What can graphic design of static teaching resources learn from commercial film and media in order to be more relevant for today’s children?

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Copyright: Koldunenko, Tetiana
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Abstract
This thesis initially describes a new ‘digital age’ for children; an age specifically identified as one where children consume and interact with digital media on a daily basis. It describes a ‘gap’ that continues to widen between what is defined as ‘static’ and ‘dynamic’ media – as the latter continues to develop at an accelerating rate. Research within this thesis supports the view that traditionally static visuals, still used in today’s teaching resources, do not engage or provide information to children in a way that aligns with more contemporary modes of communication with which they are now more familiar. The thesis presents a body of research to explore ways in which graphic designers could improve existing teaching resources to increase children’s motivation to learn. Chapter 2 presents a short history of dynamic media in order to explain the technical and commercial forces that exist which continue to drive its proliferation and uptake, especially amongst young children. It argues that children are attracted to a mix of both visual and non-visual characteristics of dynamic media: realism, colour, movement, appealing characters, exaggerated emotions, etc. In contrast, the history of static media is characterised by limited development and progression. The two main goals of this research are to: (i) make suggestions of how graphic designers can adopt the design elements of commercial film and media and apply them to teaching resources in order to make them more relevant to today’s children; (ii) demonstrate how a newly designed practical outcome could be used by teachers/educators to support contemporary teaching methods for the foundation year Mathematics curriculum (kindergarten). Chapter 3 gives justification for a particular graphic design approach to produce revised practical outcomes, as well as the analysis and explanation of a number of visual and non-visual design elements. Chapter 4 concludes that: a new design strategy is needed to improve existing ‘static’ teaching resources; that new graphic design techniques, offer the means to make visual learning materials more relevant to today’s children; and, finally, that the resulting and improved teaching resources and suggestions could now be even further developed.
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Author(s)
Koldunenko, Tetiana
Supervisor(s)
Bennett, Rick
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Publication Year
2014
Resource Type
Thesis
Degree Type
Masters Thesis
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download public version.pdf 11.13 MB Adobe Portable Document Format
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