White Space

For this week's graphic, the focus was white space. White space can be used to as a tool to clarify text, construct perception of time, and create balance. According to Lohr (2008) background color can also be considered white space. Learners often prefer graphics and text which include plenty of white space because they are "less overwhelmed by the volume of information presented" (Lohr, 2008).

I wanted to create a graphic which would provide a concrete definition for my fifth grade students as they begin adding and subtracting fractions. To simplify the message and focus on the information presented, I used white space to create focus on the definition of a fraction.  The text is simple and balanced on top and bottom with the graphic in the middle.  As student read left to right, the text was offset to keep the students' focus moving from top to bottom, left to right across the graphic.

For the image representing a fraction, it was important to show only the fractional pieces. In this case, two fractional pieces are represented while there is still a piece of the whole missing. I wanted to make sure students were not confused by seeing a whole and a part.

References

Lohr, Linda L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance, second edition. Pearson: Upper Sadle River, NJ.

Organization Project

Lohr (2008) tells us the goal of chunking is to "help the learner think about information in a meaningful or efficient way". For my graphic I focused on chunking the information my fifth grade students will need to make sure their answer is simplified. Students often try one method of checking for a simplified fraction but forget (or choose not to) use any others. By creating a organized chart, I'm hoping students will check their fraction with each of the steps if necessary.

When creating the chart, I chose to use specific numbers to give examples of each step. In each step, words are placed before the examples and are kept a reasonable space apart. The information has be aligned to form columns which created uneven space between words and numbers. However, I felt the words were in close proximity so meaning would not be lost. I kept the background and steps the same color but changed the shade to show separation between each step.

After showing the chart to several people, they felt the information was clearly presented. They liked the color choice which made each step stand out from each other.

Revisions- 

The feedback provided from classmates focused on the bold words I wanted to emphasize in my graphic. I have changed the bold to a different color. I chose a blue in the same hue as the background. I think the suggestions make the graphic much easier to understand.

References

Lohr, Linda L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance, second edition. Pearson: Upper Sadle River, NJ.

Color Project

Edward Tufte (1990) describes for instructional functions of color (Lohr, 2008).

• Labeling- Color can be used to label or differentiate information. Maps use color to label information to make features easy to identify.
• Identifying Quantity and Measurement- Charts and graphs use color to identify quantity or measurement. 
• Representing Reality- Realistic illustrations often use color to depict the color of objects to differentiate them from others.
• Creating Aesthetic Appeal- Color can be strictly decorative creating a visual appeal since people tend to prefer color to black and white.

My graphic will be used in a fifth grade math unit. I chose to illustrate how to solve a word problem including subtracting fractions from a whole number. I used color in several ways as I created my graphic.

Labeling- I used red to draw attention to just the denominator in the fraction. I hoped to tie information together with color by making the number match the circle where the denominator is shown.

Representing Reality- I tried to create pizza that would have a realistic look to contrast with the grey of the pan as pieces were removed.

Creating Aesthetic Appeal- I hoped to create a graphic that was visually appealing by adding color to the background. The yellow color was light enough to make sure the black text was clearly visible.

I had three people look at my graphic. My first background was a little lighter (more white) and the darker background was preferred. Otherwise, all three understood the graphic and felt it was visually appealing.

UPDATE:
Comments from classmates expressed concerns in two areas of this graphic.

• Lines dividing the pizza were heavy and became a focal point
• Background color needed contrast for visibility

Here is my updated graphic. I have included two hues of blue background.

References

Lohr, Linda L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance, second edition. Pearson: Upper Sadle River, NJ.

Selection Project

For my graphic this week, I designed a graphic organizer for the math vocabulary in my adding and subtracting fractions unit. The graphic organizer will be used by fifth grade students during math class. This week I learned about the selection principle. Mayer describes the three characteristics of the selection principle to be concentrated, concise, and concrete. I focused on two of the three characteristics, concentrated and concise. When creating the graphic, I made the words the emphasis of the graphic keeping the main elements concentrated. I removed any unnecessary wording or graphics to keep it concise. I had originally added a few graphics of fractions, but realized as the students completed the organizer, I wanted their definitions and graphics to become the focus. Any graphics I would have added would have distracted from the focus. I used grey for the lines in the organizer to help keep the students work organized without being the focus of the graphic. Although the heading is big, using blue instead of black softens the look. The main focus should be on the words in the organizer, so I chose black for all words. I used a bolder and larger font to make the subheadings stand out. As I listed the words, I made sure to keep multiple words close to each other, limiting the space of the return.

I tested my graphic with two students and a teacher. Each of them understood the focus and purpose of the graphic and felt no changes were necessary.

References

Lohr, Linda L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance, second edition. Pearson: Upper Sadle River, NJ.

CARP Project

CARP- Contrast, Alignment, Repetition, and Proximity

In this week's reading I learned how each of these actions can help improve instruction. According to Lohr (2008), most of the information regarding these actions are based on aesthetic design principles instead of research. Contrast is created by producing a difference between elements in a visual by altering text weight or size. The alignment of text may improve the readability. Left justified words are usually easier to read, while centered text has a more formal look (Lohr, p. 201). "Repetition can create a sense of harmony and unity" and is easily created by repeating an aspect of the design (Lohr, p. 203). Proximity can describe the relationship between aspects within a visual or even between a visual graphic and its related text. When text is placed too far from the visual example the relationship may be lost.

The following explains my application of CARP in my graphic design.

• Contrast- Contrast is created by using the bold feature for both "improper fraction" and "divide" in the first line. Also, there is contrast in the size of the font for the title.
• Alignment- Words are left aligned and title is centered in the graphic. Alignment of words and examples both in the top and the bottom.
• Repetition- Color is repeated with words and numbers to show the relationship between the explanation and the example.
• Proximity- Words are next to the example instead of being on top of the example to show their relationship.

Previous Version

Before submitting my final graphic, I reviewed the CARP rules and made a few slight adjustments.
I eliminated some of the white space on both sides and the graphic hoping to better tie the words to the examples.
Next, I aligned the top of 7 with the top of the words creating an equal space between the body and the title.
Finally I also aligned the 1 and the bottom line of words to create an equal framed space around the body.

Graphic with revisions after class feedback

References

Lohr, Linda L. (2008). Creating graphics for learning and performance, second edition. Pearson: Upper Sadle River, NJ.

Design Process Model

Continuing with my unit of instruction of adding and subtracting fractions, this week I have created a graphic organizer. Originally, I wanted to create a graphic organizer demonstrating the whole process of both adding and subtracting fractions. However, there are many so variables and steps involved, I decided to break down the process into smaller chunks. This graphic represents three different ways I teach my fifth graders to find the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of two numbers. The purpose of this graphic is for a reference for students after they have learned each method of finding the LCM. As I designed the graphic below, I used the ACE (Analyze, Create, and Evaluate) design model.

Lohr (2008) explains that "during the design phase, you identify the purpose of the instructional visual". I began by analyzing the steps of adding and subtracting fractions. Students are usually successful with adding and subtracting with like denominators, however, as they encounter unlike denominators the procedure becomes more difficult. I realized finding the least common multiple is a big piece of the puzzle when adding and subtracting fractions.  Not all fifth graders are fluent with their multiplication facts, so often students use the method of finding the LCM which works best for them. I decided a graphic organizer would help students remember the three different ways we learn to find the LCM.
Next, in the design process the concept moves to its physical form which is considered the create phase (Lohr, 2008). After listing the methods of finding the LCM, I decided I didn't want give a detailed explanation. Instead, I wanted to create a model using each of the methods to find the LCM. At first I showed a new problem with each method. The graphic seemed too busy and lacked repetition. Using the same problem for each of the methods seemed to simplify the graphic. For each method, I simply demonstrated how to find the LCM. Students would have pages in their notebook showing the specific process of each method including words and graphics. The organizer was simply a representation of each method.
Finally, the evaluation phase involves careful editing and changing the visual (Lohr, 2008). Originally, the visual had color in the two ovals in the cross multiply section. I added color to the background of the design and changed the ovals in the cross multiply section from red to pink. I wanted to keep the three methods similar colors while having a different color for the title. I have shown my final visual to three others who said the visual was logical and easy to read.

Shape

The use of shape can create both an aesthetic and functional design perspective (Lohr, 2008). I have created the prime and composite image to introduce the meaning of each word in a fifth grade math unit focusing on adding and subtracting fractions. Teaching this unit requires students to understand the difference between prime and composite numbers when finding prime factors to create like denominators.

Knowing this image would be used to communicate the meaning of the vocabulary words, I began with a rectangle to display the information. Next, I decided to split the rectangle into two columns separating the words and supporting information. To emphasize the examples following the definitions, I created a smaller graphic continuing to use the rectangle shape, but adding color to add some contrast.

I still have several concerns about this graphic which may lead to changes. For example, the line between prime and composite is the same weight as the vertical line separating the terms. To me, the length of the columns creates enough definition, but a distinction between each word may be needed. Also, do the numerical examples of each definition have enough white space to keep them separate, or do I need to create a more distinct barrier?

After showing the graphic to several students I will make changes based on their feedback.