Portfolio Reflection #1

Reflecting on the first few weeks of this semester, I find myself revisiting and deepening my understanding of concepts from the "How People Learn" course. With an additional semester's worth of experience and a richer array of examples to draw from, I've gained a clearer idea on how to practically apply these educational theories. This journey of reflection has made me appreciate the real-world applicability of the courses I've taken, especially as they relate to my background in engineering and my focus on Human-Computer Interaction. Despite the project-based nature of many of these courses, I've come to realize that the term "project-based" only begins to cover the breadth of teaching strategies employed. The curriculum's integration of various pedagogical approaches, including scaffolding and balancing between hands-on practice and conceptual understanding, has been crucial in creating a learning environment that is both meaningful and impactful.

The story "Fish is Fish" has made a significant impression on me, illustrating the way we construct new knowledge based on our pre-existing beliefs and understandings. This story has been a reminder that expertise in a subject does not automatically translate to the ability to teach it effectively. This insight challenges me to think more critically about how I communicate complex information in an accessible way to those new to a subject.

The concept of Backward Design also resonated with me. The essential question of my undergraduate studies in Human-Centered Design and Engineering — "How can we design solutions that truly understand and meet the diverse needs of users in a sustainable and inclusive way?" — has been brought to life through various classroom experiences. My question about the inequity issue has been enhanced by the class I took. I watched the video in class; a white man and a black man were trying to get soap from a soap dispenser. The soap dispenser worked well for the white man but failed to sense the black man. Coming from a homogenous country like China, I found it fascinating how different groups of people are disproportionately affected by technology design. The people behind the product didn’t consider people with darker skin tones, or tested with predominately pale-skin people. It taught me that ethical values are just as important in developing products as technology. This experience not only addressed the essential question directly but also taught me the importance of guiding children in the use of technology, ensuring it's not only accessible but also accompanied by the necessary guidance to be truly useful.

These insights, grounded in empathetic design, reinforce the necessity of viewing design through the lens of the user's experience, a crucial step towards creating genuinely human-centered solutions. The same concept should be applied to learner-centered classrooms.

Portfolio Reflection #2

Over the past few weeks, I have been working on a Media Lookbook project, driven by my interest in the UX perspective. Following a discussion with the team, we refined the project's aim to effectively communicate to HGSE faculty about the various video types and graphics that the TLL media team can offer to support their multimedia goals. Currently, the media team uses a brief video to demonstrate these capabilities, but we are exploring more interactive and engaging methods of presentation. After our initial meeting, we all agreed and decided to develop a canvas site as a solution. Unlike a PDF, the canvas page offers HGSE faculty exclusive access through HarvardKey. This ensures that even when users are on a different computer and might not have the PDF downloaded and saved, they can easily access the canvas at any time.

Furthermore, I believe our objectives can extend beyond merely showcasing the media team's capabilities. The project could evolve into an integrated resource that introduces media basics or explains how to utilize various media types to enhance classroom experiences for HGSE faculty. The canvas site could also offer direct contact to make communication more efficient. Experienced faculty members could directly contact the TLL media team to arrange shooting or production sessions through the canvas page. Meanwhile, those less familiar with media could navigate the canvas to explore examples of different media types and their educational applications. Thus, in the week following our initial meeting, we have set up a new canvas site for navigation and content creation, aiming to become more acquainted with the platform and identify potential elements to include that align with our goals.

In our second meeting, we reviewed the project charter, the rolling agenda, and conducted an audience analysis. We agreed and decided that while our primary focus is on HGSE faculty, the scope could potentially expand to include Ph.D. students who are also lecturing, as they might find the canvas site beneficial. However, at this point, our efforts are predominantly geared toward addressing the needs of HGSE faculty. The immediate task we've embarked on involves categorizing various media types. We've compiled a photo gallery of images captured over the past few years. The objective for this week is to sort these images into different folders based on their subject or setting. This organization will facilitate future user interaction, allowing them to easily filter and find the media they need.

Portfolio Reflection #3

Over the past two weeks, we've initiated the development of the Canvas site, taking some time to familiarize ourselves with Canvas and input our content. Following a comprehensive meeting with the media team, we established a structure for the Canvas page that includes sections for services, processes, delivery, and contact information. Each of us, working in pairs, developed our own designs and then collaboratively combined all the materials. Inspired by the TLL website, I aimed to align with its visual design, choosing red, yellow, and blue as the main colors—reflecting the TLL logo. We also added a media introduction video to the page and figured out how to upload videos to Panopto to ensure smooth loading. The icons I selected resemble those on the TLL website to maintain the media team's brand consistency. We decided on my visual design and collectively contributed to the content, drawing heavily on Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning. For instance, I titled the intro video to indicate its content, in line with the Signaling Principle, yet we carefully balanced images and videos to avoid clutter, offering a step-by-step introduction to the TLL media team's workflow.

Besides developing the Canvas, we've completed a draft of the site but are contemplating creating an infographic that summarizes our work and highlights the media team's offerings for HGSE faculty during the gallery walk. The Canvas site will undergo testing and review in the meantime. This strategy not only documents and showcases our efforts but also acts as an effective marketing tool. The infographic will succinctly capture our project's core, helping to narrow the gap between development and launch. We plan to focus on the infographic in the next two weeks while continuing to refine and update the Canvas site.

As we move forward, the infographic will be pivotal in concisely showcasing our project's essence and the media team's contributions. This visual tool will refine our complex work into an accessible and engaging format for the gallery walk, allowing viewers to quickly understand our work and our innovative approaches.

Simultaneously, as we put the finishing touches on the Canvas site, we will seek feedback to refine our infographic, ensuring it effectively represents our project and resonates with the TLL media team's brand. This iterative process will enhance our narrative and demonstrate the value of visual communication in educational technology, leaving a memorable experience for our audience during the gallery walk.

Portfolio Reflection #4

The gallery walk was an excellent opportunity to review and present all that we have accomplished over the semester. It was crucial to extract a coherent storyline from what we have done to enhance the presentation at the gallery walk. We began by outlining our design process, and visually representing it through a timeline on a slide. This allowed us to highlight the principal outcomes of each design phase, establishing a solid foundation for our presentation storyline.

Our project involved collaborating with the TLL Media team to develop a media lookbook that would demonstrate the potential services the media team could offer to the HGSE faculty. During this process, I realized there was a general lack of awareness among the student body regarding the TLL Media team’s functions, as most students had not directly interacted with them. However, these students were likely familiar with the output of the media team, having viewed their video productions. To bridge this gap, I emphasized the "How People Learn" class during my presentation. I made strategic connections between the course content, which all the students had engaged with over the summer, and the videos produced by the media team, illustrating how essential these media elements were to their educational experiences.

Given that the gallery walk required a succinct presentation of our most significant work, I also made a page to emphasize three critical design decisions we made. This page did not merely list these decisions but also delved into the reasoning behind each choice, shedding light on the thoughtful design processes that informed our project. This approach showcased our achievements and clarified the impact and purpose behind our project's key elements.

Overall, the gallery walk was not just a showcase of finished products but a narrative journey through the creative and operational processes that shaped our final outcomes. It was a moment to reflect on our growth, challenges, and the innovative solutions we developed in response to real-world needs.

Portfolio Reflection #5

In my previous posts, I was initially unfamiliar with certain concepts but eager to delve into the material we covered in class and relate it to my prior experiences. Through the TLL media book project, I found myself applying theoretical knowledge to practical projects, illustrating how I integrate my past experiences into the field of learning design. The portfolio encourages a deep dive into my previous contributions, prompting me to critically examine my progress and articulate how my understanding has evolved over time. This process of reflection not only allows me to acknowledge my achievements but also highlights areas where further growth is possible.

One of the key projects that epitomizes my journey as a learner is the TLL media book project. Through this project, I had the opportunity to bridge theoretical concepts with practical applications, thereby solidifying my understanding of learning design principles. As I navigated through the various stages of development, from conceptualization to implementation, I found myself constantly drawing upon both my academic knowledge and real-world experiences to inform my decision-making process.

During the development of the Canvas site, my experience with website development led us to prioritize creating a more interactive user experience. Recognizing the importance of user engagement and accessibility, my team agreed that creating an interactive interface would enhance the overall learning experience. However, I realized the distinction between navigating a Canvas site, structured in modules, and a traditional website with navigation bars. To address this, I incorporated large icons linked to different pages rather than solely relying on a "next page" format. Additionally, I transitioned from a user-centered to a learner-centered approach, ensuring design choices aligned with the learners' needs.

This portfolio documents the various design phases of the project and highlights my decision-making processes at different stages. It also includes personal reflections and insights gained throughout the process. I consider Mayer’s 12 Principles indispensable for learning design and frequently referred to them during the project. As I look toward the future, I am confident that the skills and insights gained from this course will continue to serve me well in my professional journeys. The reflective portfolio not only represents my growth and development as a learner but also serves as a testament to my ability to apply theoretical knowledge in practical contexts. I intend to continue using this portfolio for future learning design projects, focusing on educational content and emphasizing learning design principles.

Reflective Portfolio