My Blog

If you have already created a blog or e-portfolio that is, to some extent, meaningful or useful to you, please try to stick at building it and treat it carefully as your puppy. You could not estimate the losses if your blog or e-portfolio was lost one day without being informed? Here are my lessons.    

More than three years ago, when I began to work for 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, I created my first blog in order to record my life stories, work experience and everyday feelings, as I assume there must be only this opportunity—the unique one experience in my lifetime to be the paid staff for the World Olympic Games. I regarded as a treasure for myself. When it was over two years ago, I made a decision that somewhat shocked all my friends–stop pursuing my career in China but further my graduate study in Canada. Only my family and I were well-aware how big this decision changes my life. Since then, for some reasons, I seldom build my blog or add any new posts on it during the past two years. Unfortunately, there is a technological issue that if the blog owner did not access to it for a consecutive two years, the blog would be lost and disappear automatically. I did not know it at all! No matter how I was annoyed, I was not able to change the reality--- lost it forever!

Another similar lesson happened to me this June. All of the three courses materials suddenly missed in my Blackboard one day. I even had not have enough time to forward them into my other folders, as I have no idea that there is only one-year validity for the course shown in Blackboard until then I asked the IT support for a help. Once again, I lost my recorded learning history.  I took it for granted that I could keep it until the last day when I finish the graduate program.

Now, it’s time for me to take actions to do the makeup. Thanks to Michele’s assignment of blog construction in this course. Thanks to this blog, as it helps me improve my learning outcome, giving me more spaces for meditation and spurring me on to greater effort. There are few things in the world that I was forced to do but I am really willing to do. This is one of them.

Here is my specific portfolio for EDER679.27. I welcome all the audiences who are also interested in the field of Educational Technology to the blog, commenting on it, giving suggestions and conducting more exploration on it together. Especially for myself, I am hoping the blog can record my learning process of the understanding of the approach and practice of user-centered design. Also, I am trying to package all the scattered websites and links that I have created for the courses I’ve taken into this blog, which allows me to have chances to review them, find the correlation among them and furthermore to develop my understanding on educational field. Hopefully, in 20 or 30 years, when I recalled my days of MEd, I could still get back the fresh memories from the blog.     

Reading Response 1--If too many people like something, there must be something wrong with it

Recently, my dad visited to the World Expo 2010, which is now being held in Shanghai, China. He was proud to show me the photographs he has taken through internet although he complained a lot about the crowdedness and the bad weather in Shanghai. Interestingly, almost all my friends who visited to the World Expo2010 said they would never go there anymore as it was so crowded there and they lost many chances to visit those popular theme pavilions. “Nobody goes there anymore, it’s too crowded,” That’s funny, as Norman (2005) reminds us that if too many people like something, there must be something wrong with it. Back to my friends’ cases, if too many people are interested in the world expo, there must be something “wrong” with it!

The world expo exhibits the latest achievements of human civilization, and promotes the modernization of human civilization. It is also regarded as the science and technology Olympics. Back to the world expo history, the great inventions which already exist and are currently widely used in our daily lives but not “new” for us, such as steam, telegraph, telephone, the phonograph, film, automobiles, planes, TV, computer, typewriter, robot, had been shown in the world Expos during the past 150 years. This Olympic is like a showcase that informs us “what’s new” and allows us to dream “big” what will happen to our lives. It is a pity that I haven’t any chances to go to the World Expo2010, as I probably miss some new items that will change our life styles in the near future, and I could not say any more wonderful things about how well the “low carbon” concept advocated by Expo2010 will make a “better city, better life”.

“Product designers and marketing executives know that wants can often be more powerful than needs in determining the success of a product.” (Vicente, 2006) If the expos in the era of industrialization (1851-1938) were especially focused on those technological inventions based on human’s needs, then I would say today’s expos in the 21^st century are more focused on human’s wants. In other words, user-centered invention or design plays the most important role in the world of design. I also believe that if we concentrate on the human factor and make it central to the technological world in which we now live, that the world would be safer, healthier, more productive and sustainable, and more humane (Vicente, 2006).

References,

Vicente, K. (2006). The Human Factor: Revolutionizing the Way People Live with Technology. Taylor and Francis.

Norman, D. (2005). Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things. Perseus Books Group.

http://www.worldexpo2010.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=72%3Ahistory-of-world-expo&catid=36%3Aabout-world-expo&Itemid=37&lang=en

Don Norman - Emotional Design

This is Don Norman and his book............................

Excerpts from EMOTIONAL DESIGN: WHY WE LOVE(OR HATE)EVERYDAY THINGS by Donald A. Norman

These contents I really want to share with all of you without any special excuses, just personal interests and strong agreement in the author's ideas.

...We take pride in them, not necessarily because we are showing off our wealth or status, but because of the meanings they bring to your lives (P 6).

...A favorite object is a symbol, setting up a positive frame of mind, a reminder of pleasant memories, or sometimes an expression of one’s self (P 6).

....My studies of emotion,....... suggest that these human attributes result from three different levels of the brain: the automatic, prewired layer, called the visceral level; the part that contains the brain processes that control everyday behavior, known as the behavioral level; and the contemplative part of the brain, or the reflective level (P21).


With positive affect, you are more likely to see the forest than the trees, to prefer the big picture and not to concentrate upon details. On the other hand, when you are sad or anxious, feeling negative affect, you are more likely to see the trees before the forest, the details before the big picture (P26).

Product designers and marketing executives know that wants can often be more powerful than needs in determining the success of a product (P 43).

In many domains, the emphasis should be on content, not on the skill of using the device, so ease of use should be stressed. Where content matters, the user should not have to spend time mastering the device, but rather should be able to devote time and effort toward mastering the content, enjoying the presentations, and exploring the domain (P 43).

                                                                                                               

Life is Beautiful with Design---Getting Started with User-Centered Design

Let's start with EDER 679.27- User-Centered Design in Fall 2010!!!!