Visual Design Critique

1st slide:

Strength

• good to let the audiences know what they are in for (preview of the rest of the slides)
• having the frog image adds colours to the slides

Improvement

• feels that the audio effect(3 different frogs' sound) could have been better if placed at the next slide
• maybe the next slide can be in the form of a game with the students (see who can guess correctly which type of frog make that particular sound).

2nd slide:

Strength

• no fanciful fonts hence no distraction

Improvement

• there's no alignments of words which made the whole slide messy
• a bit wordy-reader's interest dropped
• fonts too wordy-pupils at the back may not see clearly
• points should be in point form instead of sentences

3rd slide:

• use of life cycle diagram suppose to enhance learning but the diagram has too many arrows which make the life cycle complicated
• promotes self learning with options for students to exercise.(to learn about
• instructions should be in small letters instead of capital letters

4th slide:

Improvement

• images at the bottom distract students
• 2 long points could be broken up into 3 points-easier for student to digest for information

5th slide:

Strength

• good to have grahics of tadpoles at different stages

Improvement

• the whole slide is too wordy,should divide the whole slide into 3 slides
• font size is too small

6th slide:

Improvement

• irrelevant to have the picture of the eggs and tadpoles at the bottom of the slide
• a bit wordy for each of the point;have it in point form
• inadequate line spacing

How does COTF promote student-centered learning?

Observation from COTF: The tour of COTF is divided into five parts (café, laboratory, MRT, home and classroom).
The café is a very conducive environment for pupils to meet up to discuss projects. The wireless network allows students to do research online, collaborative learning and sharing of information with their counterparts worldwide. I was very amazed by the voice translation. It has removed the language barrier by translating French voice to English subtitle. I find it really useful in student centered learning especially when you need to upload any videos in foreign languages such as spanish or korean for lesson.

As for the laboratory, the part that attracted me is the video conferencing with a professor and that so much information about the bacteria can be found within such a short time through sample analysis with the professor. The dialogue session keeps the students physically and cognitively engaged. This has once again demonstrates the importance of ICTs tools in student centered learning.

The use of UMPC in the MRT allows users to copy any materials needed into it simply by tapping. I find this very time saving as compared to downloading.

The lights in the house are voice-operated.Parents can be updated on their child's progress in school via sms or email alert.

In the classroom, attendance is taken electronically by putting UMPC on the lap. Students are assessed through online quizzes and explanation is done by using videos for pupils to be able to visualise the question.

In conclusion, COTF helps to promote student centred learning to a large extent but we should also consider the long term effects of studying in this type of environment. Examples of the effects includes exposure to radiation and ergonomic problems due to bending towards the monitor which is placed under the table.