Elevation+Picture+3



By mohamed Aleisa

Although I can clearly see how one can consider this to be a form of Organizational Visual as defined in the last sentence of (p. 4),I can also see this to be a form of Decorative Visual and also a form Educational Design ( both are  defined in the same page),(p.4). Of course the structure of the information helps us to easily conclude that it's an Organizational Visual but I can't help but get distracted by some of the words that are redundant and repeated. Assuming that this is aimed at school children, I can't help but feel that there is a bit of Technocentrisim(p,31) because of the overuse of bald and colorful fonts and this just distracts the learners more than helps. The reason I said before that there is a bit of decorative visual is because of the background which could have been little more plain and I can also see that the designer could have spent a little more time at the end of the Diamond process where he needed to take out some of the extraneous design elements(p.89). And also the reason I said that this is an Educational Visual is because of the information presented which are pretty clear and easily memorable. Now in spite of all my criticism I really like this one the most but if I had the chance to Analyze and change some of it ,I would start with the colors of the arrows and clouds and also the font. I would love to fix some words like (Den ver) and (colorad o). and the same background could have been used but with far less fog and more sun light, some photo shopping was clearly in order, because it is kind of hard to read the text with this foggy background.

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I feel that this image is the most "appealing" of the three. Perhaps because there is not as much going on as in the others.The most confusing component in this image is the text. The green lettering does not read easily (drop their moisture, dry). It takes away from the message and can be considered technocentric (p.31). The line drawing contributes to developing the visual concept (p.76) but again the text around it is not as clear. It is not concise or visually organized (labels are broken into 2 lines, repeating words i.e. mountains 3x). Although I like the background picture, because it may help to get everyone "on the same page" it may be too extraneous (p.89). By removing it the line drawing would become the focus. The text then could be simplified and help younger learners easily understand the sequence. Currently the learner might get confused in what looks like a series of "titles" and less like a process or sequence. Charlie ||
 * [[image:LindaPoints.jpg]] || This image seems to be a (sort of) organizational visual (p.18) because it is structured in a way to help the learner see the 'structure, sequence, and hierarchy of information." However, I think that there are some bits of technocentrism in here (p.31). The bolded word Elevation I find to be distracting. The text box on the left really isn't needed, it is mostly stated in the bigger text box. The line drawing could have easily been addressed text wise by breaking apart the bigger text box according to the picture it references in the line drawing. Also, I think that the bottom text box either isn't needed or can be altered to indicate that at lower elevations, the area is often dry. Although I like the background image, it does not make this visual any more learner friendly. The line drawing was sufficient and could have been placed against a more plain background. ||
 * [[image:Pic.png width="152" height="95"]] || First of all, this image is technocentric, because I could say it conveys the message and deliver the main goal of theses message (page 31). I would say, this Image is for the 6th grade, I think third image is effective, and it communicates with students’ knowledge to explain how the temperatures, wind, and Evaporation occur. This image definitely is instructional image (page15), and it is organizational image because it integrate the texts, pictures, and comments which assist the students to learn how the atmosphere works and what the temperature contains. This picture contributes in creating the concepts of the learners, and that will assist them to develop their perceptive for develop it and make more details in this image. Moreover, it is efficient image because I think the learners will understand it easily because this image is based on the text which explain the facts of the image, arrows which explains the wind’s movement, and the mountain’s and the views that are behind and around it, this method is synchronized which support the integration concept (47). However, the designer must look again to the image, there is a big mistake through my opinion. The trees which are from the right side of the mountain, he must draw as trees without leaves because this image explains the temperature in the winter. ||
 * [[image:Charlie.jpg width="129" height="108"]] || The concept being presented is simple so I am going to say this image is for fourth graders.
 * [[image:Charlie.jpg width="129" height="108"]] || The concept being presented is simple so I am going to say this image is for fourth graders.
 * || The use of proper sequence and text information to assist the student in identifying processes illustrated improves the usability of the image. This makes the image look like it was intended for a third grader. As a result, it is an instructional image (pg. 15). This is further contributed by the fact that the image is being used to assist learners in having a clear picture of the information. For example, arrows have been used through a different color font so that the learner can identify the drift of wind/direction. However, there are text elements that cannot be easily viewed because of poor use of font color. For example, in the explanation given for clouds giving rise to moisture, a green font has been used against blue background. This has the effect of decreasing integration of some key elements into the overall picture intended for the image (p.80). In this regard, it would be necessary to redesign the view of the letters. This is achievable by creating a unique caption for the image to increase visibility (p/80). Finally, despite the negative aspects, the image provides an important tool for understanding elevation and climate.

Mazen Theeban ||
 * [[image:self_image.gif]] || I would say that this image is for elementary school students and is most likely a teacher's PowerPoint slide. I like this one the best out of the three because of the illustration. I would remove the background image of Pikes Peak since it is nothing more than a decorative visual (p.16). I would increase the size of the illustration a bit to prevent the text from wrapping and move it down a tad to open some space for text. The size of the title can be reduced as well as bolding the word "Elevation." This would prevent the text in the title from wrapping and would create even more open space (p.272). The two text boxes can be eliminated since they smack of technocentrism (p.31). I would reorganize the text in the slide into three short, simple descriptions. "When clouds meet mountains they rise" would be aligned to the left of the illustration. Above the illustration I would put "Cooler air at higher elevations cause clouds to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow." Finally, the right I would have "Areas beyond mountains tend to be dry" to the right of the image. Research shows that learning improves when the text and graphics are presented in close proximity and in a synchronized manner. (p.47).
 * [[image:self_image.gif]] || I would say that this image is for elementary school students and is most likely a teacher's PowerPoint slide. I like this one the best out of the three because of the illustration. I would remove the background image of Pikes Peak since it is nothing more than a decorative visual (p.16). I would increase the size of the illustration a bit to prevent the text from wrapping and move it down a tad to open some space for text. The size of the title can be reduced as well as bolding the word "Elevation." This would prevent the text in the title from wrapping and would create even more open space (p.272). The two text boxes can be eliminated since they smack of technocentrism (p.31). I would reorganize the text in the slide into three short, simple descriptions. "When clouds meet mountains they rise" would be aligned to the left of the illustration. Above the illustration I would put "Cooler air at higher elevations cause clouds to drop their moisture in the form of rain or snow." Finally, the right I would have "Areas beyond mountains tend to be dry" to the right of the image. Research shows that learning improves when the text and graphics are presented in close proximity and in a synchronized manner. (p.47).

Michael ||
 * [[image:Self_Portrait_and_Name.png width="158" height="239"]] || I am imagining that the audience for this image is probably a student in grade school. This is definitely a visual utilized for learning (educational design) and as such its purpose is “making information meaningful and memorable,” (p. 6). In analyzing this image, I think the designer has entered the realm of technocentric thinking (p. 31). Because this image has so many text boxes, colors, pictures on top of pictures, etc. I think the designer found more entertainment in actually utilizing the technology tools available and spent less to no time in the bottom portion of the diamond process or bottom circle in the snowman design process, where he/she would have taken things away from the image in order to produce an effective, efficient, and appealing visual (p. 89). The background picture reminds me a bit of Figure 4-5 (p. 81) where background clipart muddled the text making it difficult to read. Though in this image, the black wording is fairly easy to make out, the green text is hard to decipher and the added mountain scene takes away from the “big picture” and overall integration of the image (p. 80). Though I see where the designer was headed, I think he/fails to successfully create a learner-friendly visual. While the visual may cover the correct content, it does not work instructionally because it is too overwhelming to follow (effectiveness). The information is not very easy to perceive. One glaring mistake here is the lack of continuous words. The word Coloraodo is broken at the end so it reads Colorad, o and the word Denver is also broken into two portions (Denv and er). This makes it difficult to read and I can only imagine that a youngster who may or may not be a proficient reader would find this difficult to understand. I think it might also be confusing for students to see a cactus in Denver, as most students do not think of Denver as a desert (though some might argue that it almost is). The image also makes it seem like Denver does not get snow, when most students living in Colorado would argue that Denver most certainly does get snow (lots of it at times). Though I see where the designer is going with this, I think it might confuse, rather than teach youngsters (efficiency). Finally, because the image is so consumed with clip art and technocentric features, I do not think the overall appearance is effective (appeal). I think that by spending some more time in the evaluation stage, the designer of this image can take items out and enhance the overall effectiveness, efficiency, and appeal of the image (p. 87). ||
 * || [[image:ET604_unit_1_pic.png]]

This image is an instructional image (pg. 15) and is classified according to Levin (1981) (pg. 16) as an organizational visual (pg. 18). It is organizational because it helps people see relationships between two elements, elevation and climate. The targeted learner might be in grades 4 -8 and perhaps would include English language learners and students with exceptionalities. The image shows signs of technocentrism with its text boxes and different size fonts in excess of more than two (pg. 31 and syllabus “rules of thumb”) Integration helps learners perceive the “big picture” (pg. 80) and therefore I would move the text out of the image into a caption that is reworded (pg. 80). My second suggestion would be instead of a photo as the background, perhaps a drawing would communicate the relationship between elements better by a simplistic drawing clearly showing a mountain and then the “drier” climate area as well which facilitates the learners perception better (pg. 80).

Caption: The cause: As elevation increases, air becomes cooler. Clouds rise and drop their moisture. The affect: Areas beyond mountains have an arid or dry climate.

See this link below for an example of a drawing I would use.( I had trouble using the add a file function on the tool bar so I could not add the picture myself. I tried copy and paste, which did not work) [] It is the second photo on the page. Can't seem to figure out how to get my picture in here either! ...Pam Good Wind ||


 * [[image:ET604_unit1_image.jpg]] || I am assuming this image was created for children in grade school, perhaps 4th or 5th graders, in the latter stages of learning about climate in science class. The image is of an educational design because it tries to focus on making the information presented “meaningful and memorable” (Lohr, 2008, p. 6) for the learner. It is an organizational visual because it attempts to “help learners understand the “structure, sequence, and hierarchy of information and help integrate that information” (Lohr, 2008, p. 18).

Upon first glance – and a few more glances after that – the image is definitely technocentric (Lohr, 2008, p. 31) – there are a lot of “extras” (Lohr, 2008, p. 31) in this image that make it visually overwhelming. The “real-life” image of the mountains and clouds in the background, with the computer-generated pictures of the clouds, mountain, and cactus; unorganized placement of text; inconsistent use of text size; and addition of low contrast highlighted words and colored text boxes, is enough to confuse any person looking at the image.

I think the image needs to be redesigned to incorporate a simpler format. Lohr (2008) specifically states that

"The importance of keeping design simple is addressed in information, graphic, and message design literature for selection, organization, and integration principles of perception… selection is the principle that supports the importance of visually separating important from less important information. Organization is the principle that endorses developing designs with clear directional cues. Integration is the principle that advocates the importance of helping learners perceive the “big picture” and the relationship of the parts to the whole" (p. 80).

Currently, the numerous graphics used in the image could cause selection problems (Lohr, 2008, pp. 80-81) and integration problems (Lohr, 2008, p. 83), and the unorganized placement of text lacks organizational cues, which can cause organization problems (Lohr, 2008, p. 82).

Although the “real-life” image of the mountains in the background is very pretty, it does not play a significant role in teaching the learner about how elevation affects climate – I would take that image out and replace it with a light, plain-colored background. I would make the heading uniform in size (in a font size that is big enough to make all the words fit on one line) and bolded to make sure the learner knows what this image is about. I would enlarge the simpler drawing of the mountains with the clouds and cactus; remove the colored fill in the text boxes; and reorganize the placement of the text boxes, so they are nearer to the parts of the pictures they are supposed to be describing (e.g., “Mountains cause clouds to drop their moisture” should be next to or under the cloud on the left; “When clouds meet mountains… causes the clouds’ water vapor to condense into rain or snow” should be next to or above the cloud at the mountain’s top; and “Areas beyond mountains are often dry” should be next to or above the cactus). The text should also be uniform in size (smaller than the heading, of course) and in a color that is high in contrast (black). ||