Embedded Files
The products presented here were created for a variety of settings. Each is accompanied by an explanation of instructional choices.
JOB AIDS
One of the keys to student success, workplace efficiency, and classroom management is communication. From posting an agenda of the daily order of events; to creating standard procedures for common tasks; to providing self-assessment tools with assignments; communication of expectations and general procedures for executing tasks makes everyone feel secure and prepared to work in harmony. Job aids greatly reduce time spent figuring out what is going on or "bringing folks up to speed," and allow for more time interacting with the task at hand.
The level of detail in a job aid corresponds with the demands of the task. Out of the necessity to guarantee consistency of specific treatments, this medical checklist is more complex than most. In maintaining quality of life for our elders over the years, we have found simple job aids and communication tools to be helpful in ensuring consistency in the level of care.
This form letter is another type of aid. In 2017, when I was working with a civic engagement group to register voters we encountered several young men who were unable to vote because of felony convictions. At the time, the Alabama Board of Pardons and Corrections provided only a paragraph description on their webpage about how to request restoration of an individual's voting rights. I created this two-sided form as a clear and simple way to provide all of the information listed in that paragraph.
Since the summer that I designed this form, state resources have expanded to include a form very similar to my design.
Note: A few reviewers have pointed out that applying to the state does not address federal felonies. The AL Board of Pardons website (2017) requested that applicants identify whether their felony was state or federal; in addition, they included an uncommon identifier term, "True Name." Creating a form that did not include those pieces of information as requested could have delayed the application process for anyone using the tool.
EXHIBITS
Exhibits provide an opportunity for the audience to make meaning from
previous experiences,
exhibit content, and
the social space and context in which the exhibit is encountered.
Close attention to the aesthetic of the exhibit during design is guided by considering the visitors' characteristics, interests, and needs, in order to achieve the deepest meaning-making. Theorists contend that this particular type of meaning-making interaction encourages the same thought processes that are needed for participation in a democratic society.
When planning and designing an exhibit (most recently at Mobile Public Library), the first goal is the same as with any instruction I design: to enhance engagement through personal connections using a learner-centered approach. The intent is to produce an exhibit that meets as many of the following criteria as possible: is aesthetically appealing; validates and builds on the audience's existing knowledge and experiences; piques interest in the general setting; introduces or includes services provided nearby; includes practical information relevant to the audience; disseminates public information ; connects to an organizational, local, regional, or national topic of relevance. Additionally, to make the exhibits multi-sensory and interactive I often include QR codes linking resources, videos, or audio; crowdsourcing data collection, and artifacts for hands-on engagement.
The following 20" x 30" panels are designed on Canva from scratch.
African American History Month 2024 "African Americans and the Arts"
African American History Month 2023 "Resistance"
INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDES & RESOURCE SETS
Instructional guides and sets are often desired to enhance the use and experience of existing work. Below are two examples of this type of design including a resource set to support grassroots advocacy and an education guide designed to enrich a film viewing experience.
In my role as Alabama PTA (ALPTA) Health & Safety Chair and continuing into my service as ALPTA Vice President of Legislation & Federal Legislative Chair, I conducted a statewide survey, gathered examples and collected resources to assist parents and families in advocating for recess for Alabama's children. The Restore Recess webpage on ALPTA's website was then created to make the set of resources easily accessible to Alabama families. Though the webpage design may have changed, the resources are still available and regularly accessed by Alabama families. The original campaign was successful in making significant impact on the updated 2018 Alabama Course of Study for Physical Education.
We authored a different version of a resource set to enhance discussions, critical thinking, and classroom use of Margaret Brown's film, DESCENDANT. Click the link to access the DESCENDANT EDUCATION GUIDE . The guide provides engagements to prime viewer thinking before viewing and to facilitate reflection, research, and/or discussion after viewing.
MAPPING ENGAGEMENTS
Free map building tools are great options for data organization. Maps can be created as a source of reference but can also provide an excellent opportunity for students to design and publish an alternative to traditional reports and presentations. Locations can be marked and linked with rich text, hyperlinks, and other media to provide a coherent representation of a study. This offers endless opportunities. For example, the traditional "Black History" report could be come a map of locations important to the subject (place of birth, college, site of important event, ...), each notated with student text and perhaps accompanied by additional media.
Route planners, such as MapQuest's route planner, are another neat component that instructors and students can use in planning, scheduling, or mapping. Among other things, students could plan their own route then assess it by comparing and contrasting it with the generated route and justify which version is better.
This original map is a mockup Dora Finley requested during the early stages of Mobile's African American Heritage Trail ( aka Dora Franklin Finley African American Heritage Trail ) to demonstrate the possibility of an interactive online map with text and photo images -a more dynamic alternative to the then existing static PDFs produced by the city. Custom icons can also be uploaded to enhance the map, such as the Sankofa symbol in our example.
SLIDESHOWS
Slideshows can be used for a variety of purposes. I created this slideshow to provide parents & teachers a comprehensive overview of the initial research I had gathered in support of recess. Rather than a long text document, this slideshow condenses visual snippets of the pertinent information. Viewers can flip through at their own pace, choosing to read only headings, highlighted fragments, entire passages, or any combination.
Another more complex slideshow example can be found on the Culturally Responsive Teaching page of this site.
PDF, portable document format, allows for files to be shared online or from a hard drive, viewed on smart boards and other devices, or printed as hard copy. Their versatility makes them great for a variety of situations. Most of the PDFs on this page were created from Microsoft Word, Excel, or Publisher. These days, Canva or Adobe are go tos.
This is an elementary school lesson anchored around the historic site of a black hospital, created for students in Mobile, Alabama. Today the building sits in front of a public elementary school. The impact of knowing local history and making personal connections with it is invaluable. It should be noted that at least two students in the classroom for which this was created had grandparents born in this black hospital.
This PDF includes embedded hyperlinks. It is a first draft. My vision is that the teacher information on the back would actually be online, opening the back page up for student comprehension, critical thinking, and language arts activities.
The "Education Connections" newsletter example has live links to sections within the newsletter itself, as well as to outside sources. Simple to do, and pretty functional! This one was a sample done for coursework. There are some good social studies and Black history links inside.
CONTEXT CLUES PDF Content lessons that include skill-building instruction go a long way toward developing life-long learners.
This example not only reinforces Spanish vocabulary, but also instructs the learner in using context for meaning making. Additionally, by reading this text during the holiday season we are facilitating personal connections that will enhance the student's retention of content. I created this activity by pulling text from 'Twas Nochebuena by Roseanne Greenfield Thong to demonstrate how context clues could be used to find the meaning/translation for the Spanish words used throughout the story. We love this story in our house. My son in-law is Mexican and this book references a lot of the traditions he participated in as a child. The image links to Amazon, in case you are interested!
BLOGS
Blogs are an easy way to share evolving information and seek feedback. Here are a couple links to my brief personal attempts at blogging.
First is a course assignment that required me to engage others on a specific topic. My focus was on Mobile, Alabama history.
Next was a more personal venture where I shared my amazement at the success and usefulness in teaching our infant/toddler sign language. It was a really fascinating experience and I recommend to all new and expecting parents the use baby sign languge!
EDITING DIGITAL AUDIO
This audio file is representative of an instructional aid that can be put together quickly to demonstrate a point, or used as an example for student work. A more polished version could be created as a permanent component of an evergreen lesson.
This MLK/Obama audio file created in 2009 illustrates the application of history to contemporary life. Intentionally facilitating student connections between content and their real world experiences is invaluable in creating positive learning outcomes. Demonstrating the similar message delivered in the speeches of a current president and a historic figure helps to make such connections.
Further, by assigning students (of all ages) to produce their own creative products with a simple microphone plug in and free software, they employ higher order thinking skills to create representations of their knowledge.
Length 2:22
JacksonMLKObama_0001.mp3THOUGHTFUL IMAGES
SEPARATE BUT EQUAL Thoughtful graphics can prime prior knowledge, aid comprehension, and illustrate concepts, essentially allowing more time for higher order thinking and learning to take place. Again, fostering personal connections, I super-imposed Mobile, Alabama's historic "colored library" over what remains to serve as the main library, in order to demonstrate that during the Jim Crow Era the term "separate but equal" was not always literal. After sharing this with Dora Finley, the Mobile African American Heritage Trail (now known as the Dora Franklin Finley African American Heritage Trail) committee used the concept in a published brochure.
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