Reflection 4: Low Poly Remix

For my EDIT 4300 class I have been working on a lesson plan using the ISTE education standards.

I remixed a lesson I created from my New Media Design class - Low Poly Portrait. My students typically love the project and it shows by what's produced as an end result, hopefully by reworking the lesson it helps get even better results because the way I had it written, or planned before seems meager compared to the updated version.

Old way with CTE standard

vs.

New way with ISTE standard

I usually do the Low Poly Portrait as the first assignment for my New Media Design students, and it's pretty extensive. With the updated lesson plan I feel like it is more thought out, and has a criteria guideline that makes sense for evaluating the project.

With my lessons I use typically CTE standards because I am a pathway teacher where I teach. I use a generic rubric provided by the AIGA for their Graphic Design curriculum. Creating a lesson in the updated format helps me plan the project better and gives students a better idea of what is expected. I can use the new version as a template and improve it going forward.

I really liked this module in my 4300 because I got a chance to revisit a lesson and make it stronger. I like the idea of incorporating Padlet into my new instruction, which was a recent adoption of mine because sometimes I am a laggard. I included it in my updated lesson plans as a way to invoke a discussion about the Low Poly project.

Currently I have two Padletes for two different classes because I like how it can help initiate a class discussion at the students pace. 

New Media Design I & II Business Card Roughs

Graphic Design Collage Final

Reflection #3

Module #3 is one of my favorite modules so far. We covered, HTML and simple web design, cloud computing, infographics, the Web 2.0 movement and one of my favorite technologies to use with print design, QR codes.

I have been using QR codes for over ten years, and I was excited to use them when I figured out how helpful they are at expanding information. The first project I used a QR code was in a print campaign for a local non-profit. I remember one of the board members feeling skeptical about using them because he thought they were hackable, and also dismissed them as a fad. Well, it's now 2023 and QR codes are still here, and probably here to stay.

I like how QR codes can make a static medium such as print more immersive giving it a touch of interaction. I started using them on posters to help direct people to a website, or webpage, where they could get more information about an event I was promoting. I used them in a print piece, The Passport, for the South Valley Studio Tour, linking touring members to Google Maps, so that it was easy to locate all the studios on the tour, without typing in the all the addresses into Google Maps - scan code and drive to studio location. 

At the high school I teach at, and in my classroom, we use QR codes to have students check-out and check-in when they go use the bathroom, so we can keep track who is walking around campus. I use QR codes on posters to direct students to various types of forms, to get data and information for the yearbook. The after school club uses a QR code, so students can scan, and sign-up for the club they want to join.

In the article, 8 Ways to Use QR Codes in Higher Education Classrooms, Tolulope Noah gives an example of using QR codes in a Tic Tac Toe QR code activity to enhance learning for English language learners.

"I told my students to choose any three boxes in a row, watch the linked videos, and reflect on what they observed. Afterward, we had the whole-class discussion about their observations."

I have not used QR codes this way in my classroom, but it seems like a great idea. I like how the QR code activity allows student to engage with content, and makes their lesson seem non-linear. It's great activity encouraging interaction with the material and other students.

Perhaps, one draw back to using QR codes is that it typically requires a mobile device to scan the code. Some students might not be able to interact with the codes because they do not have a phone, mobile device, or their data plan might be limited. However, in the classroom this can be remedied by providing students without mobile devices with an iPad, or mobile tablet so they can participate. Fortunately I have the ability to lend out iPads in my classroom, but some teachers on my campus and at other schools might not have that luxury.

While QR codes have real legitimacy with information enhancement and user engagement, they are pretty easy to make, and can be a lot of fun to use. If you have not made your own QR code yet, it is easy to get started.  Create your own QR code and start adding it to your documents.

Infographic by EDIT 4300-01, California State University, Los Angeles

QR codes link to Web 2.0 technology