Episode 2 - Bulletin Board Displays

EPISODE 2
BULLETIN BOARD DISPLAYS

TARGET
At the end of this activity, you will be competent in appraising the effectiveness of display boards as learning resources.

MAP

Display board, or what we more commonly refer to as bulletin board, is one of the most readily available and versatile learning resources.

To reach the target, I need to:

1. Look around a school for bulletin board displays.
2. Pick one and evaluate the display.
3. Propose enhancements to make the display more effective.

TOOLS
As you look around and examine board displays, use the activity forms provided for you to document your observations.

       

OBSERVATION REPORT Name of The School: Xavier University - Center for Integrated Technologies Observed: Bulletin boards Location of the School: Masterson Avenue near Pueblo de Oro, Cagayan de Oro City                                          Date of Visit: December 16, 2013 Last December, I observed the bulletin boards of Center of Integrated Technologies, a unit of Xavier University for three year technology courses at Mastersons Avenue near Pueblo de Oro. I roamed around the campus and I found out that there are more or less three to five bulletin boards. There were two big bulletin boards near the entrance hall which everyone can see. There was another bulletin board near the registrar and director’s office and two inside the offices, one in the registrar’s office and the other in the faculty room. The displays were about news and information for the students and the entire campus community and memos from the director and school president. There are pictures and letters posted in the bulletin board. The main bulletin board is well arranged and were labeled and categorized. The main bulletin board is from a recycled blackboard and others were cork type bulletin boards. There were no borders in all bulletin boards. I did not find any errors on the boards that I observed.

From among the board displays that you saw, pick the one that you got more interested in. Evaluate it using the evaluation form below.

BOARD DISPLAYS EVALUATION FORM

Topic of the Board Display: News and Information

Location of the Board Display in School: Near the entrance hall 

 Check the column that indicates your rating. Write comments to back up your ratings. 
4-Outstanding            3-Very Satisfactory                  2-Satisfactory             1-Needs Improvement

Criteria	NI  1	S    2	VS  3	O    4	Comments
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION Conveys the message quickly and clearly			ü		the board was located in place  where everyone can see
ATTRACTIVENESS Colors and arrangement catch and hold interest.		ü			there were less decorations and eye catching effects
BALANCE Objects are arranged so stability is perceived.			ü		the posts on the board were categorized
UNITY Repeated shapes or colors or use of borders  holds display together.		ü			less shapes and colors used
INTERACTIVITY The style and approach entice learners to be  involved.			ü		the board was informative especially  on what's going with the school
LEGIBILITY Letters and illustrations can be seen from a  good distance.			ü		the headings were very visible from a distance
CORRECTNESS Free from grammar errors, misspelled words,  and ambiguity.				ü	no errors at all
DURABILITY Well-constructed, items are securely attached.			ü		probably it will be detach if intended

AN EVALUATION REPORT OF A BULLETIN BOARD

Bulletin Board Evaluated by: Michael Lester Catacutan
Location: XU-CIT
Brief Description of the Bulletin Board: The bulletin board is made of a recycled blackboard and news and information of the school are posted on it. It is located near the entrance hall, a border-less  bulletin board and categorized according to purpose.
EVALUATION
	Strengths	Weaknesses
Observations	Very spacious - you can put lots of postings Very visible to everyone Very informative	Less attractive, not so compelling Can be detach easily
Judgments / Evaluation of educational content and other aspects	It is more on the news and activities of the campus which are important on the school life of the students.	Probably some of the students will  not get the information if the board is not attractive to them.
Recommendations or suggestions for improvement: Add more eye catching effects or decorations, add a border and probably put a cover so that the postings will not be detach easily. I also suggest to have a different type of bulletin display to be used.

Analysis:

Did the board display design reflect the likes/interests of its target audiences? Why? Why not?

Yes. I believe that the display design reflects the interests of the audiences because the students get lots of information and updates which can be useful for them. For example, announcement of schedule of exams and activities and other information that are beneficial on their school life.

Was the language used clear and simple for the target audience to understand? Why? Why not?

Yes. It was very clear for the audience to understand because it was using English language and it was not using symbols or jargon which would be unfamiliar to the audience

What do you think was the purpose of the board display? Was it effective? Why? Why not?

The purpose of the display was simply disseminating of information, updates and news to the students as well as to the teacher and other members of the campus community. I think it was effective because students take time to read the news and updates on the display board thus giving them information of what is going around the school.

What suggestions can you make?

Add more eye catching effects or decorations, add a border and probably put a cover so that the postings will not be detach easily. I also suggest to have a different type of bulletin display to be used.

Based on your suggestions, propose an enhanced version of the display board. Use the form below.

MY PROPOSED BOARD DISPLAY

Theme: Technology Based Look

Board Title: Xavier University - Center for Integrated Technologies Bulletin Board

Rationale: (Purpose) To inform the students about what's new in the school community. News and updates about the latest policies and rules of the school made by the administrators. Guide the students on their school life and update them on the latest activities and exam schedules. Give  information that are  beneficial to the students and the campus community.

Objectives: To be able to create and design an enhance version of the board display which is more attractive, clear and well arranged and secured.

Best features of my proposed bulletin enhancement: The best feature of my proposed bulletin enhancement is the use of glass as its cover. In this way, the postings on the bulletin board are protected from any form of damage and vandalism.

Content Resources (Name each needed resource and give each a brief discussion): Letters and memos from the administrators: These could contain new policies of the school and other agenda that the school wants to tell to the students as well as the teachers. Pictures, Clippings, Announcements and Flyers These could contain a lot of information for the students like schedules of exam, activities of the school (Intramurals, Foundation Days), health tips and other things.

Materials for aesthetic enhancement: New bulletin board with glass cover Printed Text and Photos Adhesives Cutting Materials

Based on your suggestions, make your own board display lay-out. You may present your output through any of these:

• A hand-made drawing or layout
• An electronic (computer) drawing/illustration or layout
• A collage

My Board Display Lay-out

Reflections: 

Name at least five skills that a teacher should have to be able to come up with effective board displays. Elaborate on why each skill is needed.    

• Creativity  - A teacher should be creative so that the display will be attractive and interesting to the audience.
• Organization - A teacher should be organized so that display will be arranged properly thus making the information clear to the students.
• Communication - A teacher should be well versed on what words to use for the display so that it will be understood by the audience.
• Resourcefulness - A teacher should be resourceful so that the display will not be costly and he/she can use indigenous or recycled materials for the display.
• Knowledgeable- A teacher should know the information or data that should be posted on the display. 

Which of the following skills you named in # 1 do you already have? Recall your past experiences in making board displays. How do you practice these skills?

For me, I think I have all the skills but not on the excellent level probably just average. I really don't had much experience in making board displays though I have art lessons during elementary and secondary years. I sometimes do photo editing on computers and making tarpaulin layouts which could be a good practice for creativity and organization skills.

Which skills do you still need to develop/ what concrete steps will you take on how you can improve on or acquire these skills.

I will develop more on the knowledge aspect and resourcefulness on making board display. Since I am not used to in making board display, I will do some researches about the design and type of board display to use and what are the important information needed to be posted on the display. I also need to enhance my resourcefulness to maximize the materials around me and can save little amounts for other projects.