Thus far, Digital Graphics proved to be my favorite course while in the Instructional Technology Educational program at Lamar University. I do not believe a single week went by in which I did not learn something new and invigorating as a teacher and a learner.
While we started out with simple design theory, we proceeded to learn more advanced techniques, such as logo design and animation. I was probably in the minority of graduate students in the program in my dislike of the animation week. Although I learned so much that week, I found animation to be difficult and cumbersome. I used the program "Scratch" for my animation, and, while I definitely think that a number of my students would enjoy it, I personally did not find it enjoyable.
I was able to begin working on a logo design for our new West Texas affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English: Concho Valley Teachers of English. I definitely found this to be difficult; nevertheless, I believe I enjoyed it immensely because of the reflection of a real-life task. As the first article in Week 5 of our course states, “educational experiences are more authentic and of greater value when the curricula reflect real life, which is multifaceted.” (National Council of Teachers of English, 1995) Whether a child, a teen, or an adult learner, I believe that authentic experiences in learning hold power over those that are isolated and irrelevant in the real world. My interest continued in the course as I worked on a newsletter that actually went out to our membership of CVTE. It was exciting to use design principles, the new logo, and members’ writing as well as my own to create a form of communication that I felt was meaningful and worthwhile.
National Council of Teachers of English, 1995.
