Lady Bix

Prepared Brain

2006-05-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

I thought there were some fascinating parts to this article, especially the discussion of the visceral under "The Prepared Brain" section. Norman has a list of things that on the visceral level that produce a positive or a negative effect in us. I was struck by "heights" in particular. I've always had a fear of heights. I suspected it was genetic as many of my relatives on my mother's side are also afraid of heights, but I never really thought about being programmed that way.

Norman also discusses how it is more difficult to learn a 2nd language past the teen years and even when you do learn it, it is hard to adopt the right accent. I've heard this before and so I guess it's true. Kind of sad though. So much for mastering the language of my grandparents.

I really respected how Norman discussed the importance of emotions. Usually "emotions" are dismissed or we're supposed to suppress them. It's refreshing to hear someone actually speak about them and the impact they have.

Betty Crocker would dig this

2006-05-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Sweet. This is the article where they mention the Easy Bake Oven! This was probably my favorite site to visit in this class. As a visual person, I was very happy. The wallpaper was playful with the pics of pineapples, melon baskets and other treats. And I like how the material was presented as a recipe -- not that I'm little Suzy homemaker --I'm so not. (I haven't cooked a damn thing since Thanksgiving --that's right, I'm going on 6 mos. of not cooking and I'm proud). Anyway, the Betty Crocker-esque designs were fun and got my attention. I liked the language as well; they just continued the theme: combine, mix, whip, bake, decorate, serve.

Also helpful was the "Examples" section. At the bottom of one of the pages, were lists of examples: hip, retro, cool, corporate, simple, sophisticated, what not to do, etc. Fun to explore.

Nathan has some great diagrams

2006-05-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

I was really impressed by the diagrams on this site. With some diagrams, they are just as confusing as the text (if not more) and you wonder why the author even bothered. Those people don't embrace the potential of the diagram. The author of this article, A Unified Field Theory of Design, really knew how to use the diagram effectively through shapes, colors and words. I especially like the visual aid on the "Media Differences" page.

Another thing I like about this article. Each concept was on a different page (for the most part, I think), and he gave you the option to read it as a whole in pdf form by clicking on a link on the first page. Of course, if you choose this option you do miss out on the full effect of killer diagram -- no colors.

9 Pillars of Jesse James Garrett

2006-05-06T14:37:00.000-07:00

How cool would be to be named after an outlaw? No seriously though Jesse Jame Garrett's page is great. The layout is simple and easy to navigate.

The 9 pillars really made good sense and it gave insight into the process of web teams. Not only does it speak to web design, but in some ways it speaks to team work as a whole. How roles need to be clearly defined and delegated. And I liked his honeycomb diagram. Easy to understand.

anchor-age

2006-05-06T14:31:00.000-07:00

I liked this article on archored learning. I think the idea of the "anchor" makes a lot of sense. It's not necessarily a technology issue, but techology helps. I liked the example where "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was used as the anchor for I believe math studies. Very clever. I think that would have worked on me.

On another note, who scanned this? By mid-semester I was trying not to kill trees and resolved to read the articles on line. I nearly ralphed trying to read this one online. No offense to whoever scanned it though.

Biennial

2006-05-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

Since we worked on the Whitney Biennial for our final project, I was wondering if anyone has been yet? If so, what did you think? If not, are you thinking of going?

technology to support learning

2006-05-06T14:14:00.000-07:00

"Because many new technologies are interactive (Greenfield and Cocking, 1996), it is now easier to create environments in which students can learn by doing, receive feedback, and continually refine their understanding and build new knowledge"

What about the students who don't learn well like this (myself included in this)? Would this environments embrace all learners?

Do you ever think how you would do in school if you were 10-15 years younger? Or for those of you who grew up with technology like this, what if you were 10-15 years older and had to learn technology when you were already out in the world? Just to reveal how old I am, I didn't use a computer until I was a freshman in college (and then it was only for email) and I didn't actually own my first computer until I was a senior in college.

Collins & his design issues

2006-05-06T14:04:00.000-07:00

I found myself returning to this article quite a lot. This one spoke to me -- maybe because I felt like I didn't need an advanced degree in the field to understand it (um, like Mayer -- I'm sure it's just me -- my background is art history/history folks -- I need pictures). Like I believe another article we read this semester, was it the Norman?, I considered my own education and my own learning. I've had something of a revelation. I think I have always been more of a passive learner. I've always done really well in large lecture halls when the prof lectures to you, you take notes, do the readings, write the papers and take the exams. I need time to sit back and process the info. For me, when I am doing and learning at the same time, I feel like I'm missing something. I doubt if anyone feels this way, but I have a hard time having class in the computer lab. I need to watch Jim or someone else before I can actually do the work. I have a hard time doing it along with Jim. It doesn't sink in the same way. If I never read this article, I never would have considered this...

revisiting articles

2006-05-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

OK, so I probably should have blogged back when I read the articles that way they'd be fresh in my mind, but alas, it's not natural for me.

Anyway, I wanted to comment on the Mayer & Moreno article. Never having had a psych class (that is, unless you count the one I took in high school, which I wouldn't -- we did watch "Sybil", which was kind of fun.), I was fascinated by how the mind works. I had no idea that so many factors came into play, pictures, works, sounds, etc. It really is so much to consider. At first I was a little overwhelmed by the article; I am self-conscious about the fact that I don't have a background in this and that I'm not grasping the concepts that quickly. But once they started breaking things down into the 9 categories, I was feeling more comfortable.

just not a blogger

2006-05-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

I love how some people have just embraced blogging and ran with it. I have to admit that I am really just uncomfortable blogging. I don't know if it is because I'm a private person or what -- I'm just uncomfortable. Anyway, I'm trying..

final project

2006-03-28T20:17:00.000-08:00

I will be partnering with Ali G for the final project. Please visit her blog for details. Thanks!

Suggestion

2006-02-08T16:22:00.000-08:00

Dear Prof. Diamond,
I would like to make a suggestion. I think it would be REALLY helpful (at least for me) if we could have Slava's PowerPoint presentations in front of us on the class website during his lectures. That way we can read along while he lectures. At present, I find it really difficult to follow along and I have a hard time seeing some of the material on the screen.

Just thought I'd throw that out there...

Norman article

2006-02-06T16:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry for my delay in posting a response to the Norman article. I found it to be very accessible; that is, easy for the layperson to read and understand. I think he raises some excellent points about design and universal accessibility, and see many parallels between the article and a course I took on exhibition design. I think this article will prove very useful when we do our final projects...

some thoughts on the Mayer article...

2006-01-28T14:47:00.000-08:00

Hola classmates,
Like some of you, I found the Mayer article to be both interesting and dense. I've never really thought much about learning theories nor have I ever read anything about them. Naturally, this article made me think of my own education and experiences with learning. Sadly, the things I remember most are the things we learned by repetition and rote -- I can do the "Fifty Nifty United States" song in my sleep. And we very rarely had technology in the classroom -- I mean breaking out the ol' overhead projector or a VCR was hardcore... From what I've read, clearly the child-centered approach is preferable, but why then are many (if not most) of us products of the curriculum-centered approach? Why hasn't the child-centered approach taken over? Could I have been a better learner and with a brighter future if my teachers has subscribed to the child-centered approach?

Don't hold my blog against me...

2006-01-18T16:42:00.000-08:00

Greetings. OK, so this is my first blog and my first post. While I'm not quite "anxious" about it, I do feel kind of strange. I mean, who am I writing this for? My classmates? My prof? Myself? Random strangers?

Forgive me, dear readers, but it may take me a little while to find my actual voice on this blog.