Navigating Your Digital World - Poster Project Vocabulary

Project Overview & Instruction Team

  • Course Title & Focus: Navigating Your Digital World: Poster Project.

  • Media & Digital Learning Department Personnel:

    • Librarian: Library & Research Orientation Leader.

    • Library Assistant: Library & Research Support.

    • Tech Integration Specialist: Ms. Siegert.

    • Tech Integration Specialist: Ms. Rochefort.

    • Additional Technology Instructors: Ms. Bookston, Dr. Yankell.

  • Sequential Project Workflow Checklist:

    • Phase 1: Topic & Resource Selection: Utilize NoodleTools and academic databases.

    • Phase 2: Research & Call to Action: Complete planning document on Google Classroom and initiate Canva design.

    • Phase 3: Complete Poster & Vote: Finalize Canva poster design and upload to class Google Doc for peer voting.

  • Grading & Assessment Framework:

    • Completion of all digital citizenship modules and the final poster project is verified later in the fall semester by Assistant Principals (APs) for all 9th-grade students.

    • No traditional letter grades are posted in PowerSchool.

3-Class Instructional Progression & Core Skills

  • Prerequisite Module: Complete self-paced Digital Citizenship Modules accessible via Google Classroom.

  • Class 1: Library Orientation & Research Focus:

    • Location: School Library with Librarian.

    • Core Skills Taught & Reinforced:

    • Database navigation.

    • Online research and lateral reading techniques.

    • Citation building using NoodleTools.

    • Analytical note-taking.

  • Class 2: Technology Integration & Design Principles:

    • Location: Technology Lab with Ms. Bookston or Dr. Yankell.

    • Core Skills Taught & Reinforced:

    • Authentication and navigation within Canva.

    • Application of core graphic design principles.

  • Class 3: Final Poster Execution, Peer Review & Voting:

    • Core Skills Taught & Reinforced:

    • Peer feedback protocol (giving, receiving, and selectively implementing critique).

    • File export procedures from Canva.

    • File uploading to Google Docs and Google Classroom.

    • Formal classroom voting procedures.

Research & Database Access Criteria

  • Pre-Creation Requirement: Complete the first 33 columns of the Poster Notes Worksheet on Google Classroom prior to beginning poster layout design.

  • Library Database Login Credentials:

    • Username (UN): nhslibrary

    • Password (PW): nhsresearch

  • Essential Call-to-Action Poster Criteria:

    • Clarity: Topic presentation must be clear, concise, and specific.

    • Urgency: Must articulate why the issue matters now to peers.

    • Call to Action: Must feature a concrete, actionable step that feels both relevant and urgent.

  • Turn and Talk Peer Discussion Prompts:

    1. What is the topic (clarity)?

    2. Why is the issue urgent?

    3. What specific action should the reader take?

Poster Notes Worksheet Structure & Sample Data

Poster Notes Worksheet Sample

  • Worksheet Purpose: Acts as a mandatory planning graphic organizer and inspiration source for poster design.

  • Header Information Requirements:

    • Topic: Selected digital habit area (e.g., "Anxiety and Social Media").

    • References: Citations exported directly from NoodleTools and pasted into the document (e.g., Social Media Anxiety. (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2025, from https://teenhealthandwellness.com/article/600/social-media-anxiety).

    • Title of Poster: Proposed headline (e.g., "Choose balance. Connect with purpose.").

  • Four Required Worksheet Content Columns:

    • Striking Statistics: Percentages or compelling quantitative data.

    • Sample Entry 1: 19.1%19.1\% of adults experience an anxiety disorder in a given year (NIMH).

    • Sample Entry 2: Teens spent an average of 8 hours8\,\text{hours} and 39 minutes39\,\text{minutes} per day on screens during the study period.

    • Powerful Quotes: Directly attributed or impactful quotations.

    • Sample Entry 1: "Social media can make you feel like you're missing out—even when you're already online."

    • Sample Entry 2: "Most people compare their real life to someone else's highlight reel."

    • Imagery Ideas: Specific visual concepts representing the topic.

    • Sample Entry 1: A teen scrolling on a smartphone while shadows of "likes," "follows," and "notifications" swirl around like chains.

    • Sample Entry 2: A draining phone battery icon where the power bar represents emotional energy.

    • So What? / Action Item: Advice, assurances, or explicit steps directed at peers.

    • Sample Entry 1: "Log off to tune in—your mental health matters more than likes."

    • Sample Entry 2: "Don't let social media control your self-worth. Choose balance."

  • Google Doc Specific Requirement: Under the "So What?" section, explicitly list the final action item and all web links intended to direct viewers to resources.

Core Design Principles for Call-to-Action Posters

  • Contrast:

Contrast Design Principle

  • Definition: Unique elements in a design must stand apart from one another. Good contrast directs the viewer's eye naturally across the page.

  • Four Primary Methods to Establish Contrast:

    • Color: Contrasting hues (e.g., orange paired with green).

    • Tone / Value: Lightness vs. darkness (e.g., dark text on light backgrounds).

    • Size / Shape: Dimensional variation (e.g., large title text vs. small body text; rectangles vs. circles).

    • Direction: Structural alignment cues (e.g., horizontal vs. vertical pointing arrows).

    • Repetition:

  • Definition: Establishes visual consistency and cohesiveness. Once a pattern is set (such as a dotted border or typographic hierarchy), repeating it creates unity.

  • Core Rule: Define a specific style for each functional element and apply it consistently to all matching elements.

    • Alignment:

Alignment Design Principle

  • Definition: Ensures every visual element connects intentionally to another element on the page, eliminating disjointed placement.

  • Standard Alignment Orientations: Left-aligned, Center-aligned, Right-aligned, Top-aligned, Middle-aligned, Bottom-aligned.

    • Proximity:

Proximity Design Principle

  • Definition: Placing related elements close to each other minimizes visual clutter, emphasizes organizational structure, and enhances comprehension.

Canva Setup & Formatting Requirements

Canva Interface and Custom Dimensions Setup

  • Account Configuration: Verify login under the NHS school group/team (located at the bottom-left corner of the Canva homepage dashboard).

  • Custom Design Canvas Dimensions:

    • Width: 11

    • Height: 8.5

    • Units: Inches (in)

  • Allowed Orientation Options:

    • Landscape: 11×8.5 inches11 \times 8.5\,\text{inches}

    • Portrait: 8.5×11 inches8.5 \times 11\,\text{inches}

Poster Technical Elements Checklist

Sample Analyzed Poster

  • Self-Audit Checklist for Final Poster:

    • NoodleTools Citation: Complete citation positioned legibly at the bottom of the poster.

    • Imagery: Visual elements actively support and enhance the core call to action.

    • Call to Action: Message is clear, prominent, and unambiguous.

    • Organization: Layout features a single defined focal/emphasis point.

    • Contrast: High visual contrast applied (e.g., dark lettering over light background).

    • Repetition: Color choices repeated across design elements (e.g., repeating graphic accent colors in text headers).

    • Alignment: Text blocks and graphics align systematically.

    • Proximity: White space and gaps used deliberately to group related information.

Exporting, Submitting, and Class Voting Procedure

  • Canva File Export Procedure:

    1. Click the Share button in the top right menu bar of Canva.

    2. Select Download from the drop-down menu.

    3. Set File type to PNG (Suggested option).

    4. Click Download to save the file to local storage.

  • Inserting Poster into Shared Class Google Doc:

    1. Open the designated class Google Doc.

    2. Select a blank table row/slot.

    3. Navigate to Insert -> Image -> Upload from computer (or select from downloads).

    4. Scale and align the image to fit the table cell.

  • Google Classroom Voting Navigation:

Voting Spreadsheet and Instructions

  1. Open the assignment titled (in Class) Final Poster Project on Google Classroom.

  2. Click the *Find Your Class link opening a Google Sheets directory.

  3. Locate your specific last class date, teacher, and period (e.g., Ms. Bookston or Dr. Yankell) and click the corresponding voting document link.

  4. Access the shared Voting Google Doc (configured with open edit permissions).

  5. Review submitted peer posters.

  6. Cast votes in two distinct categories:

    • Best Design

    • Most Informative

  7. Outcome: Winning poster designs are printed and displayed around the school.

  • Final Google Classroom Assignment Turn-In Steps:

    1. Navigate to the (in Class) Final Poster Project assignment.

    2. In the Your work side panel, click + Add or create -> File.

    3. Select the exported PNG file from device storage.

    4. Click Turn In to complete submission.

Critical Evaluation Criteria & Peer Feedback

  • Self and Peer Review Questions:

    • Clarity: Can the core message or topic visual be made simpler and more direct?

    • Urgency: How effectively does the poster convey immediate necessity (e.g., contrasting single-use plastic pollution against sustainable alternatives)?

    • Benefits: Are the direct benefits of adopting the recommended behavior clearly explained?

  • Quantitative Case Study (Environmental Campaign Poster Example):

    • Recycling Efficiency Statistic: On average, only 10%10\% of water bottles are recycled; the remaining 90%90\% enter landfills or pollute ecosystems.

    • Ocean Pollution Ingestion Statistic: Recent studies estimate fish off the West Coast ingest over 12,000 tons12,000\,\text{tons} of plastic annually.