iLearn Interface Design Critique

On Information Design

Who are the users? SFSU students and faculties
Information chunk (gestalt principle, amount information) Information is well-organized and chunked in proper size on iLearn web page. For example, class outlines are scheduled on a week base.
Relevance (graphics, content, reading level, text) There're rarely graphics on iLearn page, making it just clean and neat and serious as teaching and learning management website.
Labeling (visual with text) All the labels are dark brown bars with static white label names.
Consistency (visual, text) There's nice consistency in pages in iLearn (mostly because the lay out is easy). Static texts are in either white or black. Links are always in blue.
Detail (too much on one page or one screen): For the new users, it takes time to figure out every session on the page. The class outlines make the page really long and tire the users to scroll........long way.........down. Until later I find on the upper left corner, there's links to each week's class outline. There's another line of same links on the top of the class outline part. It's just not that obvious. And once you scroll down, there's no way you can jump to the top by just clicking links like Go To Top

On Interactivity

Orientation (Can you find the path, and know your way around?) Each potential path is on the home page.
Navigation (Branching) iLearn page is most closely belong to the the type of "Index Navigation". All potential selections are visible on the main page, like weekly outline, links to registered courses, assignments, forums, calendar, etc.
Functionality (Does it work?) Not very functional.. I'm expecting searching box (too much information).
Information access (Multiple entry and exit? Logical path?) Multiple ways to enter each week's class. Most useful information takes great space in the middle of the page. More important and frequently used links are organized on the left of the page. Less frequently used links on the right. It makes sense in that audiences pay first attention to the middle, and then read from left to right, up to down.
 
On Screen Design

Attractive (first impression) What's the point of being attractive as a LMS webpage for university studies? 
Color iLearn page interface is very clean and easy in color-brown, beige and white. I heard from a iLearn user council meeting that students think the color is kind of dull. The staff in Academic Technology department change the bars that centralize the weekly outline into green to light up the interface. I am thinking maybe the dark brown can be changed into purple? (typical SFSU color)
Lay out neat...neat...neat
Readability The font size is kind of small and no options for adjust the size...exhausting after some time of reading
 

The Flaw of Everyday Things

I enjoyed reading chapter one of The Psychology of Everyday Things. The examples are so real world and the embarrassing experiences of dealing with those things just happen in our lives. Take the faucets in my apartment for example. The image below shows the faucet in one of the two bathrooms.


It's very simple. I push the faucet backward and the water runs out.


However, what if I want to have hot water? I tried to push it to the left-it doesn't allow me to push. To the right-no allowance either! Just cold water running slowly... There's no handles with "H" and "C" on it like normal faucets. The visibility of the design is so bad!



I didn't figure out how to have hot water when I moved in the apartment last July. So, every time after using the toilet, I bother myself to walk away to the kitchen to wash my hand because I don't like cold water.

Just a couple of weeks ago, when I was cleaning the sink and faucet of the bathroom, it suddenly occurred to me that why not try to turn the faucet around-and it affords me to do that. What happened next is more interesting-A couple of seconds after I turned the faucet to the left, it gave me feedback with hot water! After I turned it to the right-cold water! Why didn't I think of that when I moved in last year in July?! The faucet does look like a knot, doesn't it? Though, the water flow is so small...It takes time to wet the whole hands. Therefore, I still prefer the faucet in the kitchen.

Simplicity is not always good. If the design does not have visible mapping to offer enough clue of the affordance of the article, feedback will not be given and you never know if it's the flaw of the design or the flaw of your mind.

Final Project Idea

The most impression remarks from the guest speaker last week is that "Whatever we do now is a project". That's so true！We design training project in corporation environment, we develop an instructional project for school class teaching, and we do assignments in the unit of project in whatever form: PowerPoint, Flash, Website, etc. Everything is project.

Now, it's the time to figure out the idea of my final project for ITEC 830.
I designed several multimedia projects that aim to offer advice to Chinese international students who will come to or just arrive in San Francisco how to adjust themselves to and enjoy the life in San Francisco. This semester in Flash class, I've been working on a project to give instructions on how to do house renting in San Francisco. Why not combine all the stuff onto a website? I'm a ITECian, but I haven't developed my personal website so far. I always feel shameful about that...It's the time. I will develop a portfolio style website to offer advice on how to kick off life in San Francisco and how to enjoy the wonderful life. Readers will read text and images, listen to audios, watch videos and play flash game. Students can also interact with me by emails to give feed back about the projects and ask questions. All the projects are based on my personal experiences.
This website is what I always want to do. It will be a lot of work~

The power of less

It was my first time joining a Web 2.0 Expo. Different from the software expo I joined a couple of years ago, I can understand and get inspired more in this Expo.
I like the theme of this year's Expo:"Power of less". I walked around in the expo hall and only spot several booths like those from Microsoft, Adobe, eBay, SocialText...Majority of them I have never heard about and they're marketing theriWith the booming of soft wares and applications, sometimes, I'm just overwhelmed and tired of keeping up pace with the current emergence and change. They grow faster than I can know them.
I heard great minds speaking in the keynotes talk. I was impressed by the question of "Gulf between Twitterers and Emailers"-"Those who just learned how to use the email to send and receive messages will probably find it hard to communicate with the younger generation who have adopted Twitter as the primary messaging method". This is just one of the dozens of examples that show the gap between web users.
I ask my friend to take a picture of me and the Web 2.0 Expo. Maybe next time, I'll see myself on an Web 3.0 Expo. Who knows?

The Double Blade Sword of Video Game

When video game is mentioned, the first image that shows up in my mind is the 3-D leisure web game where either kids or young adults play a role in a virtual world to attack, survive, construct, explore, etc. I am never a game person. In my whole life, I've only played video games for a couple of times, be seduced and challenged by friends. It was not until I saw those simulation flash games aiming to facilitate school teaching and learning that I realized games can also be serious rather than leisure. I was astonished by virtual games like Second Life when an instructor showed it in class prior to Pi-Day (March 14) last year. Then I was convinced that gaming can integrate instruction and fun in a good manner. Though, it's not necessarily means virtual games and simulation can take the place of real world practice such as community service. No matter how well the virtual games simulate the real-world scenario, it can not simulate the variability and adversity of the real world. I see good points in the serious video games that simulate the scenario unavailable to regular persons like the outer space or the microcosm, however I don't think it's should be encouraged to simulate a garden or a community where game players learn to cultivate or socialize.

Is Net-Generation Net Savvy?-Critical query from "Growing up with Google"

Net-Generation are those:
Born after 1982;
Computer is the core of their workspace;
Whenever information is needed, they go online-google it;
IM and email are the primary methods of communication;
Usually multi-task...

(Yeah me, I belong to the net-generation~)

The net-generation highly values the convenience of technology, always turn to technology for information, use technology to keep instantly connected and can seamlessly switch between real and digital worlds. However, does that equate to being net savvy?

No doubt that the net-generation is influent in using technology to learn, entertain and networking, though it doesn't mean that this generation is net-savvy. They has no fear of using technology, though they're not that fluent in integrating technology and academic study. They know how to embed a YouTube video into blog but may don't know how to insert a chart into Excel worksheet or how to edit a Wiki page. In the copy-paste and mashup-friendly environment of Internet, they google, open the first couple of links in the searching results, copy and paste but seldom pause and think. They have little idea about respect for intellectual property, privacy or security.

It posts a challenge to education to cultivate the students critical thinking skills while taking advantage of the myriad source of information, to develop required technology skills for academic study and to strengthen their respect for intellectual property. It's a life-long process rather than a one-time affair.

I want to be more net savvy :)

Group 1 Podcast on Dr. Wagner's Presentation

We missed two wise men's thoughts on Wagner's Presentation-Marc and Ty-it's my fault...Sorry guys...
I added one of my fav piano piece-Cannon in D to the podcast and adjusted the volume of the music as well as our records.
I can not upload audio file to Blogger, so I made a short video with iMovie. Enjoy~

Thoughts on Dr. Ellen Wagner's Presentation

The open source soft wares and web applications can also trouble us when we benefit from them. They're "free poppy" rather than "free beer". Some soft wares offer 30-day trial and keep on sending commercial emails about the product to you; Even the soft ware is totally free, you're requested to upgrade that and even install 3rd party plug-ins about once a month; To get access to web applications, you're always required to sign-up by filling in a list of personal information, and ohoo, more commercial emails... Therefore, when we are connected with each other like no generation before us are, we are also exposed unprecedentedly to the world.

The World is Open (Storytelling)

Open World

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The World is Opened by Web Technology for Education

I bookmarked the e-book webpage of "The World Is Flat" (Chinese version) and read the preface. I got back to that after I read the synopsis of Dr. Curt's "The World Is Open". I found the latter one not only covers the influential flattener (Dr. Curt prefers to call it "opener") of globalization-technology-that Thomas Friedman didn't talked about in his best-seller, it also discuss that in a more positive manner. It seems that we suddenly realize how globalized we are until some negative influence like financial storm happens. However, we are never tired or scared of new technology emerging to empower connection and education.

I like the way Dr. Curt interpret WE-ALL-LEARN with the ten openers. That's poetic. I also enjoy the new set of triple P's that describe how technology opens the world for education: "Pages of free web content and courses; pipes for accessing and searching such online content and a participatory learning culture that freely shares and collaborates on the information and knowledge found there.

In the introduction part of "The World Is Open", Dr. Curt tell a long digging story to show how blog enable us to be free to choose to be an arm-chaired archeologist, an observer of those who dig in the real-world. It also shows how powerful blog is to connect people of the same interest to communicate despite of the limitation of time and space. Daily life, information and knowledge have never been shared in such a quick manner.

Web lowers the stair of receiving education (both formal and informal ones)-cutting cost, breaking the fences of age and background, etc. Thanks to the Internet, education today is highly open and global.
The web technology intrigues the willingness of sharing and collaborating of educational resources. This notion extends education outside the walled schools onto the virtual worlds where learners meet and interact with instructors and peers, discussing a topic, working together on a project, figuring out a solution, etc.

The Web technology is the modern Magellan who explores and opens the world for us so we don't need to travel over the planet but can "see" it much better than any generation before us.

Publish, Not Punish

Last Thursday in class, we discussed about the privacy and openness of blog, SocialText collaborative writing as well as the educational part of Web 2.0 tools like Wiki and Twitter.

I should say that this class changed my conservative idea about blogging. I used to regard it as a grey area where people who are so fond of exposing themselves and those who are overcurious about others' privacy party online... Now I'm enjoying sharing my life, thoughts and emotions with my friends and class peers.
I check my blogs almost everyday and enjoy reading comments on my entries. I also comment on peers' blogs. That's how I resume friendship with old classmates who I haven't got in touch for about 10 years. That's how I got great thoughts and feedback from my class peers. That's how I found collaborative writing fun and cool (Create~Communicate~Collaborate~).

Choosing blogging, Wiking, Twittering, etc. is choosing to publish your life, ideas, pictures and videos... You have the full right to choose what you'd like to share to the world. And the rest of the world have almost the full right to comment on and edit those. As long as you obey the Intellectual Property right and interquette, there's no punishment. That's how Web 2.0 is loved and also criticized, I guess:)

Emerging Tech in E-Learning

The chapter of reading is really well-organized-I like that! I can pause and pick up reading as I like. The following are some points through the reading I echoed with personal experiences.

1. The key phrase for Web 2.0 is social networking. Connecting with peer students, teachers, ideas, friends, colleagues... Create! Communicate! Collaborate!
2. Educational gaming has facilitated education and will continue that in a long way. Instructors can take full advantage of existing online educational games like the flash games from The Nobel Foundation to make their course more powerful and fun, without having to know how to create those games!
3. New understanding about Extended learning: When I first heard of extended learning, I took it for granted that it refers to education after regular school or after regular life-period of receiving full-day education. After reading this article, I need to redefine "extended learning". Actually, the learning mode I am using now in ITEC is an example of extended learning-using both e-learning (iLearn, HyFlex, et al) and classroom seminar.
4.P2P share files directly between computer and computer without going through a server. That is really cool. This technology enables students to talk synchronously on the same platform about that project.

Anyway, "new technologies will not replace traditional learning but complement it". Web 2.0 also faces challenges both in intangible part (intellectual property rights and digital right management) and tangible part (technology infrastruture).

What's new about SocialText? (No Offence)

To be honest, I didn't quite follow Eugene's speech last Thursday. He's a cool and fun speaker. Only I'm still so novice in Web 2.0...

I watched videos of "How to use SocialText Wiki" and also "SocialText in Youtube".
1. I am kind of confused that is SocialText an individual workspace with a self-owned server, or its a sub workshop of Wiki? For me, SocialText has a layout similar to iGoogle and functions as Wiki.
2. The dragging of text and pictures in SocialText is interesting and actually I just tried it out. I only did it before in Mac Word 08.

Anyway, the interface of SocialText is very concise and neat, not that entertaining and fancy like iGoogle and weaving a romantic story in groups is fun, also~

Higher Education in Digital Age

Learning mode and content is reshaped by the emergence and evolution of technology in digital age. So it is with the serious higher education.

Higher education is no longer limited to classroom lectures and seminars. It is valuable in that it constructs communities for practice after class both in the real world and on virtual internet. That's how we can compose romantic stories with group members in SocialText; we read assignments and post our ideas and paper in iLearn; we exchange ideas and reflections in Blogger...

The marriage of technology and higher education makes educational resources more attractive. Images slideshows, videos, and interactive flash tutorials are not just powerful multimedia tools but more effective and efficient teaching and learning ways.

Technology also facilitates the publication of higher education resources. Universities like MIT upload the lectures of hundreds of courses online for people all over the world to read and learn for FREE.

Higher educational in digital age is more dimensional and flexible.

Can we record rather than write our blog?

I started blogging since this class begins-Blogger, Windows Live Spaces, MyITEC-For doing assignments, for fun, and for social network. Typing, adding images, inserting videos, customizing layout and theme, adding applications and gadgets...a lot of interesting work. Still it's time-consuming and tiring. Some ideas suddenly came through my mind: Since we use computer to record voice and shoot footage, why not do that in blogging? Typing takes both the blogger and reader's time and energy. Why not record a blog and post it in the blog. Then your friends can hear and watch your blog. Maybe there've been some applications that can make it but I just don't know that.
Any hints?

Connectivism

I took ITEC 800 last fall and for the whole semester my mind is echoed with Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism. When I read George Siemens' article about a new learning theory-Connectivism, I felt like the window of my room is suddenly open by a blow of spring wind and the whole world is spread out in front of me! When I bury my nose in the ITEC 800 textbook and brainstorm with peers in class, it never came to my mind that any idea would be newer and current than constructivism. How ignorant and isolated I am! Behaviorism, cognitivism and constructivism interpret intrapersonal learning ways while connectivism shines a light on interpersonal learning way. That's such a cool breakthrough.

I really appreciate Siemens' remarks that "informal learning is a significant aspect of our learning experience" "Learning now occurs in a variety of ways". We learn through communities and personal networks, either in the real world or the virtual world. Internet contributes a lot to the flexibility of learning ways and also changes the mode of learning. Like Siemens says, "Know-how and know-what is being supplemented with know-where". The amount of knowledge is doubling every 18 months, so it's impossible and unnecessary to be know-all in this information-explosion world. The smart way is to know where to find the information you want, either by "Google that" or "twitter that".

I found a nice picture in Google image:



Connectivism starts from the individual. Personal knowledge is the dot of a network, which in return provide learning to individual. In this learning process, individual learners can remain current thanks to the connections.

Some cute videos :)

What Is Web 2.0?




We are divided into groups to discuss what is Web 2.0 and write down our interpretations on a large tab paper. I had wonderful experience brainstorming with my group members. Here is a list of the interpretations (more or less).
Web 2.0 is:

Online community network like FaceBook, Twitter...
Way of interchanging information and sharing personal experiences: Blogger, MySpaces...
Informal learning resources: Wiki...
Globalization
Online teaching and learning: Virtual university...
Virtual meeting: Illuminate
...

This Is Me

Hi everyone! 你们好！

Excited to be back in a new semester with both familiar and new faces! Yeah~ I was so impressed by the inspiring atmosphere in this class. And it's the one and only first class in which I don't need to wait for my turn to make a brief self-introduction, but instead to blog it-that's so web 2.0-So cool!

You can tell from my greeting that I'm an international Chinese student from China and this is my second semester in ITEC. Just call me Tracy. If you're interested in Chinese as much as in Korean. I can tell you how to pronounce my legal Chinese name and even how to write it haha.

I have no prior ID experience and was not into blogging or web 2.0 on-line community before I came to America last January. I was a more paper-pen person :p and prefer to take journal in a cute dairy notebook and send parents and friends cards and letters with the "nice smell of ink" (Blush...)

Anyway, now I have both PC and Mac for study, work and entertainment... Feeling lost without them... (Blush again) I learned to use Ps, Dw, iMovie, GarageBand, Audacity, and explore Office to design project and have fun. I also took a instructional video class that make me an "actress, director and editor". I wanna be an instructional designer and trainer after graduation and hopefully can stay in the city which I've fell in love. The theories I've acquired help me in both practical classes like ITEC 715 and also my work. Speaking of my work, I've been doing an on-campus job as an Adaptive Technology Software Trainer in DPRC (Disability Program and Resource Center) of SFSU. I trained students to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking (an interesting voice recognition software) and design curriculum for the program. So I can both earn some money and apply what I've learn into practice (That's great~)

https://ilearn.sfsu.edu/archive/course/view.php?id=44969

It's DPRC's Computer Training webpage on iLearn. The lessons in word file in the Tutorial session of Dragon are part of my work. I need to add you as a student so that you can download the files. If any of use would like to try on the software, feel free to email me at yangs97@gmail.com I'm more than happy to work with you on it. I work every weekday. (I'm a serious guy~)

So nice to meet you guys in both virtual and real world~ Cheers~