Lisa QuraishCIMT 543Spring 2012Dr. Ziaeehezarjeribi

Visual Principles

“Create an instructional presentation for the lesson that you have already prepared for the

ASSURE lesson plan. Follow visual principles and design guidelines introduced in the textbooks

to create your presentation.”

Introduction

To enhance my initial ASSURE lesson plan covering the Great Depression and writing

and formatting a formal letter, I have created a PowerPoint presentation to provide a general

overview when introducing the lesson to the class. According to Smaldino, Lowther, and

Russell (2012), “The design and use of visuals in instruction is an important consideration

because so much learning involves visual imagery” (p. 176). Additionally, most multimedia has

some sort of visual component, and most classrooms have one or more students who are

visual/spatial learners. Diverse learners, special needs, or gifted students can all benefit from the

use of visuals in instruction (Smaldino, et al., 2012). Smaldino, et al., (2012) provide a list of

visual design guidelines that I followed when creating my project (p. 192).

Target Learners This instructional PowerPoint has been created for a fifth grade

class of 22 students at a rural elementary school. There are 12 girls and

10 boys. A number of students (6) are classified as “living in poverty” as

can be seen by the free and reduced lunch rates. The remainder of the

class comes from working and middle class families. Three students

have identified learning disabilities. The school system practices

inclusion, so the special education teacher or aide comes in at least once a

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Lisa QuraishCIMT 543Spring 2012Dr. Ziaeehezarjeribi

day to work with these students and they also have the option of going to

the special education room for guidance on a project or test. No students

have been officially identified as “gifted,” although quite a few (eight)

are reading well above grade level and excel on most all assignments.

Students show an appreciation for the use of visuals in the classroom and

dislike working from a textbook. They seem to be better engaged in

learning when I create the teaching materials myself.

Subject Area Social Studies: The Great Depression

English: Writing and formatting a formal letter Curriculum and Technology Standards

Curriculum: Indiana Academic 5th Grade Language Arts Standards

Writing: Processes and Features 5.4

Writing: Applications (Different Types of Writing and Their

Characteristics) 5.5

Writing: English Language Conventions 5.6

Indiana Academic 5th Grade Social Studies Standards

Roles of Citizens 5.2.8

Economics 5.4

Technology: NETS-S (2007)

Communication and Collaboration: Students use digital media

and environments to communicate and work collaboratively,

including at a distance, to support individual learning and

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Lisa QuraishCIMT 543Spring 2012Dr. Ziaeehezarjeribi

contribute to the learning of others.

Technology Operations and Concepts: Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

Learning Objectives Given Microsoft Word software, the learner will compose a letter

in block format and score 13/15 or higher on the teacher created “Letters

to Lady Obama” rubric.

The learner will demonstrate a general understanding of the Great

Depression by playing the teacher created PowerPoint version of

“Jeopardy: Great Depression Edition” scoring 5000/6000 or higher when

completing the game individually.

Visual Design Guidelines

Smaldino, et al. (2012) provide “Visual Design Guidelines” to

be followed when designing visuals for instructional or professional use.

(p. 192). Following I will explain how their guidelines were applied to

the PowerPoint I have created for this Visual Principles assignment.

Arrangement. – When planning a series of visuals, one needs to

be consistent when arranging elements because viewers tend to

unconsciously form expectations of where information will

appear in the display (Smaldino, et al., 2012). For this reason,

when using only text, or only an image, I chose to center the

information on the screen. When using a combination of text and

images, I consistently placed text on the left and images on the

right.

Balance. – For visuals to catch the eye and serve an informational

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Lisa QuraishCIMT 543Spring 2012Dr. Ziaeehezarjeribi

purpose, it is best to have an asymmetrical balance (Smaldino, et

al., 2012). I have achieved this by leaving “white” space,

distributing elements evenly but sizing and arranging them in

ways that keep the appearance dynamic and informal.

Color. – When considering color for PowerPoint slides it is

helpful to consider background color, a color for the images or

text, and a color for highlights. (Smaldino, et al., 2012).

Smaldino, et al., (2012) provide a table listing “Effective

Combinations for Background and Images for PowerPoint

Slides…” (p. 193). I chose to go with one of their suggested

combinations, using a light gray background, with blue and black

text.

Legibility. – “A visual cannot do its job unless all viewers can see

the words and images” (Smaldino, et al., 2012, p. 194). In my

PowerPoint I made sure to make the presentation legible by

choosing appropriate color combinations for text and background

and using high quality images that are not blurry and can be

projected large enough for easy viewing without distorting the

image. Additionally, I made sure text was large and consistent

enough for easy reading.

Appeal. – Instructional visuals need to capture and hold learners’

attention (Smaldino, et al., 2012). I chose a font style, color

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Lisa QuraishCIMT 543Spring 2012Dr. Ziaeehezarjeribi

scheme, and wording appropriate for fifth graders. Effective use

of all of the previous guidelines will help to make an overall

appealing presentation. The use of a combination of images, text,

and video in my presentation will help keep learners’ interest by

providing variety in instruction.

Universal Design. – “Universal design accommodates students

with a variety of learning levels, including disabilities and special

talents” (Smaldino, et al., 2012, p. 195). The use of a PowerPoint

presentation helps to meet diverse learners because it can be

played on an individual computer and enlarged for visually

impaired learners, the explanatory text will help hearing impaired

learners, and the age/reading level appropriate text will make

content accessible to students.

References

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Lisa QuraishCIMT 543Spring 2012Dr. Ziaeehezarjeribi

Indiana Department of Education (2011). Indiana Standards and Resources. Retrieved from

http://dc.doe.in.gov/Standards/AcademicStandards/StandardSearch.aspx

 Smaldino, S.E., Lowther, D.L., & Russell, J.D. (2012). Instructional Technology and

Media for Learning. Boston, MA: Pearson   Education, Inc.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2007). NETS for Students 2007. Retrieved

from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx

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