From the Planetarium

After twenty plus years in the classroom, I started an inventory of skills and tasks that I have completed. Team Leader of Academic team and Elective team, Department head, Program chair, Teacher mentor, Cisco Academy instructor and then site administrator, Field trip coordinator, Student recruitment captain, Grant writer, Copy editor, Education committee chair, Union captain, Professional development instructor in literacy and numeracy, Public outreach coordinator, Multi-tiered support strategies captain, Coach, and Teacher. Seeing this gives me the confidence to tackle this new skill area with gusto.

Interactive Instruction in the Wild

March 29th, 2025
ISASP test prep site
https://srt.testnav.com/ia/ia-srt.html following the 8th grade button.
- Relevance
  - The site is designed to emulate the ISASP testing environment for the different tested grades and give students an opportunity to try out different testing tools that are embedded in the website.
- Engagement
  - The engagement is on the lower side because it is designed to emulate a high stakes test. It is also very linear with the tutorial guiding you through the states after you have selected your grade level on the first page.
- Accessibility
  - The site has minimal clutter and all buttons have alt text that appears on hover. It also demonstrates the accessibility tools available to all the students.
- Feedback
  - Feedback based on your answers either moves you forward down the path or the tutorial interface will give you the correct answer. Based on the test it is emulating you may get a link to a video demonstrating the action.
- Technical quality
  - The site was definitely designed for stability over flash and views. It is identical on laptop, Chromebook, and tablet. The pages load quickly and videos will preload to minimize lag time.
Using the Libby App with your library card
https://www.councilbluffslibrary.org/videos/brief-introduction-libby-mobile-0 click the play button to start.
- Relevance
  - This page is designed to host a playlist that guides the user through the basics of using the Libby App for checking out magazines, e-books, and audiobooks.
- Engagement
  - It is definitely a sit and get lesson series that makes me this was set up initially as a group instruction opportunity because of some of the pauses and arrows showing where to click. Its has the vibe of something that was intended to be an interactive website but something happened and the project was shortened to a video series.
- Accessibility
  - The videos have captions and and the arrows used to show the what to do are strongly contrasting colors to make them show up against the background. It is very evident that the creator wanted to have the video showing on a different device as a user is going through the steps of the tutorial on their personal device.
- Feedback
  - No feedback, if something goes wrong the user has to back track through the videos to try again. If the user is knowledgable of what went wrong they can use the playlist to jump to a specific video.
- Technical quality
  - The videos are miles ahead of the tutorial materials available on the app’s actual website. On the actual site it is 100% text based and the screen captures and arrows improve usability. The videos are also broken into topically specific clips so users don’t have to watch all the videos to get the information they need.
Helios Game, how fusion happens in the sun
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/helios-game/en/ click the tutorial button
- Relevance
  - The simulator gives the users (mostly students) a simplified version of the fusion process that ties into the Next Generation Science Standards.
- Engagement
  - The engagement is pretty high with the game being made with unity so it looks the same in the tutorial as it does in the game and during the tutorial the sprites don’t react if you are doing a step wrong and will highlight successful options for the user to see.
- Accessibility
  - The center of the playing field is used to present the tutorials steps so the learners aren’t having to search the user interface to see the next set of instructions.
- Feedback
  - If a step is not possible the simulator will not let the user complete the task and will highlight successful options. Once the successful option is completed the text uses positive reinforcement with the user before moving on to the next step.
- Technical quality
  - The simulator is very simplified so it is fast loading and flexible to the device the user is using. It has the vibe of the classic Java simulators that have been ported over to Unity.
Text in the Wild

November 23rd, 2024
For my three bodies of text in the wild, I am starting with my dishwasher manual. I was on the hunt for instructions to fix a faulty door switch.
https://products-salsify.geappliances.com/image/upload/s–69jpGq6s–/d17cda24915df2db44076ef0f0746560e8ec64f1.pdf?_ga=2.77229532.814551085.1732403306-642144137.1732403306
- Are the learning objectives cognitive in nature?
  - The objectives for the manual were very clear on the installation steps but the troubleshooting sections was very light.
- Are motion and audio not needed?
  - Motion and audio were not needed because the instructions had a high enough amount of detail to show the different steps.
- Is the page layout simple and uncluttered?
  - The layout of the page was nice and wide margins on the printed version allow for owner notes to be made.
- Is a consistent format used, such as all vertical or all horizontal?
  - All pages were consistently formatted to have tall page with two columns of information.
- When using illustrations or photographs is there consistent formatting and does it support verbal content?
  - Some of the drawings had some forced perspective in use that made it need additional notes explaining what is happening.
- Has color use been limited and readability emphasized?
  - Readability was focused because of larger font size, use of checklists, and black line drawings.
The second text in the wild was a manual to repair a baler from the late 70s I was helping a coworker get working this fall after buying it at an auction.
https://www.dutchbalerparts.nl/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/IA_IHC_Models_430_440-Baler_1084955_R1_.compressed.pdf
- Are the learning objectives cognitive in nature?
  - Yes on the opening page it give the scope and range of the document that it is for general maintenance, calibrating, and troubleshooting.
- Are motion and audio not needed?
  - No, the text is descriptive and references the pictures.
- Is the page layout simple and uncluttered?
  - No, at first I thought it was using a variation of Cornell notes format with the bulk of the text on the left column with the right column reserved for pictures, diagrams, and supplemental notes. However after a few pages it started to treat it like a two column document and then later the bulk of the information was in the right column with notes in the left.
- Is a consistent format used, such as all vertical or all horizontal?
  - Everything is vertical and it is evident that it was designed to be printed and not used on screen.
- When using illustrations or photographs is there consistent formatting and does it support verbal content?
  - Yes, the diagrams and pictures were very good for explaining the steps of the setup and what to look for if making a repair.
- Has color use been limited and readability emphasized?
  - The cover had color but the rest was black and white. The typeface is easy to read and well spaced.
My third piece of text is on tablet weaving instructions. I took a class on it back during lockdown and now have a student who wants to try it.
https://www.shelaghlewins.com/tablet_weaving/TW01/TW01.htm
- Are the learning objectives cognitive in nature?
  - Yes, the objectives are studentcentric and have success criteria.
- Are motion and audio not needed?
  - No but I can see this document being used as the basis of a script to make a video.
- Is the page layout simple and uncluttered?
  - It is almost sparse in its layout. Headings are used to break up information but because of the design the few pictures that are used cause big breaks in the text.
- Is a consistent format used, such as all vertical or all horizontal?
  - It is vertical and based on the formatting it is designed to be printed as an offline resource for the learner.
- When using illustrations or photographs is there consistent formatting and does it support verbal content?
  - Pictures and drawings are a mix they are useable in size and don’t overwhelm the reader with details.
- Has color use been limited and readability emphasized?
  - Color is limited to a few pictures and the rest is black line drawings. The readability is good but could be improved with some grouping of the text.
A bit of experimentation

November 23rd, 2024

I am part of the population that can’t easily use VR equipment. My eyes are drastically different in their prescriptions (one near sighted and the other far sighted). Some goggles do let me adjust to fit my glasses inside but this makes it so the images are slightly different scales so my brain processes it as a double image. I have about 3 minutes before motion sickness kicks in.

A friend of mine suggested that I talk to my eye doctor about getting a few of the eye patches used to treat lazy eye so I could “ignore” the information from my near sighted eye. It worked I only see the mono view but no motion sickness. Now I am trying some VR astronomy interactives that people have recommended in the past. The patches have been easy to work with after the first couple tries, I lost a few eye brow hairs before I got the hang of it.
Learning the basics of Hoop Knitting

October 25th, 2024

Title: Introduction to Hoop Knitting
Client: Personal Project
Made with: GoPro, Apple Pages, iMovie, YouTube
Time in Development: 14 hours
Collaborators: Solo-Project
Background
Hoop knitting is one of the crafting tools that is found in stores, garage sales, and consignment shops. A person wanting to explore this crafting type have a strong chance that the instructions have been lost or misplaced.

Solution Developed
The solution is to record and edit down the basic process of using a hoop for knitting. Instead of spending time on advanced skills like rib stitches and increasing/decreasing the number of stitches in the loop.
For organization and ease of learner use the video is organized into chapters. Using chapters the learners are able to replay and revisit specific steps as they are learning to knit. Knitting is very repetitive on the individual steps but because of the practicing of that single step it can be difficult for the learner to move to the next step and they can go into the next chapter of the video.
The chapters of the video would be; basic tools, casting on, first round stitches, preparing for next round, repeating rounds to finish pattern, casting off and shaping project. These are the basic skills that work together to create and finish a project.
During the production phase of this project, the sample hat was made three times because of discoveries with the camera usage. The first take was done with a GoPro 5 on a tripod, it was deemed unsuccessful because of camera angle issues. Many of the scenes and footage were more of the back of my hand than of the hoop being filmed. Also because of a narrow focus many times I was observing my hand motions taking the focus activity out of frame. The second take was with a chest mount for the GoPro. This was great for keeping the focus in frame but I discovered watching the footage back that the camera would sway slightly as I was breathing. I didn’t want to have my audience get motion sickness part way through the video. The third take of filming used a GoPro mount for my bicycle helmet. It may have looked insane to anyone watching the filming process but it gave me the best of the my desired views in that it showed the work in frame and did not have a lot of body based movement.

Results
I was pleased with the final product. It did a good job of meeting the goals of providing a novice crafter with the basic skills of using a knitting hoop and having the chapter layout. I found that a four second title card for each chapter was long enough that if the chapter markers were not opening, it was still visible during scrubbing of the video.
During this production I discovered that I need a lot more practice with the camera, I feel that for future projects I would explore hiring a professional videographer.
Adding the SAMR Page

October 12th, 2024

The SAMR steps are now being represented by a series of lessons and activities.

For Substitution click here

Synthetic material lab

For Adaptation click here

Spectrum Fingerprint lab

For Modification click here

Interactive World Ocean lab
The building of my Teaching Philosophy

March 31st, 2024

It was very interesting to go back and look at my original Teaching Philosophy from my undergraduate years and my second one from when I was going to grad school for recertification hours. I can see a lot of growth across them and I find it interesting to see that I am still holding on to constructivism and Socratic method so many years later.
Identifying a Moon Phase

March 1st, 2024

For my Instructional Audio E-Portfolio course we were tasked with creating a short 2-5 minute, audio only instructional activity. I selected identifying the current Moon phase.

Title: Identifying the Moon Phase
Client: Personal Project
Made with: Pages, GarageBand, Audacity
Time in Development: 6 hours and an additional 2 hours for recording and post production.
Collaborators: Solo-Project
Background
Many people in the general public are only aware of the Full Moon phase because of its notoriety in television and movies. There are eight major moon phases we can see in the twenty-eight day cycle.
Solution Developed
This audio is a quick and reusable tool for identifying the moon phase. With the moon changing through its cycle during the course of a month it is possible of the learners to make several encounters with the moon’s appearance. It was important to include the proper names as the crescent phase is at times misnamed as the nail clipping or croissant. Many members of the public are taught the full, quarters, and crescent phases but skip over the gibbous moon phases. This instructional audio includes techniques for identifying gibbous phases and waxing or waning subtypes.
This lesson was limited to have no imagery to go with it so descriptive terms were used to help identify the different phases. The opening is also a secondary instruction helping the learner to understand that the moon is the same size if it is high in the sky or close to the horizon.
A challenge that was presented was originally this audio was going to be recorded outside so natural ambient sound could be use. When it was time to record it was later in the evening and there were airplanes flying overhead about once per twenty minutes. I attempted to remove the plane sound using filters and effects in GarageBand and Audacity. It was then decided to record indoors and using timing to minimize the motor sound heard inside the home.
Results
This audio project was useful for me to practice using using Audacity and GarageBand plugins and filters to minimize background noises. A major takeaway for this project was the importance of rehearsal of the script and recording those rehearsals. I was able to hear where I needed to put a little more of a pause in to make it so the learner was going to be able to pause the audio without cutting a word in half while listening.
The waiting game

December 4th, 2023

During the Summer of 2023, I was able to collaborate with some classroom language arts teachers and librarians from my local public library for a “Reading Under the Stars” event series for the summer school and book clubs. It was a great success and I’m starting to book them for next summer. I decided that I would like to present on this topic to the larger planetarium community at the international conference this summer. I spoke with my collaborators and got the okay to represent our project (yay!). I sent in the abstract proposal for review and now I’m getting to play the waiting game to find out if it was accepted. 🤞fingers crossed.
Hunting down some audio clips in the wild

November 14th, 2023
I started wandering the internet one day after school, looking for some audio clips to review. I fortunately found 3.

From the Planetarium

The thoughts of an Astronomy Educator starting an adventure in Instructional Design and Technology.

The blog of my Instructional Design and Technology journey:

Interactive Instruction in the Wild

Text in the Wild

A bit of experimentation

Learning the basics of Hoop Knitting

Adding the SAMR Page

The building of my Teaching Philosophy

Identifying a Moon Phase

The waiting game

Hunting down some audio clips in the wild