LCL eEducation

Secondly, I examine one of the more innovative uses of slides as visual communication - the Lessig Method. Pioneered by Harvard law professor Lawrence Lessig, this method emphasises simplicity and visual contrast. The Lessig Method includes, among other things, the use of rapid slide changes, fewer words per slide, visual pun and repetition. I review students' reactions to the use of the Lessig Method in my own lecures.

Thirdly and lastly, I demonstrate how the Lessig Method lends itself well to the creation of short audio/visual presentations which enhance the experience of online students. I do so by reviewing online presentations used in my own units and students' responses to these presentations.

In sum, this seminar does not propose radical changes to current lecturing styles but rather a rethink of the design of presentation slides, with a focus on their use as visual communication.

The first part of the seminar will build on last month's presentation by Howard Manns, by introducing Creative Commons, the Monash Image Library, and other sites as sources of free images to contribute to "visual communication" in lecture slides, tutorial/seminar materials, and so on. Attendees will have the opportunity to search for images and materials for use in their own classes, and guidelines for their effective, easy, and legal use will be provided.

Secondly, the notion of "free resources" will be extended to cover "free software". What "free" (as in freedom, and as in no cost) actually means, in both an ethical and a practical sense (Stallman, 2010), and how you can find simple to use tools that are appropriate for your needs will be explored.

Finally, some real-life examples of how we can draw on these free applications to edit, remix, and reappropriate the free resources that we find or create in order to make engaging presentations, an appealing online presence, or custom listening tests will be shared.

The presentation will firstly address key design principles and how Moodle can easily be used to achieve these. The structure of content will be examined at the unit, topic and activity levels with demonstrations of features and functions that can be used to benefit building conceptual links with demonstrations of features and functions that can be used to benefit building conceptual links and assessing online navigation. In addition, this section will also address the appropriate use of visual and textual features.

Secondly, the presentation will demonstrate the simple but powerful features included in Moodle that can make units accessible for students with disabilities. The appropriate use of colour contrast combinations will be demonstrated, along with how to easily prepare your unit for students who use a screen reader.

The presentation will end by demonstrating some ways that lecturers can move away from the default structure of Moodle and be even more flexible with the structure of their online content. The possibilities and implications of these more flexible choices will also be discussed.