PoSteR DeSigNinG - HapPy MeRdeKa MaLaYSia !!

8th August 2007 (5th Class)

As usual, we are all in for a 'Surprise' for today's lesson. But before we were revealed on the activity planned for us, we were brought into the concept of 'Pembestarian Sekolah' which is also known as 'Sekolah Bestari' or 'Smart Schools' by Ms Chin. This concept is one of the ICT initiatives mooted by the government in the education field. Ms Chin also introduced to us another important link in this area for our own reference: http://www.moe.edu.my/tvp.

After the brief introduction to this concept, Prof. further elaborated and clearly explained to us the 5 initiatives which are:

i) Smart Schools (Pembestarian Sekolah)

• currently there are 87 schools
• 5809 computers with 261 servers
• have access to the Internet through the SchoolNet programme

ii) PPSMI/ ETeMS

• teaching-learning materials
• 104 teachers had been trained

iii) SchoolNet

• It is a broadband which allows teachers and students to have access to the Internet through http://myschoolnet.ppk.kpm.my/indexg.htm


• It works with the presence of a satellite disc

iv) Computer laboratory (Makmal komputer)

• The amount of computers provided for each school depends on the size of the school.
• Provides access to all the teachers and students to use technology.

v) TV/Radio Pendidikan

• This is used for the teaching of local dialects or mother tongue to the pupils especially those in Sabah and Sarawak.
• It is currently shown on Channel 9.
• It also has the additional WebTV feature which allows teachers to upload videos or movies to be used in teaching.

Prof. then introduced us to several important acronyms which we might not be aware of but essential to our knowledge as future educators in schools.

PKG- Pusat Kegiatan Guru

BTPN- Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan Negeri

PSPN- Pusat Sumber Pendidkan Negeri

Now comes the time for the 'surprise' which is in stored for us - POSTER DESIGN.

Yea, one of Prof's former student who is currently studying in Multimedia University, Ms Nazirah, is in the midst of conducting a research on the DISC project (Designing for Interaction adn Students' Collaboration). Hence, she has introduced herself and told us that she has chosen us to be the lucky 'subject' for her research which is basically on designing A4 posters in conjuction with our nation's 50th Jubilee Anniversary with the title "Malaysia My Country". This research is meant for Primary Pupils from Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Bintang Utara.

When I first heard that we are supposed to design a poster with the given templates and pictures as well as the must haves to be included in the poster ( Title, picture, caption, name of the designers), I was just wondering, "Hmm... How is it possible for us to come up with a poster using a power point?" Ms Nazirah then showed us some of the samples of good posters which she had selected. Then, after being briefed on the instructions to be followed in our poster designing which is to only use the template and pictures provided for us, we gathered in our groups and worked diligently. We were given 45 minutes to discuss and come up with the most creative and attractive poster design which depicts our country's road to independence. The next one hour is for each group to present their poster designed with explanations on the rationales behind each signigicant design of the poster such as the font size, colour of background and the caption.

My group had divided the job equally among each member as we believe in team spirit in order to produce a good harvest with everyone contributing their piece of idea in the product. As there are 5 of us in a group, two of us (Gladys and I) worked on the 'Title' and 'caption' for our poster while our three friends (Izzah, Zizi, and Mastura) thought of interesting ways to include the image chosen into the poster. Within that half an hour, we put on our thinking caps and dig for ideas. After much contemplating and careful thoughts, we have decided to portray on the theme of 'UNITY' by using a picture of a multi-cultural Malaysian in pieces of puzzle. Our Title reflects our theme which is 'Malaysia, the Unity Puzzle'. Our caption further explained the meaning of our image which is God being the Most High Masterpiece, We, as his pieces of jigsaw puzzle that form a united nation, complete and unique in a multiracial community. Please refer to my 'poster designing' slideshow on my next post to view the picture of our poster.

Then, it's time for presentation. Our group was elected by Ms Nazirah to keep the ball rolling by by being the first group to present. Well, it's a good question and answer session by our facilitators as it kept us thinking. We tried our best to clarify the reasons behind our chosen design and then one question came unexpected by Ms Nazirah.. "Why do you choose the font for the caption to be different from that of the Title?" Well, well, being the first group we have no idea what type of question will be asked. Hence, we had to be quick and thank God an idea struck me and answered that we had chosen a cursive handwriting for the caption to represent the 'joined' hearts of all the multiracial community and the unity we are trying to portray. We are glad that our facilitators are satisfied with our explanations. It was overall a fulfilling and rewarding experience for us as a group as I learnt the possibility of creating a beautiful poster by using the art of Powerpoint. It's just wonderful.

Below are my reflections for this poster designing session:

1. Did you face any problem during the session? Why?

My group and I do not face much problem throughout the session as we had equally and carefully divided the task among ourselves according to our ability our inclination. As I am not as gifted in the area of creative images, my partner and I thought of interesting and catchy slogans as the Title and the Caption. Of course, we had discussed and agreed as a group that we will be doing on the theme of unity. With that, our three other group members thought of ways to produce an image that best reflects 'Unity'. After that, we combined our parts and tried out several background colours that would suit the overall poster the best so that the words printed will be clear and distinct to be read. As a whole, we had a good team work throughout the session as we took into consideration each of our members' opinions.

2. What do you think of the instruction?

I feel that the instruction given to us is clear and easy to follow by. However, by only allowing us to include the pictures provided, it would somehow restrict the creativity and freedom of poster designing. The template given to us which is to have the Title, Image, and Caption was also quite restricting as it confined us to only position our image and catption in a particular area. During the presentation, we could see that some of the groups did not actually abide by this rule or instruction given to us. I wonder why?

3. What improvements can you suggest?

Probably it would be better if freedom of choice is given to the pupils on the images to be included in the poster. By doing so, pupils can express their creativity and ideas by searching for the other appropriate pictures which suit their theme best. Isn't this a good way of cultivating their CCTS (Creative and Critical Thinking Skills) as they are also required to think of rationales behind their choice of pictures and captions. Other than that, I feel that the whole activity is conducted in a good effective way as it managed to engage all of us into participating.

4. How would you carry out this design session with Primary Level students?

For Primary Level students, we should always bear in mind the cognitive stages that they are in which is the 'Concrete-operational Stage' from ages 7-11 according to Piaget's Cognitive Theory. This explains the need of concrete examples and guidance from the teacher in completing a task given to them. Hence, to carry out this design session with the Primary students, we should ensure that the pupils are first equipped with the computer skills of using the Powerpoint. If the pupils do not have the skills, then the teacher would teach the necessary skills or steps for them to manipulate the templates given. Throughout the designing process, teacher need to provide scaffolding for each group to ensure that the pupils are working in the right track. Hence, we need to ensure that they are enough facilitators to monitor the work of each group in their poster designing.

Well, this is just my two cents thought and opinion on this activity carried out. Any comments are most welcomed. :) I believe we all yearn to learn from one another and seek for rooms of improvement.