Week 3: What I've Learned

Week 3 has proved to be very helpful in thinking about word processing and desktop publishing.  Now, for many of us, this may seem to be one in the same.  We can add a nifty graphic to our text document and feel that we have accomplished true desktop publishing.  However, there can be a lot more to it.  While word processing can allow you to create a document with edited text, grammatical corrections and minimal graphics, it does not tend to be a visual communication.  Desktop publishing helps you to create a visual display for your audience.  It displays ideas and combines text with graphics to produce documents. 

But there is one key element to remember.  Whether you are sending out documents for business or pleasure, to students or parents, there is a fundamental rule that must be followed.  PEOPLE MUST BE ABLE TO CLEARLY READ AND UNDERSTAND YOUR PURPOSE!  If they cannot decipher your intended message, you have failed.  While this may appear to be common knowledge, sometimes we need to be reminded of this simple task.  We often get excited by all the groovy colors and fonts and sometimes forget our primary goal:  communication.  In the past, I have used typed documents for distribution in class and as take-home documents.  With a busy schedule at home and at work, I want to get the information on paper and get it to the intended audience a.s.a.p.  However, this is doing a disservice to the students and parents.  With multiple pieces of paper going home on some days, there is an opportunity for information to get looked over and in some cases disregarded altogether.  In order to prevent that, it’s necessary to make documents stand out.  After reviewing documents that I send out and documents that I receive at my house, I decided to revise a weekly newsletter using the material we have reviewed this past week.

In general, the original newsletter was informative with only a banner graphic.  It was very text driven.  Some information had bold lettering, but other than that there was little differentiation in the text.  In order to make the newsletter more eye-catching and less text-based, I have used desktop publishing to make it a more effective document.  Instead of rows of text, I have made boxes with bold headings and given specific information in each box about that subject.  I have included a calendar to highlight the dates and week we are working in.  It gives the reader a quick look at the week ahead and any items of interest for that week.  The student’s daily agenda book will give details of assignments and upcoming events.  Therefore, there is no need to distract from the ‘big picture’ on this weekly newsletter by adding lots of details.  I’m very pleased with the changes to this document.  In a short amount of time, I was able to clean up a long overdue project and turn it into a clean, concise piece that gives the information in an upfront manner.  Thanks desktop publishing!