Multimedia Tools in Education - Module 5

 

Module 5 Discussion

Graphic Design

    I think there are many benefits and opportunities to incorporate graphic design in the classroom. Teachers constantly create visuals to help students remember concepts, such as anchor charts, and high quality graphic design is crucial here. If an anchor chart is not engaging to look at, students won't use them and their purpose is no longer relevant. Another tangible way teachers use graphic design is in other types of classroom posters, such as to display classroom expectations, school procedures, schedules, or even inspirational signage. I think many teachers take a lot of pride in how they display their rooms and express who they are and their subject, which provides many graphic design opportunities.

    Additionally, we are in such a digital age, graphic design naturally makes it way into the ways teachers present information and instruction. For example, I create daily Google Slides presentations to help guide my lessons, and every time I design these slides I am always thinking about graphic design and how my slides appear to 12-year-olds. Is the text readable, is the font large enough, are the colors easy on the eyes, what types of images can I incorporate, etc. I really do feel graphic design works its way into many areas of teaching.

    Thinking about how students absorb information, we have to be aware of who they are as learners. I have a large population of EL students, so I am constantly thinking about ways to present information with visuals, videos, and gestures as much as possible. We also know that children these days have rather short attention spans, so this makes it even more necessary to keep lessons engaging and visually appealing. I also think being able to manipulate things like emojis and memes into lessons resonates with kids as well because it connects with visuals they enjoy and are used to seeing/using.

    We have a unit on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens coming in the next couple weeks in my curriculum, and I am already brainstorming ways to revamp lessons from years past. How can I hook in my students from day 1 using graphic design, engaging visuals, videos, audio, etc. I think videos like movie trailers are very effective with junior high students before diving into any story, so my initial thought is to create something like this. I'm also thinking about what ways I can illustrate Scrooge's character so that the kids can make personal connections and be interested in him as a dynamic character.