Ideation Sketches

Phase I Logo

 Phase I Characters

 Phase I Aircraft Carrier

Design Method

What I plan to accomplish:
I plan to use some interactive flash, HTML, and After Effects. I would also like to do info-graphics/website, posters, mock up app/game for younger people. I want to push the game like format. I want this in part because I want to push to incorporate fun into learning. Also I want to learn the information myself and as someone with Dyslexia I want to see if there are more multiple ways to tap into the multiple learning styles.

I hope to use Flash, After Effects, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, etc. I am currently learning flash this semester and I want to push to integrate or combine the programs.

Design Method:
Project is going to include aspects of marketing, teaching, exposure, and fun.

Process:
Research, play with different ideas, learn programs along the way.

Target audience:
Young students middle school primarily age 10-14.

Project Deliverables:
Complete interactive animation – this semester
Complete Info-graphic – this semester
Several animations – I would like to push this in particular.

11 x 17 print
8.5 x 11 print
Possible calendar
Various sized info-graphics, 3 to 6

Code data:
Using HTML and/or flash

Topics
Careers
Life
Ships
Moto
History? Past and future

How much interactivity 
I would like it to be extensively interactive; the more interactive the more some of us learn. I do not think I will be using 3D but I will consider.

Narrative components
Could be several; as a Dyslexic it would be great to have the animations read some of it but I am not sure at this time.

Plot – taking the person through average to active day of the different careers aboard a US Navy Aircraft Carrier.

Implementation strategies
I believe I will need to obtain information and knowledge regarding the following:
Aircraft carriers, US Naval Careers, Best approaches to teaching middle school students.

The software, which I will be using as stated above, is In Design, Illustrator, Photoshop, Flash, and Dreamweaver.

I hope to outreach to schools, guidance counselors, Facebook, game venues, Naval recruiters, and extracurricular clubs.

Evaluation Plan
I plan to use online surveys.
Beta testing.

Proposal Presentation

Timeline

Week 5          (PPP) Project Proposal Presentation

Week 6          (DI) Design Ideation
Week 7          (VS) Visual Style
Week 8          (FWSL) Flowcharts/Wireframes/Storyboards/Layout

Week 10        (FCDI) Formal Critique of Design Ideation

Week 11        (WFP) Work on Final Project

Week 14        (FD) Formal Defense
Week 16        (FF) Final Files

Situation Analysis

There exists much information designed for older people meaning 17+
and even some for the very young.

Literature Review

Introduction

The first thing a US President is said to ask during a crisis is, “Where is the nearest Aircraft Carrier?”  They are as the new recruitment advertisements reveal part of the global force for good. The aircraft carriers are in fact huge floating cities where between 5,000 and 6,000 people work. The world is a complicated place and as the New York columnist Thomas Friedman once wrote, it is becoming “Flat.”The new technology may as Friedman mentions have created a smaller world; a world where information, news, and conflicts reach across miles of land and water. The US Navy Aircraft Carriers are part of the changing world and are a force which many young people may not be fully aware. Young people are capable of learning but often schools focus and present information in one format, even teaching to tests. There are wonderful opportunities to use today’s technology to teach and expose those who will live, work, and play in the future. What better way to help dreams come true than by increasing knowledge of the opportunities that await them on a US Navy Aircraft Carrier. The following references have been utilized to help bring this information forth in an original format and design.

Online Sources:

Carrier Powerhouse of the Fleet
The US Navy Aircraft Carriers
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/carriers/powerhouse/powerhouse.asp.

This site has a small 3D image of the flight deck of an aircraft carrier (specifically a Nimitz class carrier). Brief descriptions of the ship’s basic flight deck elements are provided and thus beneficial to this project.

How Aircraft Carriers Work: Life on an Aircraft Carrier
How Stuff Works
http://science.howstuffworks.com/aircraft.carrier7.htm.

The “How Stuff Works” as always presents a concise, simplified and informative site. They explain that 5,000 to 6,000 people live aboard a ship some of whom do not see daylight for weeks as their job may keep them below deck. A description of the sleeping arrangements, along with just about everything else someone living on a ship may expect is briefly discussed. A break-down of the different roles of groups of people is briefly discussed. The site article then continues on with other sections titled as follows: “The Parts of an Aircraft Carrier, Building an Aircraft Carrier, Landing on an Aircraft Carrier, The Island, and The Hangar.” Overall a wonderful source for this particular project as the language and information are especially pertinent to the audience.

Navy Jobs at a Glance
Military.Com: Join the Military
http://www.military .com/join-armed-forces/navy-jobs.html.

As the title suggests the focus of this site and particular article provides a visitor with a listing of first “Enlisted Careers” and a brief description of the particular jobs. It then moves onto “Officer Career Fields” and a description of the various ranks and jobs. This site it should also be noted lists links to other military careers. The information from this site will be useful in conjunction with other sources to more fully depict the careers of those on an aircraft carrier.

The Carriers
Rod Powers
About.com US Military
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/navyweapons/l/blcarriers.htm.

Rod Powers provides a visitor to this site with an image of a carrier and an informative breakdown of the history of carriers. A link also under the same site takes a viewer to “An Introduction to US Navy Aircraft Carriers.” It states that the Navy maintains 11 aircraft carriers. Details regarding “an air wing,” the number of sailors and links to the various aircraft on a carrier are also listed. This site is very useful in providing information about the history of aircraft carriers and how they have changed. While this is not the focus of this project it is information that is necessary and useful in fully developing and presenting the information to the target audience.

Supercarrier: USS Regan: Aircraft Carrier
National Geographic
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/aircraft .carrier/.

This site provides wonderful videos which run approximately 6 minutes and 30 seconds and covers life on a carrier. There is even a 4 minute 32 second video about the “Flight Deck.” Each of these provides wonderful visuals to the information available on other sites. Overall as a visual learner this is a particularly strong source for this project.

The Centerpiece of Navy Operations: Aircraft Carriers
Navy Recruiting Command
http://www.navy.com/about/equipment/vessels/carriers.html

This website opens with some wonderful images and information which explains the basic function or an aircraft carrier. A detailed listing of the three aircraft carrier classes is provided showing the details of the size of the ships and also a listing of their names. There is also a link which provides more detailed information on each of the class of ships. This is a very useful and informative site for this project.

Why Does the United States Only Have Eleven Aircraft Carriers?
Marty Erdosy, Captain, US Navy (Ret.)
Forbes
July 17, 2012
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2012/07/17/why-does-the-united-states-only-have-eleven-aircraft-carriers

This is a very informative article which goes into considerable depth regarding the deployment of aircraft carriers. The author also provides information regarding what happens when a ship is not deployed and how they (the ships) shift from deployment to maintenance at a Naval Base. This provides a different perspective for not only does it cover the jobs on a deployed aircraft carrier which is covered by many other sites; this site also provides information about life of those assigned to an aircraft carrier in port. This site offers a viewer some wonderful information from an actual Naval Officer which is invaluable to this project.

Books:

Carrier: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier
by Tom Clancy
Berkley Books 1999.

This book is focused more on naval strategy and flight operations. Overall while this is an interesting source with photographs it does not go into depth regarding the many jobs that make and keep the aircraft carrier a floating functional city.

Aircraft Carriers
by Matt Doeden
Lerner Publications Co. 2006

This book is designed for a very young audience. It is pertinent to this project as it reflects a younger age than what this project seeks to inspire however some of the information while presented with simple language is still valuable to this project.

Life on an Aircraft Carrier
by Heather Moore Niver
Gareth Stevens Publisher 2013

Moore Niver’s book is designed for the younger aspect of this project and as such is very applicable. The author provides a brief look into the jobs performed by personal on naval aircraft carriers

The Encyclopedia of Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books
by Desdemona Mc Cannon, Sue Thornton and Yadzia Williams
Running Press 2008

While this book is designed more for book illustration it provides a wealth of clear teaching information. More specifically it discusses how and what works best with different age groups of school aged children and teens. It can be utilized as a useful source in developing interactive educational information.

The Navy
by Rear Admiral W.J. Holland, Jr., USN (Ret.)
Naval Historical Foundation 2012

A plethora of information is presented in this book regarding not only aircraft carriers but the Navy in general. It is especially useful to this project as the author includes information about various jobs which keep aircraft carriers functioning.

Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works
by Howard Pitler, Elizabeth R. Hubbell, Matt Kuhn and Kim Malenoski
Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning (McRel) 2007

The authors provide logical and concise information regarding everything from “Setting Objectives” to Generating and Testing Hypotheses.” They provide information based on experience as educators, teachers, administrators and educational technology experts. This book holds a great deal of very useful information for this project as it tackles the idea of how to meet the needs of 21st century learners using technology.

Conclusion
The research has revealed that there is a fair amount of information available to younger and older persons interested in researching the possible careers on a naval aircraft carrier. What has also been revealed is that the target audience of this project has not really been provided for uniquely. This project will utilize the new technology available to connect with the target audience (middle school age persons) and provide information on US Naval Aircraft Carrier Careers. Utilizing the information obtained through the above listed sources and presenting the information in a fun, interactive manner will ultimately offer students an opportunity to select courses that will assist them in their pursuits. The design utilized will also present teachers and guidance counselors with another means to tap into the multiple learning styles of the 21st century learner.


Bibliography

“Carrier: Powerhouse of the Fleet.” The US Navy Aircraft Carriers. Accessed February 7, 2014.
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/carriers/powerhouse/powerhouse.asp.

Clancy, Tom. Carrier: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier. New York, NY : Berkley Books, 1999.

Doeden, Matt. Aircraft Carriers. Minneapolis, MN : Lerner Publications Co., 2006.

Erdossy, Marty Captain, US Navy (Ret). “Why Does The United States Only Have Eleven Aircraft Carriers?” Forbes. July 17, 2012. Accessed February 20, 2014. http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2012/07/17/why-does-the-united-states-only-have-eleven- aircraft-carriers.

Holland, Rear Admiral W.J., USN (Ret). The Navy. Washington, D.C. : Naval Historical Foundation, 2012.

“How Aircraft Carriers Work: Life on an Aircraft Carrier.” How Stuff Works. Accessed February 5, 2014.http://science.howstuffworks.com/aircraft-carrier7.htm.

Mc Cannon, Sue Thornton and Yadzia Willaims. The Encyclopedia of Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books. Philadelphia, PA : Running Press, 2008.

Moore Niver, Heather. Life On An Aircraft Carrier. New York, NY : Gareth Stevens Pub. , 2013.

“Navy Jobs at a Glance.” Military.Com: Join the Military. Accessed February 7, 2014.  
http://www.military.com/join-armed-forces/navy-jobs.html.

Pitler, Howard, Elizabeth R. Hubbell, Matt Kuhn and Kim Malenoski. Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO : Mid Continent Research for Education and Learning, 2007.

Powers, Rod. “The Carriers.” About.com US Military. Accessed February 3, 2014.  
http://usmilitary.about.com/od/navyweapons/l/blcarriers.htm. 

“Supercarrier: USS Reagan: Aircraft Carrier. National Geographic. Accessed February 9, 2014.
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/videos/aircraft-carrier/. 

“The Centerpiece of Navy Operations: Aircraft Carriers.” Navy Recruiting Command. Accessed February 3, 2014.http://www.navy.com/about/equipment/vessels/carriers.html.