To Use or Not To Use Posters

 

 To Use or Not To Use Posters


A good question to ask about posters is whether or not they are actually effective for the function of which you intend them. Posters can be very helpful in reinforcing a message, providing facts about something, and increasing brand awareness. Take for example, health posters. Health related posters can be useful because they help promote healthy behaviors among students such as washing hands and staying away from cigarettes. However, this is only true if the appropriate poster is being used for the appropriate purpose. If you are a teacher then it probably won't do much good to post an advertisement on your classroom wall that's not related to one of your subject areas since it will likely distract your students rather than promote learning. Posters are useful for promoting a brand, not a product or service. If a poster has the logo of certain sports wear apparel, the logo will be very noticeable and people will associate it with that sport wear apparel company. The same goes for other types of products such as cereals and candy. In that case, an advertisement will likely have more appeal than if it was just a simple piece of paper that's stuck in your school hallways. So in order to effectively use posters you should think about their purpose as well as trying to determine what appeals/discourages you audience might have when they see the poster and try to get some suggestions from your peers on how you can improve it.
Poster by: Sharon Chen
Try to use as many graphics as you can. This will help with your poster's appeal and get more people to read it. Colors also play a huge role in posters so make sure that the colors you use are bright and pleasing to the eye. Think about the message you want to convey and make sure your poster is easy to read. Research has shown that eye-tracking research has shown that there is a hierarchy of reading when it comes to posters. The most important rule of thumb is to make sure your message you want to convey is the most prominent. Do not write a lot of text on the poster that distracts people from what you are trying to communicate. The best posters will have an attention grabbing message and be easy to read and understand.
Poster by: Sharon Chen
If you plan on using comics, make sure they are clean and neat enough or else they might distract people from your message rather than add interest. This may sound obvious, but trust me it still happens from time to time especially with art (like cartoons), science, math, and other topics where creativity is more valued than accuracy since students tend to lose interest after a while. So you will want to consider keeping it simple by only including the most important information. Remember why you are doing this poster in the first place and focus on communicating your message.
Poster by: Sharon Chen
The poster you put up is a reflection of what you stand for so make sure that it reflects positively on who you are as a person and how well you communicate with others. Posting a poster conveys to others what is important to you and that you care about whatever cause or topic is associated with the post. It tells people that you are open-minded, honest, and willing to correct yourself when necessary so everyone should be able to trust your word more than someone who never posts anything.
Poster by: Sharon Chen
Poster by: Sharon Chen
Always ask for feedback when posting something, whether it's a poster, message, or information. Use your best judgment in choosing what you will post and consider other opinions when making your final decision. Know who your audience is to help you determine if it is appropriate to use various media such as pictures or graphs to get your point across more effectively. Think about the reasons why you are posting that specific thing and try hard to come up with something that will be both useful and interesting to others.
Note: The sentences are from " PSA Poster Campaign" section from the website of Health Promotion Office of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign . http://www.publichealth.illinois.edu/hpoe/scene_2_large.htm  
Distracted by the new iPad?
Technology is constantly changing, and with these changes come new distractions from homework and other schoolwork. The newest distraction comes in the form of an iPad that was just released this past April . It has astounding technology that Apple claims is going to change the way we use computers forever. Many people are skeptical about whether or not it will be as life-changing as Apple says, but it has already been proven to increase focus time for those who already have iPhones or iPod Touches since they are already used to the technology. This is very useful as it allows them to use technology while they still study, but it should not be the only method of studying that a student uses. For those who do not own, or do not have an iPhone/iPod Touch, it may be beneficial for them to purchase one. This will allow them to use the iPad for an increased amount of time, and with all of the distractions from texting and social media websites such as Facebook . This will allow them to retain information that they learn, which is crucial in their future success. Not everyone will benefit from owning an iPad , however. Those who need to focus the entire day, or those who are performing a task that requires them to be completely focused (ex: taking an exam), should consider not buying one. The iPad can be used for schoolwork in place of other methods, but it won't give you the same amount of focus as a laptop or desktop computer.
Note: The sentences are from " Distracted by the new iPad" section from the website of The University of Texas at Austin . http://ece.utexas.edu/news/2011/0803Ipad.html  
How to Help Reduce Distractions
Technology is a very useful tool. It helps us communicate with each other and provides us with vast amounts of information that we need to survive in today's society, but too much of anything is never good. Too much technology can cause even the most focused people to lose focus, especially when they are addicted to electronic things such as cell phones, computers and televisions. All of this distraction could cause your grades to go down if you don't pay attention, so it's important that you try not to get addicted. Here are some tips to help you stay focused:
Make a schedule. This schedule should contain all your favorite websites, social networks, and other distractions in one place so you can easily find them and schedule time for yourself to use them. If you have too many things scheduled at once, it might make it hard for you to get everything done in time which can cause distraction.
Notify other people of your schedule. Let others know when you're going to use your favorite websites or check your social network sites. This way others will let you know if something comes up so that you don't get distracted from something important such as homework or studying for an exam .
Don't close the application entirely.

Conclusion:
Although distraction is a bad thing, it is actually not so bad as long as you know how to control it and use it for your benefit. You need to find the best ways to avoid being distracted so that you can concentrate on what's important in school, work, or even personal life.   
Whenever you are working on something important and you want to avoid distractions, don't close Facebook , Twitter , or any other website at all. Simply minimize the site instead of closing the tab (for example: press F11 button in Firefox) so that when you need to access Facebook or Twitter again, all it takes is one click of the mouse button.

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