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Brainstorming initial ideas on digital tools we could create for our theme.

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We all participated in some thought-provoking moral challenges to break the ice.

Met my team and was assigned the theme: science.

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We decided to narrow down our ideas to Emily's and Bianca's

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We got into groups and completed an activity on copyright and trustworthiness of online sources

Then we regrouped into our teams and narrowed down our pledges

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We have decided to create an app that aids with science revision. The app will cover all science areas and will be available in easy, medium and hard.

Individual digital outputs:
Bianca - app
Emily - website
Julie - emagazine
Muhammad - video

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Web page -
Interactive view of the periodic table, hover on each element to find information such as name, compounds, etc.
Interactive view of the solar system with a similar concept of hovering for more information

Video - A short, fun video of either the periodic table or the solar system, annotated with notes and a voice over

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Our team did some research on what colour scheme to use and found this website which influenced our decision to use orange, blue and green

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Oh yeah - then how do you explain traffic lights, warning signs, and rainbows? Color is important, and it's time we pay attention to color in eLearning too. Not convinced? What If we told you that

Learning is a difficult field to understand, and there's so much research out there discussing these issues that it's hard to know where to begin. What's pretty obvious though is that color plays a key role in creating an environment that fosters learning.

So let's talk about color - What colors help learning? What colors might be annoying or distracting to online learners? And how can we mitigate that risk? That's what we'll be delving into here.

color, as part of the electromagnetic spectrum , is in its purest form energy, a wavelength, which has its own magnetic frequency? What if we told you that colors can affect neurological pathways in the brain? And that they can create a biochemical response? Now, facing that evidence, it's clear that color has been overlooked for far too long. Dr. Robert Gerard recognizes this and has pioneered research, which suggests that every color has a specific wavelength, and each of these affect our body and brain in a different way. Using the right color, and the correct selection and placement can seriously affect feelings, attention, and behavior when learning. It's time that we leveraged that to our advantage. Even research with Alzheimer's patients has shown that color cues improve memory and that learners recall images in color more easily than images in black and white - amazing, right?

Now listen, we're not expecting you to be the next Picasso- but a fundamental understanding of which colors work will benefit your eLearning to no end. So that's what we're going to do now. We'll be going through the colors and having a look at what they mean to you and your learners - and the biological response they can elicit. Bear in mind of course, that this isn't a definitive science. It might be that you're scared of blue because you're scared of water - there are unique elements to color choice. But what we're going for here is a broad-strokes approach that helps us appeal to the most learners with the right colors for our projects. Okay, boilerplate done, let's begin.
Read more: The Complete Guide to Color Combinations in eLearning
You probably know this already, just by taking a look at a forest or a field. Low wavelength colors promote restfulness and calm, and they improve efficiency and focus.

So that's why green is an excellent color for improving concentration. Apart from being one of the easiest colors on the eyes, it reminds us of nature. That's why TV stars stay in the 'green room'. It's a relaxing space.

Green is a good color for keeping long-term concentration and clarity, making it a good choice for an office - as opposed to red, which is seen as stimulating and exciting. Maybe it helps in the short term, but stimulation has to tail off sometimes.

Interestingly enough, there's some real scientific evidence for this. Some studies have shown that people who work in green offices have higher rates of job satisfaction, and consumers have been shown to spend more time shopping in stores that are painted green [1].

Another study, led by Dr. Kate Lee, examined 150 university students. She gave the group a boring, monotonous task that dragged their attention span to a breaking point, pressing a series of numbers over and over as they read off a computer screen. The students were told not to press keys when the number three appeared on the screen. Then break time came, and in a 40-second window half of the group viewed a green roof, while the others looked out onto a bare concrete roof. Amazingly, the research showed that students who looked at the green view made fewer errors and had overall better concentration. [2]

Dr. Lee hypothesizes that the green roof provided a 'restorative experience' which helped boost the mental resources of the students involved in the study. If true, that's a major consideration. If your learners are tired and bored of their compliance material, add in a restorative green screen, a forest scene, or something else for a bit of a break. Lee believes that just a moment of looking at a green space could provide a moment of revitalization for workers who were struggling to concentrate.

Think about the orange sun setting over the horizon. Nice, right? It's true, orange can be a welcoming and mood-lifting color for learners, which in turn promotes comfort and improves neural functioning.

Some theorists argue that an environment rich in the color orange increases the oxygen supply to the brain, stimulating mental activity while simultaneously loosening peoples' inhibitions. An increased oxygen supply also leads to feeling invigorated and getting ready to 'get things done.' Some have even suggested that test centers be painted orange to stimulate exam-takers. The secrets of orange were known in ancient China too - in Feng Shui, orange is seen as a "yang" color which stimulates focus and promotes organization [3]. Of course, we need to remember that

But this comes at a cost - avoid bolder orange colors if your learners are young and naturally energetic. This isn't a good color for those prone to overstimulation as well, for instance if your group of learners have attention deficit hyperactive disorder or another health concern which leads to easy overstimulation.

That's not it on the science for orange, though - many studies have found that when colors are used to emphasize a feature or piece of content on the screen, learners' attention levels increase. Of course, the best colors for this are warm colors, like orange. So we can say that when you're looking to highlight certain facts or important information, orange can be a better choice than the traditional red. But, because of its energy and brightness, orange can be an overwhelming choice. Orange is, in other words, best in small doses.

brightness and saturation also come into it, and too bright a color will probably give you a headache! Looking to the experts, color psychologist Angela Wright states that bright orange hues stimulate while low saturation is more soothing. So for boosting energy, go bold, and for relaxing, go mellow. Makes sense, huh? So to close out orange as a color, in eLearning courses it can be used to highlight key facts and figures, communicate energy, life, and activity. Orange is a vibrant color that demands attention, giving it an edge as a choice for highlighting. But again, use with caution!
Read more: Color Psychology: Use Warm Hues to Energize Your eLearning
Some research suggests that people with highly intellectual work, which requires a high cognitive load, for instance, programmers or academics, are Blue is best used for learning situations which are challenging. Blue paper, blue ink, or blue highlighting can be used to help improve reading comprehension too. Blue in general it seems is a relaxing and calming color, but more productive in a blue environment. That said, though; we can't keep life too monochromatic - it should be balanced with warmer colors. These can be found by using the opposite side of the color wheel.

lighter shades will seem more 'friendly' while darker ones seem a little more somber.

Back to the experts, many color psychologists recommend using blue colors, but adding a bit of extra kick with orange, especially for highlighting information (like we mentioned earlier!).

So in summary, blue is great for promoting high levels of thought, but too much can create a sense of detachment and coldness.
Read more: Color Psychology: Use Cool Colors to Set Just the Right Mood for Learning
Hopefully, by now you're having a dramatic rethink of the color of your courses, your house, and maybe even your car. That's great - that's what we want. Take note of the lessons above and let us know how you've implemented them in your eLearning courses. Remember, color is fundamental to the human experience. It's a huge part of our lives and our perceptions, and we should leverage that in our eLearning courses.
REFERENCES:
1.Effect of Different Colors on Human Mind and Body http://humannhealth.com/effect-of-different-colors-on-human-mind-and-body/243/8/

2. Seeing green boosts your concentration, research shows. May 25, 2015. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/sci-tech/seeing-green-boosts-your-concentration-research-shows-20150525-gh8udh.html

3. Best Color For Concentration And Productivity Is Orange http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/18/best-color-concentration_n_3949427.html

4. Brain-Based Learning by Eric Jensen, 2000 (p.54-70)

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How Do Colors Influence Learning? - Shift E-learning

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Color plays a key role in creating an effective eLearning. Learn the impact of colors and how to use them strategically to foster learning. Read Now!

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We had a look at the app QuizUp for ideas on layout
Can add a comments section to see others' feedback on the app
Could add a reward scheme to our app to encourage regular use

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A display on how a good emagazine should look!

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A wireframe for an emagazine

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Our group decided to communicate via Facebook Messenger.

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We booked the computer suite in the Nuffield Building with Paul so that he could help us use Photoshop to develop our logo.

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To work effectively as part of a team by communicating and sharing information

To reflect on my learning journey via my e-portfolio

To create an individual digital output that will complement other group members' outputs, i.e. by using the same colours, logo and branding

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Our main folder - 'Research' - and the subfolders within

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This image shows that the folder and subfolders have been shared with every member of the group so that they have access

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https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/DL9FGXD

We conducted a survey to gauge interest in whether people would use an app to revise.

Our data showed that most people used notes from class to revise, and that most had not used a revision app before.

When asked on whether people would find an app useful, 24 out of 36 people thought they would.

Our initial idea was to make the levels of difficulty easy, medium and hard. However, when asked whether people would prefer that or whether levels specific to their course e.g. GCSE, A level or university degree, 34 out of 36 responses preferred the latter option. From this feedback, we changed from easy, medium and hard.

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My team and I continued to work on our individual digital outputs

I decided to change my output from a digital magazine to a poster as I thought this would best advertise our product

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The showcase!

After all our hard work, we were finally ready to display our main and individual outputs. We put together a presentation and took it in turns to talk through what we had accomplished over the past 6 sessions

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Accessibility of my output for disabled persons

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Accessibility of my output for disabled persons

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I decided to make my background dark and contrast this with bright text.

As my poster will be displayed around various education establishments, it can be placed lower for those in wheelchairs to view clearly.

For those partially sighted, I tried to make the text and main image as large as possible