"Storytelling as an Instructional Method: Descriptions and Research Questions"

 This paper explores the "theoretical and empirical foundations of the use of storytelling in instruction." It focuses on 4 instructional methods: case-based, narrative-based, scenario-based, and problem-based instruction. The paper delineates between foundational work and theories.

1. CASE-BASED INSTRUCTION: "...the problem and the solution are fixed and the learner is positioned as an outside observer relative to specific situations in the past" (Barnes, Christensen, & Hansen, 1994).
2. NARRATIVE-BASED INSTRUCTION: "Emotional engagement or entertainment is a central purpose of narrative and sets it apart from the other methods."
3. SCENARIO-BASED INSTRUCTION: "...the problem is characterized by the fixed solution criteria and the learner is positioned in an interactive, real-time experience that allows for a variety of solution paths" (Salas, Wilson, Priest, & Guthrie, 2006).
4. PROBLEM-BASED INSTRUCTION: "...ill structured with no preformed solution criteria or parameters (Hmelo-Silver, 2004,; Savery, 2006) and the learner is positioned as the director of learning activities" (Barrows, 1980).

 Storytelling has been used for thousands of years, both written and orally delivered by cultures that did not have written language. Stories were used as instructional tools. The following genres were popular in this cultural storytelling:

• parables
• myths
• legends
• fables
• real life examples

 According to the paper, technology is making storytelling more popular as an instructional tool. The paper states that its intent is to "identify some of the current projects and relevant literature that serve to lay a groundwork for further research."

I HATE STEVEN SINGER! - Creative Advertisement

 When people see the word 'hate', they intrinsically consider the opposite, which is love. This is not to say that the word 'hate' communicates the concept and ideals of love, but still echoes due to its polarity and opposition with the word identified. That's just the way that people think (or at least that is what I think). Our minds do not process information through a lens of black and white. For instance, just to play on those specific colors... when we see the color black, we think of the color white, since it is the opposite. Furthermore, the color black does not simply promote identification and understanding of that color alone, because everything has context. Ultimately, when we see something, we take different things into consideration based upon our schema and how the thing we see relates to other things. Thus, when we see the word 'hate', the same effect results, causing us to interpret through a schematic lens that probably infers the thought of love.

 

 I think that this advertisement is very creative and clever. The billboard reads, "I HATE STEVEN SINGER!", which leads one to ask the following questions:

• Who is Steven Singer?

• Why would someone hate Steven Singer?

• What is the billboard advertising?

 Regardless of the answers to the aforementioned questions, one thing is accomplished... PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT STEVEN SINGER. The seed has been planted. Now, people who are intrigued enough by the ad will check out the website to learn more about Steven Singer and why people "HATE" him, only to find that many people actually LOVE him, because they are satisfied customers that found the perfect testament of their love and adoration for a spouse within his store.


 I love the simplicity of the billboard as well. It really lets the message stand out above all else, which in turn leaves the person driving by and seeing it to only form a modest understanding of what Steven Singer is all about. Again, allowing them to form questions. Most people have a natural thirst for knowledge, and those that aspire to know more and attempt figure out who the "I" is in the "I HATE STEVEN SINGER" ad will come to conclude that the first person speaking must be the voice of competition in the jewelry market.

Advertising: STEREOTYPE VS. ANTI-STEREOTYPE

"Map Skills" and "Higher-Order Thinking"

14.  Demographics and Deception

 The article explains how "a visual map is so immediate and powerful, we rarely question it." One of the reasons for this pertains to how our brain processes visual stimuli. In the article, it explains, "On the right side of our brain, we process visual information and analyze words and numbers on the left." The best explanation as to why visual text is quicker and more efficient than words and numbers is due to the fact that when we look at a map, we see the information and don't need to necessarily interpret or analyze data; "it looks finished and there is no analysis necessary." There are certain factors that will make a map enticing (although, having the right data is most essential). Color and hue are important factors as well - the darker and more vibrant it is - the better. Reds and blues are the most vibrant colors, thus, the most effective.

 In the article, it states that the "most beneficial" or useful tool on the map is the scale. The key on the map will hold any information that is needed to best understand the means to navigate. Scales have to be linear and logarithmic. Although confusing to most people, the logarithmic style can distinguish between very small and very big things." It also helps when there is a lot of data to present. The more common scale would be the linear. It is used more often and is more "intuitive than the logarithmic."

 The article also mentions the lawsuit - that was eventually dismissed - in which AT&T claimed Verizon was using deliberate deception to attract users. The viewer was drawn to the area instead of the population. The data was not as strong as the visual impression that overpowered it.

 In the article, it credits Mark Newman with the "solution of using a computer algorithm to create a cartogram, which would display how the regions' size is not proportional to it’s land area, but to it’s importance in the data being communicated."

Overall, the article was an interesting read.

Here are a few "map-related suggestions" that the article provides to help students figure out what they don’t know about maps:

1. Use lots and lots of maps. Use as many maps, and as many different kinds of maps, as you possibly can. Maps are all over the internet; you can find a map showing just about anything. (The links throughout this edition will give you some ideas.)
2. Use bad maps. If you teach a subject where this is remotely appropriate, look for examples of bad maps (and other bad visuals) in the news and take a few minutes to analyze them as a class. (Try to avoid complete cynicism, though. It’s easy to start thinking that everybody is lying to you, when most often, the mapmakers and graphic designers just didn’t have the time or resources to think the problem through and execute it carefully.)
3. Use maps up front. Let students wrestle with maps on their own, before they read a related text. That way, they’ll be forced to interpret the map for themselves.
4. Role-playing. Try to think of a real-world use for any given map and ask students to put themselves in the position of someone trying to use it. I mentioned, above, a map of Chinese economic production. In that case, suppose you were the CEO of an American company looking to build a factory in China. Where should you put it? Does this map give you what you need to know? What else would you need to know, and where could you find it?

16. High-Tech Maps: Education or Eye Candy?

 Well, I have to admit, I am a Google addict. I use Google for pretty much EVERYTHING. I don't think that there is a single greater technology available to people. Best of all, it's FREE!

 Now, I have used Google Earth before, and it is pretty amazing. This article really explores the web-based program a great deal, and I found some of the information about utility to be of the utmost interest while other research-based findings to be rather lackluster.

 For instance, there was a study performed in 1997 to address the question of, "Are 'interactive' maps and tools like Google Earth more effective than print?" According to the 2 week study, there is no solid evidence to support either side. So, the research findings were not successful. Thus, the focus was not so much on research, but instead application.

 I found the tutorial information and tips on the various ways of using Google Earth to be very insightful, and perhaps if I was teaching geography, it would be heavenly! However, that's not to say that I can't find uses in the English/LAL classroom, because the setting of a story is a big part of literature, and there is perhaps no better way to navigate the natural world than by doing it via Google Earth.

 Furthermore, the article also gets into Google Maps - not as cool, lesson plans, and the cost-benefit analysis of using Google Earth. I think David Walbert is a Google addict as well. Overall, I enjoyed the article, but it did not really provide me with too much information that I didn't already know.

"Credibility" and "The Impact of Aesthetics"

Credibility and The Impact of Aesthetics On Attitudes Towards Websites -  Article Summaries

CREDIBILITY by Susanne Furman

 In Credibility, the concept of credibility is examined and explored. The term itself is defined in the article as 'believability or trustworthy' by Dictionary.com. Most scholars are said to believe that the idea of credibility is a "perceived quality" and that there are two key components that serve as pillars for the concept: trustworthiness and expertise.





DICTIONARY.COM

trustworthy - worthy of being trusted; honest, reliable, or dependable

expertise - special skill, knowledge, or judgment; expertness


FACTORS IMPACTING CREDIBILITY
  Appearance is a key factor in whether something, such as a website, is deemed as credible. If a website doesn't look professional, then odds are that people are not going to regard it with any level of seriousness when considering the information being communicated. Take certain magazines for instance, such as Sun and Globe. The images on the cover typically scream with fiction, so the content inside, no matter how valid or factual it may be, lacks credibility. A show like TMZ documents real events and activities involving celebrities, but it does not have credibility due to the fact that the "paparazzi" has garnered a name for itself that is not very reputable. Reputation and appearance are certainly two of the biggest indicators of trustworthiness and expertise. The article highlights specific factors impacting credibility of websites, as seen below:

• Younger respondents (age < 27.9 years) were harsher on sites that had typos or broken links.
• Men assigned lower credibility ratings overall.
• Respondents, who completed graduate schools, as compared to those with no college experience, assigned more credibility to Web sites that conveyed markers of trustworthiness (e.g., site is linked by a site user thinks is believable, sites states its policy on content, or site represents a nonprofit organization).
• As compared to the least wealthy respondents (i.e., income < $20,000), the wealthiest third (income > $60,000 USD) assigned more credibility to sites that used tailoring (e.g., site requires user to register or log in, site recognizes user was there before).

RELATIONSHIP OF FONTS AND CREDIBILITY
  If a website has a font that is legible and people can read it, then the website will be more successful in establishing itself as a credible source. According to the article, "Users consistently attributed personalities to fonts. Serif (e.g., Times New Roman, Cambria, Georgia, etc) and sans serif (e.g., Arial, Verdana, Calibri) fonts were seen as more stable, practical, mature and formal." The "personality" of a font does not communicate credibility. Whereas, "The Script/Funny (e.g., Rage Italic, Gigi, Comic Sans, etc) fonts scored high on youthful, causal, and attractive and modern display (e.g., Impact, Rockwell Extra Bold and Agency FB) and mono-spaced fonts (e.g., Consolas and Courier New) were not seen as particularly high on any use." I found it interesting that the study also determined that, in addition to the creative and artistic fonts not measuring up in credibility, the neutral fonts (such as Courier New) also fair poorly and result in "decreased trust, professionalism, and credibility."

ROLE OF GENDER AND PERCEIVED CREDIBILITY
 This was a mixed bag. Different studies yielded different results. Women tended to be more critical than their male counterparts in this study. Thus, I conclude that the gender of the website author, despite its recommended importance as a factor in credibility (via the article), is not a quality measure of website credibility.

IN CONCLUSION...
 In the end, the article concludes that the aesthetic appeal and presentation of a website weighs in heavier as an indicator of credibility than assessment of the creator. So, if it looks credible, then it must be... I guess. Perception is reality, especially to most people surfing the web. There are other factors that people consider when deciding whether or not the information they are reading is credible, but the appearance of a website is a key factor, according to this study. Beauty may not be skin deep, but credibility on the web must be.



THE IMPACT OF AESTHETICS by Jennifer Chen

PERCEPTION IS REALITY
As with the article, Credibility, this article too notions that the appearance of a website is a key factor in determining the value or validity of the information that it contains. The aesthetics of a website evoke emotions and attitudes, which ultimately shape the way in which we value the information provided on the site.

DEFINING AESTHETICS AND EMOTION
In the article, the term aesthetics is defined as "the study of the mind and emotions in relation to the sense of beauty. More broadly, scholars in the field define aesthetics as a critical reflection on art, culture and nature." The article mentions that there is cultural influence when it comes to aesthetic appeal. It goes on to say that, in a particular study, people were given 100 websites to rate, with only 50 seconds to view and evaluate the website. In 2 different sessions, the participants from each expressed a high level of correlation and agreement in regard to their judgments of the websites that they viewed and rated. Thus, it can be concluded, that people have a generalized concept or ideal for what is aesthetically appealing, and websites that are aesthetically appealing garner more respect than those that are not, regardless of the information it contains.

EFFECTS OF USER MOTIVATION AND INTEREST
 The article examines the concept of "consumer product involvement" and how certain products are high-involvement (expense, utility, endurance) or low-involvement (inexpensive, one-dimensional, temporary). People put more thought into high-involvement products than they do low-involvement items, for obvious reasons. Thus, high-involvement consumers have more interest in the information on a website than the appearance or design. Whereas, low-involvement consumers are interested in what looks good.

WEBSITE COMPLEXITY
  Too much or too little content on a website can prove to be detrimental and interfere with the "effectiveness of the site's communication and the user's perceptions of the site"; driving users away. Thus, it can be concluded that "a medium level of complexity affords optimal communication effectiveness" (Geissler, Zinkhan, & Watson, 2006). So, I guess you could say that middle of the road complexity is the way to the consumer's home.

PERCEPTIONS OF CREDIBILITY
 Provide a human touch with the use of photographs. Don't overdo it with graphics, because it damages perceptions of professionalism. Keep it simple and consistent to maximize usability. Offer news and current updates to enhance quality of information.

THE IMPACT OF USABILITY ON AESTHETICS
 Looks can be deceiving... A website that is attractive tends to yield higher levels of success, but the quality of the product that the website is promoting ultimately has the final say in whether or not the website has sustainability. People need to be satisfied by the product in order for the website to be truly successful. You can have a great looking website on which you are selling dog poo, and while you may have great success in generating hits and selling the product in the beginning, people will not be satisfied by the product and thus consumer reports and overall satisfaction with the product will lead to the demise of the website.

FINAL ANALYSIS
 If it looks too good to be true, it still looks good. People will value websites with aesthetically appealing design and favor the information according to the emotions that are evoked. There is emotional appeal to a website that has images, photographs, and information to which we can relate. These websites make us feel like we are looking into a mirror and validate our identity. Looks may not be everything, but they are certainly something.

"Visual Communication: Images with Messages"

Visual Communication: Images with Messages

by Paul Martin Lester

The Media Through Which We See

6 Perspectives for Analyzing Any Image

• PERSONAL: This perspective is essentially our "gut reaction" and how we respond to the image we see based upon our own schema and personal experience.

• HISTORICAL: This perspective relates to our ability to determine value and importance of the image as it reflects to the timeline of its creation.

• TECHNICAL: This perspective is tied into our assessment of the technology that was used to produce the image, considering the means of creation.

• ETHICAL: This perspective is based upon our interpretation of the moral value and ethical responsibility that was applied by the producer of the image. There are 6 principal ethical philosophies that must be considered to achieve this perspective

1. Categorical Imperative - "what is right for one is right for all"; consistency is the key.
2. Utilitarianism - "the greatest good for the greatest number of people"; under the circumstances, what is best for everyone involved
3. Hedonism - philosophy of Aristipus (student of Socrates) - closely related to the philosophies of nihilism and narcissism; Greek word for 'pleasure'; "act to maximize pleasure now and not worry about the future"; modern interpretation: "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."
4. Golden Mean - Aristotle's golden mean refers to finding a middle ground or compromise between 2 extreme points of view or actions; find a link between 2  extremes
5. Golden Rule - "love your neighbor as yourself"; humane behaviors that promote kindness and decency to fellow men and women; treat others as you would like to be treated
6. Veil of Ignorance - "shoe on the other foot"; attributed to John Rawls (1971); all people as equals; perhaps an answer to prejudice and discrimination

*CONSIDERATION OF THESE ETHICAL PHILOSOPHIES RESULTS IN A CLEARER INTERPRETATION AND PERHAPS MORE OBJECTIVE VIEWPOINT OF AN IMAGE.

• CULTURAL: This perspective examines the image and the symbolism that is used and what social messages are being communicated.

• CRITICAL: This perspective deals with the way in which we use our analysis of the image and what value or merit it contains overall.

 To the best of my understanding of the article, the ultimate goal of image analysis is not necessarily coming to a conclusion of what the image is, but rather being able to make meaning and interpret it on a personal level. David Lodge wrote, "analysis is ego-driven. The main thing is that it always reveals the person making the analysis - not really the piece itself." The ways in which one is capable to interpret an image will determine their ability to produce images of meaning themselves. Visual literacy shares the same virtual components of literacy of the written word; the more you read - the better you write. With visual literacy, the more you interpret visual text - the better you will be able to communicate through images.

Design Elements

Design Principles