Adam R (Feng Rao) – AdamR (Feng Rao)

EDCI 337 Assignment 4 Project

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eHhS6zb_7jcXYaWRuKADf_CIpvs57Usbky-EGb0VGAs/edit?usp=sharing

How to build custom keyboard

A right keyboard could last your entire lifetime; however, finding that keyboard is another matter entirely. There are thousands of kinds of keyboards on the market with their own pros and cons. For instance, membrane keyboards, one of the most common keyboards, are good at resisting dirt and liquids but there is no tactile feedback to the user. Trying them all seems a waste of time and money. Therefore, building a custom keyboard becomes a better way to find your endgame keyboard.

Components of a keyboard

First of all, let’s take a look at the necessary components of a keyboard. From bottom to top, a keyboard has 3 parts

1. keyboard base

2. switches

3. keycaps

Switches and keycaps are relatively simple. On the other hand, a keyboard base has multiple layers including case, plate, circuit board (PCB) and stabilizers.

Pick PCB, case, mounting plate and cables.

The keyboard base is composed of 4 layers which means it is highly customizable.

The first and most important layer is the PCB as it determines the size and features. Although the most common sizes are 75%, TKL and Full-Sized, there are still a lot of other choices on the market.

Based on the PCB size, we can start to pick cases. The cases are often made of Plastic, Aluminum, Acrylic, Brass, or Polycarbonate Material. We can choose different case materials depending on 3 aspects : durable, aesthetic, or see-through.

Plate is an optional layer. However, we recommend installing it because it helps hold everything together and improves the build durability. There are different material types but they don’t affect the plate quality too much. Therefore, we can pick anything we want.

The Stabilizers are the most complex component. Also, there are a ton of different mounting styles and options for them. Fortunately, there are a lot of plates that have them installed. If you want to build them on yourself, we recommend this link for more details.

Although, cables are not one of the components. But we believe it is also worth mentioning. Because of the different case structures, some of the cases need special cable in order to connect to computers.

Identify different kinds of switches

Tutorial Video:

Pick keycaps

Keycaps are also essential to us because they set the aesthetic for the keyboard. The most common keycaps on the market are either made of ABS or PBT. There are no obvious advantages between them so you should decide which is best for you.

PBT	Expensive, Durable,Matte,Textured
ABS	Cheap,Smooth,Quieter,Shiny

Assemble components

The Modality Principle:

We presented words as speech rather than on-screen text during the video so that learners will learn better when new information is explained by audio narration than on-screen text.

The Multimedia Principle:

The tutorial video contains text and pictures so that students learn and understand better with the materials.

The Voice Principle:

We used human voice recording in the tutorial video so it is easier for students to hear and comprehend.

The Segmenting Principle:

The video itself follows the Segmenting Principle since students can learn at their own pace by pausing the video at any time.

The Signaling Principle:

We used bullet points to list the components.
Also we used hyperlink to a mini website so that learners can explore more knowledge.
Highlight the important parts of the text helps learns to focous.

The Redundancy Principle:

We used short/ clear text and graphs in our infographic.

EDCI 337 Assignment 3B: Updating Multimedia Learning Object

For assignment 3B, I went back to the screencasting video in topic 3 and decided to update the video with more multimedia learning principles to follow.

Since this form of knowledge transfer is through screencasting and voice, my work already follows some multimedia learning principles like the Segmenting principle, since learners can choose to pause and continue the video and learn at their own paces.

There are several modifications I made to my video. I shortened the video to 3 minutes compared to 5 minutes by cutting some irrelevant knowledge transfer. For instance, I no longer introduce the basic knowledge needed to finish this tutorial. Instead, I followed the Pre-training principle and gave the learners a way to gain the knowledge necessary to catch up on my tutorial by giving them a note before the video starts.

The second thing I did to improve my video is that I followed the Signalling principle and put up some notes in the form of text besides my voice and the video so that the learners understand much more clearly than before. For example, I highlighted where I want the audience to look at 2:08, and I included how to operate in text form at 2:55.

Overall, I feel confident that this video tutorial now has much better knowledge transfer efficiency because of the new principles that I followed.

Blog Feedback 2B for Tony Li

When I looked into Tony’s blog, I noticed that his writing style and word choices are professional and precise, which results in a feeling that I am reading a professional blog.

Another thing I appreciate is that he specifically analyzed the TED talk presenter’s approach to persuade his audience by explaining cognitive loading theory and Dual-coding theory.

I wonder if it could result in a better blog if there are more multimedia elements included. Also, it could be a better blog related to multimedia learning if Tony also points out some principles related to the TED talk other than the theories.

In summary, keep up the excellent work! I appreciate Tony’s professional writing style and expect to read more blogs coming from him.

Blog feedback 2B for Brianna Tucsok

When I looked into Brianna’s blog, I noticed the blog site’s background style, which is beautiful and impressive.

The Twine Story she provided is fascinating and follows several Multimedia Learning Principles including Interactivity Principle, Segmenting Principe, and Signaling Principle. I also like how she explained how each principle works in her specific scenario.

I wonder if the blog could be better if Brianna not only talks about the features of Twine Story that relate to the principles but also talks about some multimedia learning principles she followed when writing a twine Story.

In summary, Brianna did a great job on this blog post. I appreciate the efforts Brianna put in and hope to see more of her work in the future.

Blog feedback 2B for Alison Neale

The second thing I like is how Alison used blackened characters. This follows the Signaling Principle, so the readers understand more clearly what the following text means. Alison used a mix of text and pictures, which also follows the multimedia principle.

I wonder if it could result in a better blog if Alison talks specifically about the content of his sketchnote on baking chocolate chip cookies so that I can understand his work better while reading through the multimedia learning principles he spoke of.

In summary, Alison did a great job on the blog, and I hope to see more of his work in the future!

Weekly blog Topic 9

The Bad News game follows the Personalization Principle such that the game participants interact and “talk” with the game. Another principle this game followed is the Feedback Principle. For every decision I made, there is a result in terms of the number of followers I have. The game doesn’t follow the multimedia principle since there’s too much text, and it gets boring after a while. I would add more pictures mixed with text so that people understand and play the game more pleasantly.

During the Sketchnoting activity, I learned about how even the most complicated drawing can be analyzed and downgraded to the five elements. In real learning, if someone with no drawing experience was asked to draw something, it will be more effective for them to learn how all drawings are formed with the five basic shapes before committing to more complicated tasks. This relates directly to the Pre-training principle.

Sketchnoting should be very helpful to my daily learning. Knowing to draw everything based on the five basic shapes helps me draw everything much faster and better. When studying or listening to a lecture, and I am taking notes. It is more efficient for me to draw and write texts.

In EDCI 337, we have been using several methods to achieve active learning. For example, we have feedback on every weekly activity, so the connection between teacher and students are linked all the time. Also, we have interactive experiences in some activities, like software or games.

EDCI 337 Topic 7 Blog

Twine Story Link: https://web.uvic.ca/~rmccue/twine/adam-story.html

Although my Twine story isn’t educational but is more of a practice, I believe my Twine story followed two important multimedia learning principles.
The first one is the Segmenting Principle which is people learn better from a multimedia lesson is presented in user-paced segments rather than as a continuous unit. A Twine story’s natural feature follows this principle because the learners can go back and forth of the story as they please. This allows users to learn at their own pace.

The second principle I followed is the Personalization Principle. The multiple-choice questions in every passage are informal, but they make users understand better what’s going on. The interactions cause the model of Twine Story to a tremendous educational tool.

I can think of using Twine Story as an educational resource when it comes to the activities or games for class. The interaction feature is Twine Story’s significant advantage comparing with other educational resources.

Blog Feedback for Brianna Tucsok

When I looked into Brianna’s blog, the first thing I noticed is the blog site’s background style. The space between the blog itself and the background photo makes the whole blog more professional.
I also like the multimedia element Brianna posted because it is a great photo and relevant to multimedia learning, which I appreciate a lot.

The screencast video follows the Worked Example Principle. The video itself is a tutorial to the platform Kahoot.

I wonder if the blog could be better if there are explanations in the example form in the second part of the blog. For instance, how does one break the redundancy principle, and what is the consequence of doing so.

In summary, Brianna did a great job on this blog post. I appreciate the efforts Brianna put in and hope to see more of her work in the future.

Blog Feedback for Alison Neale

The first thing I appreciate when reading into this blog is the bullet point form when making a list of insights. This writing style provides readers with a strong and clear understanding of the materials.
The second thing I like is how Alison used blackened characters on a topic and then introduced how it works. The contrast between the two character styles also results in a more transparent tone.

The H5P interactive video followed the Signalling Principle that keeps the critical information in the textbox for learners.

I wonder if it could result in a better blog if Alison’s multimedia element were an image related to his topic. Although the photo looks great with an “everyday” feeling, I would choose to upload something relevant to the topic.

In summary, Alison did a great job on the blog, and I hope to see more of his work in the future!

Blog Feedback for Tony Li

The first thing I like about Tony’s blog is his writing style. He keeps his word choices professional and precise, which results in a feeling that I am reading from a professional blogger.

Another thing I appreciate is that he quotes other people’s work professionally by citing the sources. At the end of the blog, there’s a reference list.

Tony posted an image related to the Flow Theory. The picture follows the Spatial Contiguity Principle, which helps the viewers understand the theory better.

I wonder if it could result in a better blog if there are more multimedia elements included. For instance, there is a relevant image under every section of the blog so that all the contents could be understood more clearly.

In summary, keep up the excellent work! I appreciate Tony’s professional writing style and expect to read more blogs coming from him.