Best Works
These are some my projects and artifacts that serve as exemplars from my larger body of work.
Political System Unit Plan
This is a unit I designed wherein each lesson is supplemented by a Web 2.0 tool. I designed this unit in such a way that it can be taught in either a face-to-face or online format. Every Web 2.0 tool that I use in this unit is free and does not require a particularly powerful computer, so they should be accessibly to most online learners and schools with internet access. I genuinely feel that each tool I used in this unit enhances the lesson in a what that pen and paper simply could not emulate. This unit plan shows that, with thoughtful planning, technology can be integrated into existing lessons to elevate them without having to pay a thing or purchase high end computers.
To see or experiment with all of the artifacts I used in this project, click on any of the items below.
eBenefits Guide Book
I wrote and published this iBook while I was working at the Polk County Veteran Service Office. I was the resident expert on eBenefits, which is the online portal that allows veterans to apply for and show proof of their benefits. Unfortunately, the website is a bit obtuse and difficult to navigate, particularly for those who are none too comfortable with technology to begin with. Veterans would often come to me from all across the county to get help trying to get what they need form the eBenefits portal and being a rural county, it takes some of them quite a while to get to the office.
I was convinced that there must be a better way to teach veterans and veteran service providers to effectively use eBenefits. During my Instructional Design course, I was met with the prospect of publishing an iBook and decided that this would be a good way to get information out to the masses. I published the book you see below on the Apple iBooks store which you can still find there if you search for it or you can watch the video for a preview of how the iBook version functions. You can read it as a flip book by clicking on the thumbnail below. I also made the book into a PDF version, which can be viewed and downloaded below, and distributed it to veteran service offices across the state so that they will be better equipped to help their veteran populations.
In addition to filling an unaddressed need, I also value this experience because it taught me how to write and publish an iBook. I can see myself using this format if I ever go back to teaching at the high school or college level. I think self-publishing an iBook can be a good way to get all of my class resources into one place and I can offer it for free so that students do not have to purchase any expensive text books.
Family of Designs
Of all the things I expected to learn in the Info Tech program, becoming a competent designer was not one of them, but I am sincerely glad that this was the case. The ability to create not only digital art, but to also design information in an effective manner, has helped me immensely in my current role. The ability to create my own striking posters instead of having to depend on a graphic designer interpret my vision and then wait around until they get to it really expedites the process of event planning and advertisement.
The items below are a few samples of some posters I have created for events, as well as some digital art and social media I created. Beneath the images is a portfolio of designs that I have evaluated to demonstrate the concepts of design that I have learned and am now putting into my own conceptual work.
