Stephen, D., MD (Ed.). (2014, September). What is plagiarism? Retrieved February 26, 2017, from http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/plagiarism.html#
Topic: The topic of this infographic is plagiarism, and how it happens. Target Audience: High school science students involved in research. Instructional Design Process: I chose to use the Focus on Expected Outcomes model, as I wanted a very specific set of mental outcomes chosen for the thought process involved in citing and not citing sources used in research. Accordingly, I modeled a simplified flowchart-style infographic that restricted the decisions to predetermined outcomes, either a yes or no response. In order to facilitate this process, I also simplified the color schemes to reflect positive and negative values, as well as neutral values. Neutrals were given a grayish color to suggest no inherent value or bias, whereas the outcomes were given strong color or hue values (white/black/green). Interrogatives were given a light color (blue) to indicate a need for resolution. Also, using the principle of movement through directional arrows and choice boxes, I attempted to encourage progress through the infographic, rather than simple observation of its elements. How it can be used in a classroom: As my principal likes to say, "there's only one you and four walls - use them". He encourages the use of word walls, infographics, posters and student exemplars to provide continuous stimulus to achieve excellence. Putting the plagiarism guide on a prominent wall in my room would give visual support for citing researched information every time it is used. My definition of Infographics versus Posters: I see infographics as not just informational, but interactive. A poster presents the same thing to everyone (static), but an infographic is used by the observer to achieve a state of knowledge that did not exist prior to the infographic, one that may be defined or created by the user themselves. As such, an infographic is a flexible tool, whereas a poster is simply an advertisement for information. How would I get students to develop their own infographic/poster? That would involve a design process that would include deciding the desired educational outcome of the object. If it is a problem-solving object, then a flowchart/infographic might be best. If it is a simple factual transmission, a poster might suffice. Once the students decided what they wanted to achieve, exemplars of existing models might be researched and imitated. Principles of juxtaposition of image and text would be carefully employed to minimize cognitive load while taking advantage of dual coding efficiency. Reflection: I am beginning to realize that it is not the product that is the challenge - I am smart enough to get a decent product every time. It is my inability to rapidly and effectively choose the best product generator to get things done that causes me to pull out my hair. There is frequently a cornucopia of choices, each with advantages and disadvantages, but rarely with a dispassionate evaluation available for each. What that means is, I have to try out half a dozen of these sites every time I attempt an assignment, just to get an idea as to what might work for my own personal preferences and tastes. That translates into a lot of wasted time, high levels of frustration and occasionally being dissatisfied with the product. I am beginning to understand the value of the phrase "give me directions, not choices" and what it might mean to a student who might be given too much choice in the outcome. I am also frustrated/challenged by the continuous dead-ending that websites create, allowing me to get to a certain point in the creative process and then suddenly needing an 'upgrade' to 'premium' services that would allow me to finish my project in a satisfactory fashion using a year-long subscription to a website I might never visit again after the project is completed. This project has been the most difficult to date, specifically because I have been struggling to overcome an exhausting bout of the flu, and I am attempting to complete a technical project while adjusting to a new prescription of mood-altering anti-convulsant drugs that have affected my attention span, my short-term memory and my ability to sleep. While I am content with the simplicity and functionality of the final product for assignment 4, I am grateful that I had the week off of work to focus on getting through those challenges.