Becoming Good Tutorial Designers

Author: \ April 23, 2018 \ Design \ 0 Comments

We are intensifying the quest to empower our learners by allowing the students to become contributors to their classroom learning community. Our model is Alan November’s six roles he outlines in The Digital Learning Farm. One of these roles is The Tutorial Designer. Alan asks : “Who do students go to when they are having difficulties completing a homework assignment?” Most of them will call a friend to explain to them what to do.

Teaching is the highest form of Understanding

By taking advantage of how students often understanding something better or are more willing to listen when a peer explains something, the idea of becoming tutorial designers comes in. Not only will the student watching/listening to the tutorial benefit, but also the student creating the tutorial will benefit by breaking their own knowledge into smaller pieces and teaching it to someone else. Students don’t seem to be natural tutorial designers.How were we going to approach teaching good tutorial design to 4th graders? I was in luck! Kim Cofino just happened to blog about a lesson she had done at her school, Students as Teachers- Sixth Grade Tutorial Designers. As always she has produced an incredible outline of her thoughts, implementation and pedagogy behind the lesson. I decided to start out with an empty PowerPoint and ask students how they defined a “Designer”.

After leading them into Kim’s inquiry based activity with three papers, I started taking photos of the students doing the activities and placing them in order into the PowerPoint slides. We also typed observations students came up with after completing the activity. As one class period came to an end and the lesson continued the following week, we used the PowerPoint to review what we already had learned about good tutorial design. Students helped me put images taken onto the correct slide and move them in the correct order in which they happened. It did not occur to us until later, that we were also creating a tutorial- a step by step instruction- on HOW to teach Tutorial Design to elementary school students.

Students identified techniques that they had liked from the video examples that we had watched together, such as details images (are worth a thousand words) color coded words make sure instructions are in order We will meet next week again for students to take the next step, get into groups and start designing a tutorial which will focus on explaining “Multiplication” to someone else.

Comfort Design Press Release Example

Author: \ October 20, 2017 \ Advertising, Business, Design, Industry, Marketing \ 0 Comments

Newsworthy hook & story linked to current events in client’s industry.
Industry: Home Decor

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Shoppers Counteract Faltering Economy With Brighter Colors; Comfort Design Leads The Home Furnishings Trend With Exquisite Choices

High Point, NC — Once again, shoppers’ reaction to the state of the economy is setting the mood in fashion and home furnishings. Browns and earth tones dominated when mortgages were safe and credit intact, but typical of an economic downturn, color trends are now moving towards a more uplifting spectrum.

As a new Booz & Company survey found, shoppers are traveling and eating out less often in an effort to save money. Spending more time at home encourages shoppers to revitalize the space they’re living in with cheery furniture. Women’s fashion seems to be dictating the trend, with shoes and handbags in bold, unusual colors that are moving into the home. Fabrics and textures are also stealing some market-share away from micro fibers. Comfort Design’s stationary and motion upholstery furniture gives shoppers cultivated color and fabric choices to refresh a sitting room.

Though a relatively new company, Comfort Design has already established itself as the up-and-coming leader in motion products with uncompromised framing supported by steel-reinforced wood, steel-tiered arms and steel seat boxing. Impeccable construction is the foundation of motion upholstery that also boasts elegant colors that enliven any space.

“Shoppers are clearly doing what they can to stay positive in this economic environment,” says Executive Director of Comfort Design, Phil Cooper. “We wanted to provide them with home furnishings that can elevate a room and a mood, without compromising sturdy, functional construction. We believe our stationary and motion upholstery does just that.”

With exceptional leather pieces in garnet, eggshell, cobblestone, platinum, copper, spice, granite and metallic, Comfort Design’s unique tones give shoppers with discerning tastes unusual ways to easily update their home. But leather isn’t the only option; Comfort Design also gives home furnishings a new feel with jacquards and tighter woven goods.

Times may be tough, but shoppers are recreating their surroundings to keep their spirits up and Comfort Design is helping them put the heart back into their homes

Nally & Millie Brochure

Author: \ October 18, 2017 \ Business, Design, Industry, Marketing \ 0 Comments

An informative Press Book highlighting the owners and the company in a professional, approachable style. Accompanied by lead-in letter.
Industries: Fashion, Apparel

COMPANY PROFILE

Founded in 1999 by co-owners James and Nally Park, the Nally & Millie label combines James’ management expertise with Nally’s talent for unique, trendy adornments.  With designs strong in novelty and embellishment driven tops for women’s contemporary wear, Nally & Millie bridges the gap between true Contemporary and Missy. By covering a wider market of 20’s and up, even younger customers can afford the moderate prices that are generally higher than most retail prices in the junior’s market.  Nally’s feminine and light-hearted designs incorporate bold colors and embellishments like crystals with everyday wear to create unique yet practical women’s tops.  With clothing that ranges from tops to print skirts to pant and hooded fleece sets and more, there’s easily a thousand pieces in the collection.

Nally & Millie designs, cuts, sews, embellishes and finishes in-house, including details that are so intricate they’re done by hand.  Proudly not a cookie-cutter operation, Nally & Millie still keep in-house production capabilities for quick deliveries to boutiques and small production runs.  With on-line EDI capabilities, Nally & Millie maintains reliability in meeting delivery deadlines.

As a popular niche market supplier, Nally & Millie boasts an impressive shipping rate of $500,000 to $1,000,000 monthly in 2006.  For the last five of their seven years, Nally & Millie has grown 20% every year, selling mostly through independent boutiques in the U.S. and Canada.  With over 700 stores selling Nally & Millie, their strongest market is in the Southern United States and more than 70% of the business is gained from returning customers.  Their creative and financial success has led to some free publicity in local magazines and an appearance from Nally on Dallas ABC morning television.

OWNER PROFILE: JAMES PARK

James Park, President/Owner of M.X.F. Designs Inc. (dba) Nally & Millie

Originally from South Korea, James immigrated to the United States at age 13 and discovered his passion for business and technology at UC Santa Barbara where he received his B.S. in Engineering.  After excelling in retail sales and management in the personal computer industry throughout the mid-to-late 80’s, James became the co-owner of a consulting and software developing company that focused on production tracking and management.  With a strong determination to understand and utilize all aspects of the business world, James also trained in an import/export company in production development and marketing.

In May 1994, James’ dedication to excellence finally paid off.  As co-owners, James and Nally opened the wholesale and retail store, “Minha’s” in the Los Angeles Garment District.   Carrying woman’s clothing, accessories and fashion shoes, the company incorporated as M.X.F. Designs Inc. in 1999 and began making specialty items under different labels.  The undeniable popularity of these items inspired them to create the Nally & Millie label which has since grown into it’s own success. A driving force behind the smooth operation of Nally & Millie, James is responsible for all managerial duties of the business – personnel, accounting, computers, information management and supervision of customer order processing and shipping.  A dedicated businessman with great respect for his wife’s talent, James ensures that Nally’s unique designs always meet their destination and delivery deadline.

OWNER PROFILE: NALLY PARK

Nally Park, Designer/Owner, M.X.F. Designs, Inc. (dba) Nally & Mille

An immigrant from South Korea at age 11, Nally learned the art of self-reliance early.  She began working in retail, sales management and merchandising while still in high school, developing an eye for fashion and design over the years at companies like Judy’s, Contempo, Bullock’s Wilshire and Ms. Amber’s in Hollywood.  Determined to get a well-rounded on-the-job education in business and design, she also worked for an independent high-retail Boutique covering every area including buying.  Immersing herself in this industry infused her with a keen sense for fashion trends, current ones as well as the creation of future hits.

In May 1994, Nally’s fluency in fashion retail combined with James’ management expertise when they opened and co-owned the store “Minha’s” in the Los Angeles Garment District.  Successfully selling women’s clothing, accessories and fashion shoes (retail and wholesale) led Nally and James to incorporate as M.X.F. Designs Inc. in 1999.  It was at this time that Nally’s creativity and heightened awareness of upcoming popular fashion exploded.  She began making specialty items under different labels that sold as quickly as she could make them.  From this success, Nally & Millie was born.

Through diligence, hard-work and hands-on involvement, Nally designs and supervises all phases of production at Nally & Mille.  Integrating novelty embellishments on women’s tops is her specialty, but she never loses sight of practicality.  She ensures her clothing is not only unique and creative, but also wearable and washable, creating trends that will last.  Her success is evident, having been nominated for the Atlanta Diva Award and twice nominated, once awarded for the WWD Dallas Fashion Award in the Junior Contemporary category.

Epson PictureMate Show

Author: \ October 18, 2017 \ Business, Industry, Technology \ 0 Comments

Engaging, approachable copy geared to amateur photography buffs. Used for pre-launch materials, print ads and product descriptions.
Industry: B2C Electronic

PictureMate Show™
Digital Frame and Photo Printer

The best of both worlds.
Change the way you print and share photos with PictureMate Show from Epson. Its clever 2-in-1 design offers the best of both worlds, enabling you to print better-than-lab-quality photos, and also display your favorite images on a high-resolution, 7″, widescreen, digital photo frame — all without a PC. Just connect any digital camera, or insert a memory card. That’s all it takes to get started. Use the digital photo frame to view and crop images, fix red eye, choose color effects and more. Then, choose a custom print size. You’ll get brilliant photos — fast. With PictureMate Show, you can print a 4″ x 6″ photo in as fast as 37 seconds, or print multiple photos, all without a trip to the photo lab. Whatever you choose to print, you can be sure you’ll get photos that are smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant, and made to last up to 4x longer than lab prints. You can also display your images, using the digital photo frame and included remote control. Choose from 12 different slideshow options to share images with family and friends. With the large, built-in memory, you can store hundreds of photos for viewing anytime. PictureMate Show makes it easy to print and display photos right on the spot — at parties, events and family gatherings!

7″, widescreen, digital photo frame
With its high resolution, 16:9 LCD photo frame, PictureMate Show makes it easy to enhance, archive or share your favorite photos. On-screen instructions walk you through it all — whatever you choose to do:

  • Select the photos you want
  • Crop photos or remove red eye
  • Preview your edits immediately
  • Display photos for family and friends
  • Print or save your photos
  • Display a slideshow

PictureMate Show’s WVGA (800 x 480) digital photo frame allows you to view photos with precision detail. You get to see exactly what you’ll get before you print, so there’s no wasted paper! And, you can store hundreds of photos to the internal memory. Then, display them for all to see using one of 12 different slideshow modes, including a calendar and clock feature. Now, you can print, share and display your photos just the way you want to, anytime, day or night.

Convenient compatibility
PictureMate Show is the worry-free way to print and save your digital photos. PictureMate® works with all digital cameras — just insert a memory card and you’ll be previewing your photos in seconds! You can even use PictureMate with PictBridge™ devices, USB flash drives and your Bluetooth®-enabled camera phone.

Fast photo print speeds — without compromising quality
With PictureMate, you get superior, better-than-lab-quality prints at truly unbeatable speeds — 4″ x 6″ photos in as fast as 37 seconds! No other portable, small-format printer can offer such performance and quality. It’s fast, easy and offers amazing results. With PictureMate, it’s easier than ever to achieve exceptional quality and get prints that are better than those from a lab or photo kiosk, or traditional, film-processed prints.

Worry-free handling of photos
With PictureMate Show, you get professional quality photos that are smudge, scratch, water and fade resistant, so you can handle them right after printing. Place them in an album or share them with family and friends, worry-free.

Great design — fits right into your home
With its sleek design and large, widescreen, digital photo frame, PictureMate Show is ideal in any setting. It offers the perfect way to view and share your favorite photos, in your living room, kitchen or home office. Choose from one of 12 convenient slideshow functions and display your images for all to enjoy. With its ultra bright LCD, PictureMate Show ensures brilliant quality slideshows right in the comfort of your own home. It’s fast, easy and designed for any décor.

Choose from multiple sizes and options
Print stacks of photos to share with family and friends. It’s easier than ever with PictureMate Show. Best of all, you can print each photo just the way you want it. Crop, remove red eye, and much more! Then, when you’re ready, choose the size and option you desire, without altering the original file:

  • Black-and-white, color or sepia
  • Mini-wallet, wallet, classic borders or borderless
  • Custom photo sizes

It’s never been easier to get beautiful photos, made to order!

Features/Benefits

  • 2-in-1, digital photo frame and compact photo printer — ultra bright, 7″, widescreen photo frame has 12 different slideshow modes and doubles as an editing and preview monitor
  • Put on a show — slideshow options include book, calendar, clock, museum, spin and animated slideshows — it’s ideal for any family
  • Convenient slideshow operation — remote control gives you easy access to many slideshow choices
  • Store photos for easy print and display — large, 270MB, internal memory lets you automatically store hundreds of photos, and run a slideshow or reprint at any time
  • Print your favorite photos, PC-free — print and archive photos directly from your memory card1, digital camera or USB flash drive
  • Get pro quality photos, fast! — print vibrant 4″ x 6″ photos in as fast as 37 seconds
  • Print wirelessly — optional Bluetooth adapter
  • Share prints for generations to come — durable prints that last up to 4x longer longer than traditional, film-processed photos
  • Get your photos, your way — print various photo sizes, black-and-white or sepia
  • Create custom photo sizes — print whatever size you want, from .3″ x .3″ extra up to 4″ x 6″; great for filling unusual frame sizes, photo key chains, photo bracelets and more with your favorite photos
  • Print and display simultaneously — instantly select and print photos for family and friends while sharing a digital slideshow
  • Easily edit photos — crop, remove red eye, and more
  • Print stacks of photos at an everyday, low print price — without a trip to the store
  • Ready to share — instant-dry photos make it easy to give pictures to family and friends right away
  • Ideal for any room — fits perfectly into your livingroom, kitchen or home office

PictureMate products
Your photos, your way
PictureMate is the perfect accessory for your digital camera. It’s like having your own personal photo lab, all in the comfort of home. Print in the kitchen, den, anywhere, even while on the go — anytime, day or night. It’s easy — no computer required. Get beautiful photos, fast. And, share them for generations to come. With an everyday, low print price, you can print all you want! PictureMate fits your needs, your schedule and your life