Screencasting and CTML Principles – Module 1

Flexbox in CSS – a godsend for web developers

For this module, I’ve created a screencast and a short presentation on one of my favorite modules in CSS / web development. In the presentation, I discuss and demonstrate a few properties of Flexbox as well as how they can be combined in dynamic ways.

Reflection

• Regarding all of the principles I’ve learned this week of CTML, the personalization principle seemed the most intuitive. I’ve generally found it to be easier to learn when ideas as presented more casually and conversationally, which generally comes hand-in-hand with a speaker that is skilled at simplifying / breaking down more complex topics. On the other hand, I was surprised to learn about the image principle – generally, when reviewing lecture videos in the past, I always found it helped me focus when the professor was visible on screen as well as narrating.
  
• I found that implementing dual coding theory was very natural, as it helps to use images/diagrams to describe a topic rather than a chunk of words. It was difficult, however, to avoid redundancy especially given that the information and properties I discussed are typically something you’d want to visually see to reference.
  
• My target audience was a first year University class on CSS and/or CSC, so I aimed to provide some context while also assuming some givens such as that students would know where/how to set up configurations.
  
• In the past, I’ve generally followed the dual coding theory where I can. I’ve always made sure to include multiple slides with no words and just images/diagrams, as I believe that being able to describe and share information off of a diagram is a good way to demonstrate understanding. I will have to work on minimizing redundancy, as I’ve generally adopted the mindset of having everything written down even as I’m saying it (which helps me keep track of the content, if I forget something).