissuadethem

fromreadingforcomprehension(asreferencedbyoneofmyreviewersinthenextsection).

IcontinuedtoincludemanyofthelessonsIvelearnedfromReynolds(2009)regardingfontselection,

emphasis,andspacing.Withrespecttofontselection,Pixtonhasalimitedselectionanduses

proprietaryfonts,butIwasstillabletochooseafontthatappearedsimilartoFuturaandRockwellas

describedbyReynolds(2009,p.44).Ipositionedtextandimagesinwaystoavoidclutter(Reynolds,p.

38),whichoftenresultedinmorethanonepanelforaspecificthoughtandguidedreaderstothenext

panel.IchooseacolorschemethatIthinkwaseasytoreadonbothascreenandpaper.

McCloud(2006)servedasthebestmodelandexampleformyhandout.Thevisualexamplesthathe

connectedwithhistextandinstructionprovidedmeatemplateofsortsformyhandout.Ithoughthis

useofanarratorworkedwellandthereforeincorporatedthesameideaformyPBLhandout.

FormativeEvaluationResponse

Iaskedthefollowingquestionsoftwoofmypeers:

1. Ichangedsomeofthedesigndetailsofthethoughtbubblesthroughoutthehandout.Whichaspectsdidyouenjoythemost?

IaskedthisquestiontohelpidentifywhichtypeofPixtonthoughtbubblewasthemost

attractiveandeffectiveforthehandout.Someofthechoicesweremorerounded,somewere

boxy,andotherswerestar-likeinappearance.Ialsoframedthebubbleswiththickerlinesforafewtohelpdrawthereadersattentiontothecontentandwantedtoknowifthiswasan

effectivestrategy.

Herearetheresponsesfrommyreviewers:

Personally,Ineitherlikednordislikedthechangingupofthebubbles.Inthe

DesigntheProjectareaonpage2(itisapanelwiththreebubblesinonepanel


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suchthattheconversationwasbuildingoffofeachother),youusedallthree

styles.Thatdidstrikemeasodd,butitwasntoverlydistracting.However,in

hindsight,IthinkthatIwouldsticktoonestyle.OnethingthatIdidfind

bothersomewastheextremelylargesizeofthefontinthethoughtbubbles.

Whileitwaspurposeful,IfoundthattobeverydistractingIwouldsuggest

bringingthefontsizedownanotchontheverylargeones.

***************

Ipersonallypreferredthethoughtbubbleswiththethinneroutline,thoughin

thefirstread-throughIdidntnoticethattheychangedatall.Idsay,unless

youretryingtoemphasizeapoint,keepthemconsistent.Youcanusethedarker

outlineonimportantthoughts/wordsthenwhateverotherconsistentdesignfor

therest.ThoughImnotsureifitsworthyourtimetogobackandreformat

themtomakethemallthesameatthispoint,sinceasIsaid,Ididntevennotice

atfirst.

Idecreasedthefontsizeonthelargerfontpanelsandreducedthenumberofcalloutbubble

styles.Ialsoreformattedtheoutlineofseveralofthebubblestoamoreconsistentthickness.

2. WhatshouldIimprovewithrespecttotheflowofthehandout? Iaskedthistoascertainwhetherornotthesizeandshapeoftheframeswereeasytofollow

andifitwasobvioustothereaderwhenthecontentshiftedtoanewidea.Ipurposefullykept

thisquestionrathergeneralsoastoencouragemyreviewerstoprovidealargeamountof

feedbackregardingtheoverallreadabilityandflowofinstruction.

Herearetheresponsesfrommyreviewers:

Overall,Ithoughttheflowwasfine.YoucoveredabitofwhydoPBL,thehistory

ofit,thesteps,theoutcomes,andhowtodoit.Myonlyflowcommentwouldbe

thatitseemstojustendabruptlyaftertheinstructorleapsandjumpswithjoy.

Idsuggestmaybedecreasingthenumberofpanelsshowinghisjoyandputting

inonemoresummarypanel.

Ididhaveaspecificquestionaboutthefirstpage,5

throw,secondpanel(the

bubbleoverthechalkboard,andhowweknowhowtodogoodPBL.Imnot

surewhythisishereItseemsoutofplace.


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Onpage2,intheDesigntheProjectdescription,Idontunderstandthe

wordinginthelastpanelunderthatsection.Isthereawordmissingaroundthe

wordsthephase?

***************

Ithoughtitflowedreallywellandtoldagreatlittlestory.Obviouslyitwouldbe

niceifyoucouldhaveallthreepartsmerged,butthatsalimitationofthetool.

OneotherthingInoticedthatIliked,butmightuseslightlydifferentlyisyouruse

ofemphasisoncertainwords.Ilikethatitgivescadencetothetextasifyoure

actuallyhearingsomeonespeak,butwhenIlookbackoveritataglance,myeye

isdrawntothosewordsthinkingtheyretheimportanttakeawaypoints,but

theydontalwaysseemtobe.Perhapsyoucouldusemoreselectionaboutthe

wordsthatarelarger/boldsotheyalignwithkeywords/phrases.

Ichangedthereferencetothisphaseasdescribedbythefirstreviewer.Ialsoreviewedeachcalloutbubbleandeitherchangedordeletedanyemphasizedtexttodrawattentiontoterms

specifictothecontentbeingdiscussedratherthanthespeakingcadence.

3. IwaslearningPixtonasIconstructedthishandoutandconsequentlyranintoafewtechnicalissues(e.g.,lengthofcomic).Whatissuesdidyourunintoanddoyouhaveanyadviseformy

Pixtoncomic?

Itriedseveraldifferentstrategieswhenconstructingthishandout,fromhanddrawings,taking

picturesofmycolleaguesworkingtogether,toPixton.IchosePixtonbecauseofitssupplyof

charactersandbackgroundprops.Ididnotanticipatearestrictiononthelengthofacomicto

fourteenstrips.Thisrequiredmetocreateatotalofthreecomicstocontainmymaterial.I

askedthisquestioninanticipationofoneormoreofmyreviewersalsousingPixtonastheir

tool.IfiguredtheymighthavesomepracticaladviseforusingPixton.

Herearemyreviewerscomments:

Seeabove.Really,theonlythingwasthesuperlargefontsize.Oh,Ididnotice

onepanel(wasofthechalkboard/screen)thathadacompletelydifferentfontall

together.Wouldbeniceifyoucouldmakeitonefileinsteadofthree,butI

suspectthesizewaslimited.

***************

Nicejoblearninganewtoolasyouwent.Theonlythingthatreallystuckoutin

mymindwasyoursampleofstudentwork.Whenyoumentionthatstudentsdid

apaintingonplywoodtohousetheirvideoImreallyintriguedandwanttosee


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it,becauseImnotquitesurewhatyoumean.Imassumingtheaccompanying

imageisascreenshotoftheiranimation.Ifyouhaveapictureofthedisplay

thatwouldbenicetosee.

AssoonasIcanfindaversionofAcrobatProIplantoexporteachofthethreehandoutpartsas

pdffilesandcondensethemtoonefile.UntilthenIllhavetosimplyprovideeitherthreelinkstothepartsorthreepdffiles.

Toaddressthepaintingonplywoodissue,Iremovedthatdescription.WhatIthinkcouldbe

doneonceamultiplefilepdfiscreatedisaddweblinkstoeachofthehi-lightedexamplesfor

readerstoreviewindetail.

4. WiththishandoutItrytocondensetheprocessofProject-BasedLearning,PBL,intoafewdoablesteps.HowcanmyapproachbeimprovedtomaketheunderstandingofPBLand

subsequentimplementationeasierandmoreattractivetoteachers?

ThereareseveralaspectsofproperPBLimplementationthatmanyteacherssimplydonotknow

aboutorpractice(forwhateverreason).IaskedthisquestionbecauseIwantedtoknowifthe

numberofstepsIcondensedtheprocessintowereunderstandableorifIbitoffmorethanIcan

chewbydoingthis.


Youmightwanttoconsideraddingonemoredescriptivepanelforeachofthe

HowtoDoPBLsteps?Imconflicted,asyoucoverplenty,yetIwonderifmore

couldgoinhere.Ileavethatuptoyourjudgment,asIthinkitsreallyaverygoodlength.Ifyougivetomuch,itwontgetread,ifyougivetoolittle,you

leavethemhanging.Idothinkyoudidanicejobofsummarizingthetonsof

informationthatsoutthere.

***************

Ithinkyoudidareallynicejobbreakingthisdowntomakeitamuchmore

approachabletopic.Imnotsureifteachersatyourschoolhaveagoodamount

ofpreptimetodoalltheplanningthatyoupropose,butthatmightbea

perceivedbarriertothem.IbettherearesomegreatPBLprojectresourcesand

examplessomewhereontheweb,givingthemalinktosomethinglikethat

mightmakePBLalittlemoreaccessible.

ThesecondreviewermentionsadditionalPBLresources,whichreinforcesmydesire

toaddweblinkstoexamplesitesandsitesthatcontinuetodescribethePBL

process.


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5. HowcanImakethishandoutmoreinterestingtoreadandmoreeffectiveatconveyingmymessagetoteachers?

Thiswasasortofanythingelse?typeofquestionthatwouldallowmyreviewerstomention

errorsingrammarandspelling,fontsize,andanyothergeneraldesignaspectsthatmyfirstfour

questionsmissedaskingabout.


Iwouldsaydittotomyanswerabove.Overall,Ithinkyoudidaverynicejob.I

didfindacoupleoferrors:

1stpage,5throw,1stcolumn:studentshouldbeplural 1tpage,nearthebottom:Today,teachersaroundtheworldareId

suggestusingeithercollegeoruniversityinyourtext,butnotboth.Although

thetwowordshavedifferentmeanings,Ithinkthatformostpeople,thetwowordsaresynonymousinthattheyindicatehighereducationafterhigh

school.

2ndpage:Thisinspiresalevelofcommitmentthanisfuelledby.AlthoughfueledcanbespelledwithoneLortwo,itlooksfunnyinthisfont

withtwoLs.IdsuggestspellingwithonlyoneL,asIthinkitsmorecommon

(judgmentcallonyourpartthough)theperiodshouldbecontained

withintheclosingquotationmark.

3rdpage:Sorry,GoodPBLgetsmeexcited getsshouldbegets 3rdpage,lastpanel:IhopethishasinspiredyoutobingPBLintobing

shouldbebring.Also,tipsandtotoengageandchallengeourstudents.

Doyoumeanyourstudentsinsteadofour?

***************

Iactuallythinkyoudidanexceptionaljobofmakingthisinterestingtoread.I

especiallylikethelastfewframeswhereyourcharacterdoesacartwheel.Ithink

itdoesagoodjobofpracticingwhatyouteachwhenyoutellthemtheyshould

showenthusiasmforaproject.Ifeellikethisprojectcouldbeparticularly

impactfulifyoudomanagetoprintafewcopies.Thatcouldgetaroundthe

multiplesectionsissueandgrabtheteachersattentionabit.

Eachoftheerrorsdescribedbythefirstreviewerhavebeenfixed.


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Bibliography

Heath,C.,&Heath,D.(2008). MadetoStick:WhySomeIdeasDieandOthersSurvive.NewYork:

RandomHouse.

McCloud,S.(2006).MakingComics:StorytellingSecretsofComics,MagnaandGraphicNovels.New

York:Harper.

Medina,J.(2008).BrainRules:12PrinciplesforSurvivingandThrivingatWork,Home,andSchool.

Seattle,WA:PearPress.

Patton,A.(2012)Workthatmatters:Theteachersguildetoproject-basedlearning.Retrievedfrom

http://www.innovationunit.org/our-services/projects/learning-futures-increasing-meaningful-student-

engagement

Reynolds,G.(2009).PresentationZenDesign:SimpleDesignPrinciplesandTechniquestoEnhanceYour

Presentations.Berkeley,CA:NewRiders.

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