MODULE 9: Basic Design and Production Techniques of Educational Communication Media

Visualization

is the process of translating a verbal idea into a pictorial or visual symbol.

People

are visual-minded.

Visuals

make abstract concepts concrete.

Retention

is increased with the use of visuals.

1. Planning

2. Message design

3. Production

4. Presentation

5. Evaluation

The EdCom Media Production Process

Planning

entails looking into the following: subject matter; objectives; learner characteristics; media/materials and methods; and resources.

Message design

“involves making decisions regarding the message and its treatment”

Production

edcom media nowadays is predominantly done digitally via computers using various applications or softwares. However, production processes for other media, such as those falling under the folk media category (e.g., theater, puppetry, storytelling) entail more manual production processes such as the creation of puppets.

Presentation

entails using the edcom medium for the particular communication-learning situation that you designed.

Evaluation

is often thought of as something that needs to be done only upon completion of a task/project.

1. Identification

2. Characterization

3. Prescription

4. Evaluation

5. Relation

Visualization Techniques

Visualization techniques

can guide you in selecting the appropriate elements for inclusion in your edcom media and materials.

Identification

Visualizing the nature of an object/idea; can be done by showing an object as it is, by showing the familiar setting/context

Characterization

Visualizing the features of an object; dramatizing the details such as its close-up, cross-section diagram; showing two or more objects with their contrasting qualities

Prescription

Showing steps or practice; showing recommended action in a compelling manner

Evaluation

Showing situation before and after adoption

Relation

Showing the relative frame of reference or comparison of an idea through graphical or tabular presentations

1. Text

2. Color

3. Illustration

4. Layout

Elements of Design

Text

The text or lettering in visual and audiovisual materials play important roles in getting a message or concept across a group of learners. In particular, the words or textual content in edcom media could:

(1) explain a concept;

(2) give more information;

(3) call attention to some parts of the visual; and

(4) contribute to a mood (Zimmer & Zimmer, 1978 in Habito-Cadiz, 2007).

As such, you need to be selective in the words that you will use as well as how to present these in creating edcom media.

Illustrations/Drawings

are creative visual forms using graphic arrangements of lines and colors to represent ideas, concepts, persons, places, things, and situations. These are important in edcom media, particularly in visual/audiovisual media, because these complement and further clarify the text/words that go with them.

Color

is the “property possessed by an object of producing different sensations on the eye as a result of the way the object reflects or emits light” (Lexico, n.d.). It has various functions: (1) directs attention; (2) heightens realism; (3) emphasizes focal point in a message; (4) aids in recognition or identity; (5) adds aesthetic appeal; and (6) adds meaning to a message.

Layout

is the arrangement or placement of visual elements in a given visual field or space. It may be symmetrical (distribution of design elements evenly along a central axis) or asymmetrical (uneven distribution of design elements along a central axis). The images below show samples of materials using the symmetrical (left) and asymmetrical (right) layouts.