Teng Learning Technology

I must admit this entry is very similar to my previous entry.  What were some of the advantages and disadvantages of combining text with images for instructional design. As mentioned in the previous entry, not only are some of advantages of both methods (text only, or images only) seen in this approach, but some of the disadvantages are seen. The advantages of being able to use both text and images is the fact that both media are good at presenting somethings while poor at presenting others.  A picture might be worth a thousand words, but people have different ideas about what “sugar” is.  On the other hand, as articulate as someone might be, there are somethings pictures can show us that text has many difficulties with.  A diagram showing someone how to fold an origami bird is far more effective than just describing it with words.  Using both techniques makes it far easier.  As mentioned in the article by Kozma, Learning with Media, when images are added...

Designing instruction from multiple media both has is pros and cons.  Using different media formats engages different parts of the brain. In my LTEC 5300 class, cognitive psychology, we have learned about different forms of perception, attention and memory.  The more parts of the brain engaged the more likely information will stick. While text and images both might be part of the “visual” sense, both use different parts of the brain, and that makes it more effective to use them. As it has been said, a “picture is worth a thousand” words. Some things are best expressed in images. While telling someone instructions on how to drive somewhere often works, usually it is far easier to draw a map. That being said, as shown in last week’s assignment, not using any words also causes difficulties. Everyone has a different image in their head to what a sugar packet looks like.  And some people simply do not know what some objects, like sugar, look like. There are several cons to u...

This week's assignment was to make a visual learning document with images only. I do love to work with the Adobe Creative Suite, and I haven't used those skills in a few years. It was fun to use them again. This assignment was made much easier because I simplified the instructions. I used a bread machine instead of telling the learner how to kneed the bread, and how fast they should mix the dough.  Hopefully I get a passing grade on this unlike last week’s assignment.  Creating a design exclusively with images, and no words or numbers, was difficult. Even the examples we were given, had some numbers in them. It was fun coming up with symbols to represent stuff.  Instead of writing “3 cups of flour”, I drew a flour bag and had an arrow pointing from it to three measuring cups.  That being said, I don’t know if people will get confused with what the symbols mean. While visual only instructions will probably not be used very often in the “real world” it does have it...

When creating a document in instruction, designers need to  have a keen understanding of color theory and visual design To understand color theory, you must understand the color wheel.  If someone were to start with red, the color adjacent to it would be orange, all the way following ROY G BIV, back to purple (violet) which would be next to red again. Colors across from each other are called complementary. Red and green are good examples of complementary colors. Complementary colors contrast very well.  If a designer wants something to stick out, using the color that is the complement of the background, would work best.   (Cousins, 2012) (Cousins, 2012) A designer might also use an analogous color scheme.  These are colors that are adjunct to each other on the color wheel, like read, orange and yellow.  Using an analogous color scheme tends to be pleasant and calming to the viewer. A designer might also use a triadic color scheme. This is when th...

This week in class we created our first instructional design project. We were asked only to explain our topic with text and hypertext without images or videos. I picked my topic of backing bread because I took a pastry baking class last summer.  On one hand, the assignment was easy, because cooks have been reading text based recipes. The instructions given came completely from the book Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen.  And creating the assignment was easy to translate into more text.  Working on this project has given me a lot to think about. Using words and hypertext does have advantages. It is quick to create and it requires very little computer memory. Anybody with a word processor and access to the internet may use it. For lower level students, it forces them to read more. Many professions out there such as law or academia require reading. For hundreds of years, text has been one of the only ways to teach something to someone without an instructor nearby....

This blog will document my experiences during my Learning Technologies master’s degree.  These first entries will be for assignments in LTEC 5220 Multimedia in Technology Applications. As a millennial educator, I have seen the use of learning technology evolve rapidly.  I remember playing educational games such as Where in the World is Carmen San Diego , Oregon Trail , and using very primitive word processing equipment in elementary school. In middle school, I remember getting on the internet for the first time and how that resource has revolutionized the how people access knowledge.  Some of the early projects that used technology consisted of making PowerPoint presentations and presenting them to the class.  In college, I would become a prolific Wikipedia editor contributing to the one of the largest repositories of information in the world.  I also worked a job in the distance education department at the Texas A&M School of Rural Public Health  (...