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Final Lesson - Web Mastering-Digital Design
High School
By: Blanca E. Peña
BRAINSTORM:
Introduction
Today’s high tech digital world provides opportunities for high school students to receive college credit while still in high school though a dual enrollment program. This program allows students to simultaneously earn college credit towards a certificate or associate that also counts as high school credit. The Web Design and Programming certificate and associate are currently under review pending final approval by year-end. The Web Mastering course that I am teaching this year is one of the courses under the certificate and associate for the dual enrollment program. Since this is the first time a Web Mastering course is taught in my high school, I approached the principal with the idea of having my students in my web mastering class update the school website as a final project. She agreed.
Purpose:To introduce students to professional experiences by learning digital design skills and to involved with hands-on-activities in which they interact with their peers, administration, department heads and teachers. As a final project, students will participate as a group to update the school website under the Web Master supervision as approved by the campus principal.
Problem: Nearly all jobs require higher-level skills than in the past. New employees with just high school diplomas, lack the work skills needed to succeed in a global and increasingly competitive workplace, suggests a survey of corporate human-resource officials (Education Week, 2006). This lesson will offer students the opportunity to learn digital designing skills and actually apply them by taking part of updating the campus school website as a final project. This project involves the interaction and creativity of all students in efforts to design and update the current school website while opening doors to future web designing or programming job opportunities.
Strategy: To simulate a professional work environment students gradually migrate their design work from an individual process to a group process. Each project contains activities that require students to evaluate and then redesign and rework their final project to meet client’s expectations.
Description
Web Mastering is a two-semester, project-based curriculum that teaches digital communication skills using Adobe web tools. Key skill areas that will be followed: Project management and collaboration; Design; Research and communication; presentation and reflection and Professional web-authoring tools. As students develop each skill they will complete projects that will add on to their developed skills adding more challenges and opportunities for improvement.
The first semester will help students develop skills that lay the foundation for producing web-ready communication: graphic deign principles, storyboards, web development, shared projects skills like interviewing and project scheduling, peer review, redesign. Project activities will effectively be deployed on the web to confirm acquired knowledge. Students will create graphical images with animation to later apply to their website electronic portfolio.
For the final project of the first semester, students will build a simple web site displaying their projects in the form of a “Portfolio” displaying their talent and creativity in web designing. Students will apply newly learned knowledge using the software Dreamweaver, Fireworks, HTML coding. Students will also be able to share their completed work with their family by storing their files on a USB drive.
The second semester students will learn to use Adobe Flash CS3 to apply design solutions requiring rich media and interactivity. Students will continue to produce rich media communications such as digital narratives and rich media elements to apply to client websites. Students will build technical skills to improve client needs. Students will design and or updating client website. Students will obtain the following key skills: “soft” skills like interviewing abilities and responding to feedback; communication with client by using design layout documents and specifications; technical multimedia skills like film effects and transitions.
LITERACY
Symbols: Each category has its own decoding symbols: Design skills symbols include composition, color, typography, usability, storyboarding; Technical skills symbols include accessibility, drawing, color panels, optimization, etc on tool palette.
Discourse: Students will review handout forms on copyright and computer ethic code consequences before starting on their projects. Students will follow concept map design layout in effort to meet required expectations on web designing.
Cognitive Process: Students will define, structure, design, build and test, and finally launch their final project. Students will follow this process for each department to redesign and/or update departmental website.
Authentic Activities:
A1: Study computer ethic and copyrights
A2: Interview departments
A3: Collect department information needed for website.
A4: Collect forms, photos, images.
Building Knowledge Activities:
B1. Students gave knowledge in Dreamweaver, Fireworks, HTML coding and Flash
B2: Student will develop interviewing skills.
B3: Students will gather photos, records, files from departments for portfolio project.
B4. Students will use the Internet to research other schools for designing ideas.
B5. Students will search the internet for clipart and/or text.
Constructing Activities:
C1: Students will make appointments to meet with client
C2 Student will create a storyboard of website to present to client.
C3. Student will keep log of meetings to record outcome of meetings.
C4. Students will visit with client to discuss design and layout.
C5: Student will redesign and rework design to client for final approval.
C6: Student will post website to school server.
Sharing Activities:
S1: Students will share their designs for classroom visual assessment.
S2: Students will share web design as presentation for assessment.
S3: Students will share design and layout with principle before final approval to post.
S4. Students will share with department final product for modifications if necessary.
Content:
Technology TEKS:
TEKS 126.27 C. 4) Information acquisition: The student uses a variety of strategies to acquire information from electronic resources, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to:
(A) Use strategies to access research information from different resources including local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), the Internet, and intranet; and
(B) Construct and use appropriate electronic search strategies in the acquisition of information including keyword and Boolean search strategies.
(8) Solving problems. The student uses research skills and electronic communication, with appropriate supervision, to create new knowledge. The student is expected to:
(B) Demonstrate proficiency in, appropriate use of, and navigation of LANs and WANs, the Internet, and intranet for research and for sharing of resources;
Tools:
Adobe CS3 software, Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash; Computers, internet access, handouts, photos, department files, documents, notepad, etc.
Systems of Assessment:
o Teacher/Departmental assessment.
o Additionally a certification of completion will be award as evidence of learning and a job well done.
o Skill overview Rubric: to assess various aspects of major web and rich-media projects. Each will have its own rubric to be measured by expectation of finished process.
Learning Objectives
At the end of the project students will have completed these tasks:
- Have the ability to plan, create and design a website.
- Obtain interviewing and communication skills
- Gathered information about their departments
- Conducted research about other schools regarding layout, design
- Built a three-page web site with information for their portfolio
- Update school website.
Design Time
A full semester:
1st six weeks – Fireworks
2nd six weeks – Dreamweaver
3rd six weeks – HTML
4th six weeks – Flash
5th six weeks – workshops/practicum
6th six weeks – School website
Design Challenge 2 & 3
EDTC 6341:Design Challenge #2
Blanca E. Peña
The Efficiency Model
A Learning Design
Top 10 Principles of the Efficiency Model
1. Define learning goals 2. State objectives 3. Sequence of Instruction 4. Determine learning success 5. Monitoring and assessment 6. Reinforcement 7. Implementation 8. Evaluation 9. Conclusion 10. Re-teach if necessary.
Top 10 Challenges to the Efficiency Model
1. Completion of individual assignments. 2. Individual grading system 3. Individual student learning 4. Time constraints in connecting subject areas. 5. Primary source of information 6. Teachers as technicians 7. Limited participation in todays society. 8. Independent learning 9. Lack of assessment to reinforce learning. 10. Staying abreast of technology changes.
Step One: Define a Learn Goal
Given a personal computer, internet access, handouts for instruction, and the use of Dreamweaver program, the student will create and design an original web page which will ultimately be published onto the internet once completed and approved by teacher.
Step Two: State Objectives
Students will use the Webpage wizard available to design their own web page. Students will design their website using bullets, text color, background patterns, and images.
Step Three: Sequence Instruction
Students will insert at least 3 hypertext links like favorite sites onto the web page, save the page under a filename and be able to edit their web page to add details and improve design. Students will also learn to insert images and pictures from remote web sites to enhance their webpage design.
Step Four: Determine Learning Success
Students will receive a grade for a completed web page design that includes the above mentioned components. Learning success will be measured by following standards set forth on rubric: 1) Insert 3 hypertext links, 2) save page under filename, 3) edit their webpage for updates, 4) insert images from remote web sites, 5) upload page to be publish.
A Reflection and Critique of the Design
The strength of my design is that students will engage in the hottest innovation of today’s ever changing technology. Limitations of my design will depend on access to software, computer labs and internet connection available at campus. My design benefits my students’ new learned skills necessary for today's careers, to enhance a career, to learn to express individual interest and hobbies.
EDTC 6341: Design Challenge #3
Blanca E. Peña
The FACTS Model of Design
Teachers as Designers: A Cinquain Poem
Teacher
Educator Instructor
Movtivator Helper Caring
Realible person Trustworthing peer
Designer
Teachers as Designers: A Diamente Poem
Teacher
Teacheable Communicator
Learning Instructinr Guiding
Passoniate Real Creator Inventors
Creating Caring Inventing Stylish Artist
Designer
The FACTS Model:
A Summary
The Fact Model is a design puzzle with five major pieces Foundation, Activities, Content, Tools and Systems of assessment which form the core considerations for the design of learning opportunities.
The F is for Foundations
Foundation of learning is what students need to know in order to develop high performance skills needed to succeed in a workplace environment with various technology skills.
The A is for Activity
Activities are used to engage students in the problem solving processes use to challenge the students in solving problems in a robust and comprehensive manner.
The C is for Content
Contents is the something of learning that students associate to their interest in order for them to solve problems about something.
The T is for Tools
Tools will assist with student learning in many creative ways by use of books, television, films, video, and the use of skills software, and internet. These tools will be consistent with and supportive to the need of the learner.
The S is for Systems of Assessment
Systems of Assessment are used to determine student learning by using a variety of alternative assessment strategies including rubrics, portfolios, peer critiques, exhibitions, and performance assessment.
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