The Path to Literacy

Senior Capstone project by Ashley Macho

[thepathtoliteracy]

Final Reflection

It's done! It's done it's done it's done it's done.

One thing I'm sure you guys didn't know, is that I actually didn't plan to do any recordings or read aloud the prior semester. Sharla suggested me to do it at the beginning of this semester and I was so scared I bit off more than I could chew. But, 11 videos later, I got it done! Mahalo nui loa for coming on this journey with me and check out the site!

For any future capstone students, my advice to you is:

Make weekly deadlines.

This should be before the semester even starts and be realistic about them. It keeps you on pace. You only got 15 weeks which blows past before you know it.

Prepare for the worst.

For some reason, a lot of my classmates' programs crashed and didn't save anything. For me, the back to back storms did not help, but it messed with my timeline. Also you should already have a drive that you're working off of, NOT your computer itself, and make sure to save every few seconds. Your left hand should always be on command S.

Figure out where your priorities lie.

Are you working on another class instead of your project? Are you focusing on a small detail rather than just getting it done?

Make something you're proud of.

This is your SENIOR PROJECT! It's the show all of your knowledge and skill. Make it good.

Good luck!

The Path to Literacy

[thepathtoliteracy]

Wrapping Up: Week 15

The past two weeks have flown by, but I got a lot done. I finished up editing all of my read alouds, I created the thumbnails, and added them to my book gallery. All that’s upcoming is my website walkthrough and I’m all pau! The biggest hurdle was having the patience to just sit there and do it. I wanted to hurry up and get it done, but rushing doesn’t lead to quality work. In the end, I sat there listening to myself read for hours, but it got done.

My AHA moment would be that I actually got so much done. Originally, it wasn’t in my plan to record myself reading these books out loud. But not only did I set out what I wanted to do, but more. What helped me the most was my self made due dates that I created before the semester started. It kept me on track to when I should be creating everything. Now that I think about it, my wireframes feel like so long ago…

The website is live! Go ahead and check it out! And mahalo for following me along on my journey.

The Path to Literacy

[thepathtoliteracy]

Wrapping Up: Week 13 - 14

This past week, I finished my website and redid some of the assets of my video series. I changed the theme of the website to match my images and style better. It felt weird to have everything be serif but then all my assets are friendly and with my own quirky bubble font on the front page. I created a new title card, font, and changed the thumbnails to match that font. I added that font as image assets to the website, and updated all the images there. I added 18 more books to my book gallery, and am working on adding three more! I’m going to record the last four books tomorrow and once those are edited, I’ll be done~ Timeline wise, I’m a little behind where I’d like to be. I was hoping to be done by now and I could send the website out for testing. But this past weekend I was a complete shut in and just worked all day, and it was worth it.

When choosing which books to read, I of course was looking at the reading level. I avoided picture books with only two sentences per page. I wanted at least one page of text accompanied with a picture. This way it’s targeted towards the 1st-3rd graders that I decided to target when doing my research. Some books are quite easy, but there are also some light chapter books as well. This way I an accommodate for all the reading levels within that age group. My last four books delve upon different cultures and I’m excited to read those! I’ve actually been enjoying the children’s books myself… Maybe I’ll continue to read them even after this project. They’re quite good!

I’ve attached some screenshots of my website, it’s made with mobile-first in mind. I've also attached my new title card and thumbnail. Definitely more whimsical!

[thepathtoliteracy]

Execution: Week 10 - 12

Launched into editing, I have! And there is more recording and editing to be done. I’ve also added a plethera of books to the gallery, but I want to add more recordings of course. Editing has gone very smoothly, I edit the audio first then chop up where I mess up and connect the clips. I’ve created a thumbnail as well. I need to create my survey to send out soon, though!

I got my cap and gown today… things are getting real! I’ve attached my thumbnail as well as a little blooper reel from the current video I’m working on. Maybe I should look into my own literacy level…

[thepathtoliteracy]

Execution: Week 8 - 9

I’ve added all of my body copy into my Word Press draft and laid every page out. I have filler images for right now, but things are looking good. I added public domain books into the gallery as well, so that is building up nicely. I’m currently editing my read-aloud videos. Coming up is more recording, editing, and inputting books.

Hiccups was figuring out WordPress, it seemed simple but also not. But I got that down quickly. Once I knew how I wanted to translate my layout and how to do it, especially columns wise, I got it covered. Although, my original homepage layout did NOT work with the mobile version, so I messed around with it and will continue to do so. Especially since I’m doing a mobile-first design.

Timeline wise, I’m on track. Coming up in two weeks I need to create the survey on the useability of the site. Who knew that it’s coming already! But what really helped was in the summer, I created a week by week timeline. I would be lost without that.

[thepathtoliteracy]

Execution: Week 6 - 7

I’ve begun building the site in WordPress 🎊🎊🎊

My last recording of reading aloud was a flop, but that doesn’t mean all productivity is stopped. I’m rerecording that, whilst creating my site in WordPress. Although I still need most of the copy written, I’m laying it all out and will input copy after everything is in it’s place. Looking at WordPress’ interaction abilities is exciting — but I don’t want to make anything over complicated. WordPress behaves very interestingly… but I figured it out very quick. So that was a small hurdle. AHA moment would be that one of my designs is more desktop friendly than mobile, so things will have to move around with that. Timeline wise, by week 7 I wanted to start creating the final, so I’m on track there. Though I’ll have to grind on recording the books.

Here are some of my low-fidelity wire frames, so you can see where I’ve blocked things out.

[thepathtoliteracy]

Planning: Week 4 - 5

Last week, I did a dry run of recording reading a book. Oh my, the book was a lot longer than I expected. Also, I may need to check my own literacy level, since I was struggling. I did get to talk to my group, and they helpfully suggested I get a second camera to look over my shoulder as I read the book in my lap, since reading to the side was difficult. Even finding a book to read was hard. I thought the library would have a bigger selection of public domain books. But alas, I’m glad I found one to read for right now.

I did some sketches, and although I was just letting ideas flow, I’m more satisfied with these then when I first started. Although I need to get my content down, I like the flow and style I have going. It feels more playful and creative than plain and informational. Although my target audience is parents, I think the website should still feel fun.

I was hoping to get 10 books recorded, but Sharla is hoping for a lot more. I had to move around my schedule this week, which conflicts with my filming schedule, but adapting is a must. I’ll just get what I can done for right now. Timeline wise, I'm not doing too bad. I had hoped to start my sketches earlier, but I got them done! I'd like to already move into wireframing so I can see better how each sketch lays out. But here are some of my sketches!

[thepathtoliteracy]

Initiation: Week 2 - 3

I’ve been starting on my project, taking baby steps. I’ve contacted publishers and libraries for resources, to which I got the answers I pretty much expected. Although, it has opened some other doors that could lead to solutions. My biggest worry with this project was not getting any books. And if I don’t have any books to share, then the website is pretty much useless. But, Kamehameha Publishing shared with me their read aloud section of their website, where their authors read the children’s books to a video, and gave me permission to link their site to mine. After talking about this, I could definitely include this in my website. Although now it’ll take much more planning and production, it may be the solution I’m looking for to engage children and their parents in reading.

Next, I need to plan how many read aloud videos I’ll do and choose which books to read. I also need to start sketching my wireframe and settle on a branding guide. I have a color pallet, but I’d’ like to choose fonts.

Biggest hurdle was getting books. I was most afraid to even reach out — to email the publishers and such because I knew I was going to get rejected. But it actually helped pivot my project, so I’m glad I asked because I wouldn’t have found Kamehameha Publishing’s videos. So, asking for help actually does help, even in the way you don’t expect it to!

I’m beginning my sketching phase, now that I have the basics sorted out. Which is on time. Although now I have more things to plan, I think I can fit it into my timeline as long as I plan accordingly.

Here is my site map!

[thepathtoliteracy]

The Path to Literacy Introduction

Aloha kakou!

My name is Ashley Macho, and I’m a senior Creative Media major at UHWO, studying general creative media. My topic is about children’s literacy. I was looking into if there is a decline in children’s literacy, how to motivate kids to read, and what role parents play. My research question was “how can we motivate children to read for pleasure?” My senior capstone plans is to create a web app that provides free and easy to access digital books along with reading activities that parents can do with their children to promote reading.

One past senior capstone that seems interesting is Justin Angelo Giann Agudo’s Stranger to Fiction. He dissected Science Fiction subgenres and made a Youtube Series on his findings. I think his topic stuck out to me because I’m doing my project on children’s literacy, and looking at the importance and influence of subgenres is very important for literacy. Especially for children’s books, what is the book trying to teach the child? And for science fiction, what is the subgenre reflecting about the real world and our feelings? It’s interesting to see how although it’s all science fiction, the message are so different.