As I have started researching and working on our educational comic project, I have been looking into strategies that will help effectively convey messages by combining text and visuals. During my early stages of research I learned about the multimedia learning principles. These principles emphasize that on average people learn better when information is presented through a combination of both text and images, compared to when each is presented independently (Digital Learning Institute, n.d.) An example of this are the Mayer’s principles. The Mayer’s principles suggests that using visuals along side with short and concise text may help learners process and retain information more effectively. This is because visuals support our understanding while the text provides clarity and structure (especially for visual learners).
I have also explored what is the best way for planning and presenting my final comic. Firstly, for planning my comic I contemplated between online or hand drawn storyboarding techniques. Online tools make it easier to create and adjust layouts however, I preferred the creative freedom and flexibility that is provided by freehand brainstorming. On the other hand, for my final draft I predict that using digital tools will be more effective because it will allow for cleaner presentation and easier editing as my fine motor skills are not my greatest strength. I believe this combination of using both hand-drawn and online resources will allow me to balance the planning/creative stage of this project, ensuring the my final comic will be both engaging and informative.