Design+Project

Assignment:

 * For this assignment, you and your group are going to design—or re-design—a technology, product, invention, or object of your choice. Your first task is to select an object that you would like to re-design. It could be a computer, a cell phone, a coffee cup, an automobile, etc. Think as large or as small as you like.
 * Your goal for this assignment is to re-design the object in two different ways. First, how would you design the object based on what you have learned from Bransford et al.? Second, how would you design the object based on what you learned from Norman.

(Name of product and description.) || ==**VisualVoice** ==
 * **What object did you all decide to design?**

Teachers are increasingly faced with the challenge of teaching a classroom of students of varying degrees of ability. It is vital that all students receive the necessary accommodations to help them learn and prepare for the future. A teacher who instructs predominantly through lecture may not fully meet the needs of a student with auditory processing difficulties while a teacher who instructs using many images, diagrams and charts may not reach the auditory student. The design of VisualVoice allows teachers to instruct naturally while providing visual images to accompany spoken language. The program would run on a computer which could be projected onto a screen. Integration with Interactive white-board technology would also be possible. As the teacher speaks, appropriate images would be quickly pulled from a comprehensive database of images. Students would be able to simultaneously listen to and watch a teacher’s instruction. Key features of VisualVoice include:
 * Voice recognition software that instantly projects images to coincide with the teacher's spoken words
 * Images are selected from a database or added as needed
 * Teachers would not have to worry about switching slides, finding appropriate maps or searching for images so instruction would flow more smoothly.
 * A teacher could set the program to recognize only his or her voice so students could speak without added unnecessary images to the screen.
 * A teacher could also preset a time for an image to remain on the screen.
 * The screen could also hold multiple images simultaneously.


 * "Photo Banks" designed by teachers
 * Database of images and photos would have preset pictures for a topic.
 * Teachers could also add images and photos to the database as needed.

(What makes our product functional, how will it cause the brain to reorganize information and build synapses?) || Bransford's research focuses heavily on how the brain is influenced by learning. The design of VisualVoice allows students to organize thoughts through auditory and visual means. Connections that may otherwise be lost are achieved by appealing to varying learning styles and promoting greater understanding. The following support evidence for the success of this product is described below:
 * Lesson storage
 * Once a teacher has created a lesson that is well matched with images, the entire lesson could be saved and stored for future use.
 * The recording feature will allow students to independently review the lesson to reinforce the vocabulary and other skills or concepts being taught. ||
 * **How would you design it if you were listening only to Bransford?**

//"the brain development process actually uses visual information entering from outside to become more precisely organized than it could with intrinsic molecular mechanisms alone" (Wiring the Brain, par. 5)//
 * Therefore, visual images supporting spoken words would help students better organize information.

//"synapse addition and modification are life-long processes - the quality of information to which one is exposed and the amount of information one acquires is reflected through one's life" (Wiring the Brain, par. 6)//
 * Adding visual images to spoken words increases the quality of information the student receives.
 * Meaningful images promote understanding and memorability.

//The brain can be "functionally reorganized by instruction" and "specific types of instruction can modify the brain, enabling it to use alternate sensory input to accomplish adaptive functions" (Examples of Effects of Instruction on Brain Development, par. 5)//

//"comparisons of people's memories for words with their memories for pictures of the same objects show a superiority effect for pictures" and the same is true if "words and pictures are combined during learning" (Memory and Brain Processes, par. 3)//
 * It is possible for children who are visual learners OR kids with language processing problems to make adaptations that will build on areas of the brain that are unused. If a pathway is not present due to disability, new pathways may be formed through alternate instruction.
 * Also ESOL students and students who come to school with little background knowledge and vocabulary would benefit from the support of the pictures. This could work in primary grades with basic vocabulary as well as in the upper grades with more complex concepts.
 * Students learning a second language such as Spanish would benefit from pictures to support acquisition of new vocabulary.
 * Pictures have a greater impact on memory than words alone.
 * By essentially doubling the amount of information presented to students, concepts have a greater chance of being understood and remembered.

//"classes of words, pictures, and other categories of information that involve complex cognitive processing on a __repeated__ basis activate the brain. Activation sets into motion the events that are encoded as part of long-term memory.//" (//Memory and Brain Processes, par. 6)// (How do we make our product aesthetic, pretty or useful?) || Norman describes the necessity of objects to promote a pleasing affect for the viewer. The VisualVoice program would meet his requirements by providing pleasing and memorable images which coincide with verbal explanation. All images would be of high quality and be realistic in nature. Images could also be varied by grade level since that which is appealing to elementary aged students is not necessarily so for high school students.
 * The recording feature will allow for the repetition process needed to activate the brain for long-term memory storage. ||
 * **How would you design it if you were listening only to Norman?**

From Norman's abstract "//it is essential that products designed for use under stress follow good human-centered design, for stress makes people less able to cope with difficulties and less flexible in their approach to problem solving//"
 * Software must be easy to use.
 * Software should require minimal amount of prep time before use to reduce stress for teacher. (i.e. Software includes pre-made databases that can be used immediately, or teacher can spend time customizing them if desired.)
 * Less stress on students because they would have a better chance at understanding the content or skill.

"//good design means that beauty and usability are in balance...The affective system is judgmental, assigning positive and negative valence to the environment rapidly and efficiently//" //(Beyond Beauty, par. 3)//
 * Images in the database need to be of high quality. If they are not, the mind will learn to disregard, or not pay as much attention to them.

"//Negative affect can make it harder to do even easy tasks: positive affect can make it easier to do difficult tasks//." //(Affect and Behavior, par. 4)// (How would we mix both philosophies together?) ||  The design of VisualVoice must address the needs of both teachers and students. It must also increase stimulation of the brain while remaining pleasing to the eye. The VisualVoice mixes both philosophies. In accordance with Norman's requirements, it provides a positive affect with quality visuals that are aesthetically pleasing and memorable. In accordance with Bransford's requirements, the use of pictures to go with the words provides a superiority effect on learning.  ||
 * Therefore, the more pleasant something is to the senses, the more it helps you learn. ||
 * **How would you design it if you were listening to both authors?**
 * TEACHERS: VisualVoice must be an easy-to-use, reliable product that will enhance classroom instruction. After voice calibration, minimal time is needed to setup/create a photo database. Tutorials are embedded in each step of the setup process to facilitate creation of databases. The usability factor is key to this product's success. If teachers can not use the product easily, it will not be successful. Pictures must coincide with a teacher's words (voice) to ensure students are receiving both verbal and visual stimuli at the appropriate times.
 * STUDENTS: The VisualVoice database must include colorful, visually-stimulating photos to stimulate the brain. If not, pictures will only serve to hinder learning by causing negative affect.
 * **What did you learn from working in your small group that you would not have thought about on your own?** || ANNA - I had not considered the support this kind of software would provide ESOL students. Also, as a native speaker of Spanish trying to teacher her own children the language, this type of product would be so beneficial in building vocabulary. Finally, the comments from my classmates also made me think about students I teach with auditory-processing difficulties - how can I enhance their learning right now?

EMILY- I had not considered ESOL or using this to help students learning a new language other than English. I also learned how to use a wiki!

JESSICA - I too had never used a wiki before and I think it is a GREAT tool to use to communicate effectively with others. When we first came up with this design, I really thought it would only apply to elementary grades. I now realize that it could be used in a variety of settings and grade levels. It would be great to teach the parts of speech to my students as well as social studies (pictures of difficult vocabulary words would be wonderful!).

SUSAN- Add me to the wiki learning list. It is great. I learned that it is possible to work with others no matter where you are or how conflicting of schedules we have. This is the magic of technology and why I am working on this degree. I too never thought of this product in helping students to learn a new language other than English. ||
 * **Resources Used** ||  “Mind and Brain”-Chapter 5 of Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (eds). (1999). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition. The National Academy Press. Washington, D.C. Retrieved on March 16, 2008 from http://www.nap.edu/html/howpeople1/ch5.html.

Norman, D. A. (2002). Emotion and design: Attractive things work better. //Interactions Magazine//, ix (4), 36-42. Retrieved on March 16, 2008 from http://www.jnd.org/dn.mss/emotion_design.html.

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