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Reflections on EDLD 5366

The introduction of digital graphics was very intriguing to me. I have been involved in digital graphics since the early nineties when graphics programs were in their infancy and I stepped away from it for quite a while, so I was hoping to learn some new things. I felt at ease and comfortable with most of the topics. I found the readings interesting from a perspective of how to use simple tools to educate others.

The animation assignment, I used a program that I had never used before called //Pencil// that I found fun and useful for creating old style animation. The animation tool most people used in their projects did not feel advanced enough for me, as I have used simple animation generators for Power Point presentations in the past. I wanted to push myself to learn an old style of animation, so it was challenging yet rewarding to try something new.

I also found the personal logo assignment interesting. I have always been interested at how logos, symbols and colors are used to represent a brand. I like reading blogs that looks at logo evolution for some corporations (Dkumar M. 20 Corporate Brand Logo Evolution. Retrieved from [|__http://instantshift.com/2009/01/29/20-corporate-brand-logo-evolution/__] ) ( [|__http://logoorange.com__] ) and in my sales and branding seminars we examine the hidden meanings in logos such as Fed Ex and Chase Bank.

The newsletter assignment took me back to the days when I did human resources newsletter for JP Morgan Chase and although I did not know I was using CRAP back then, I guess I was and did not know what it was called. Over the years I have informally taken notice to typefaces and recommend to those interested in design to watch the documentary //Helvetica//. I have used Macintosh computers for most of my life and usually have a understanding of desktop publishing and a clean, streamlined esthetic for graphics. Pulling all these items together made me understand the need for diversity in learning mediums Wahl,L.,&Duffield, J (2005) Using flexible technology to meet the needs of diverse learners. retrieved from [|__http://ww.wested.org/onlin_pubs/kn-05-01.pdf__].

The one aspect I felt was missing was critical feedback from the group as a whole on the discussion boards. As I stated contrary opinions many times, I feel that most people don’t know how to give feedback and the constant agreement does not lead to constructive dialog where ideas are shared freely. Most times you do not have to give negative feedback, but I guess human nature tends to lean toward conflict avoidance.

I would have also liked to see a discussion on using graphics and design in video and photography as visual media tends to work for both visual and kinesthetic learners which together are the majority of the population. (Carbo, M.; Dunn, R.; Dunn,K. (1986)Teaching Students to Read Through Individual Learning Styles. p. 13)