Blog Post #7
I've always liked to format/design with paper and pen. Especially when taking notes, I like to bold headlines and subsections for a quick and easy overview - this was helpful when studying notes. However, I was a bit timid trying to design using technology. I thought that it would be too tedious to learn how to format every detail - and to learn what you can format. However, this class has shown me more than how to design, but the resources for design! From resources for audio, still media, to moving media, I did not know that so many were available - and free! This really showed me the power of this Web 2.0. and how basically anyone, with an internet connection, can create and share.
One of my favorite tools that I learned from this site is screen-o-matic. It is very easy to use and is very helpful. When seeing screen cast tutorials on YouTube, before trying it out myself, I thought that it required some sort of fancy download or equipment - not true. It was really simple and as long as you have good sound quality, creating a screen cast is a snap! I plan to use screen casts for my MMP project to show students how to analyze or present data.
Also, Professor Holan was right about how the Mini Art School can change how you see design. The books, White Space is Not Your Enemy, and Designs Basic Index, were concise and provided us many examples. I especially liked the Design Basic Index book for it was compact and to the point. It provided many examples to illustrate how design affects perceptions and thus, impressions.
