In this lesson, we learned some aspects of how we use the energy provided, regardless of source, as efficiently as possible. We also learned that efficient use of energy is not only about how well we use it, but also how efficiently it gets to you. To determine how well you understood the points discussed in this lesson, you will create an infographic which relates to your personal use of energy.
Purpose of this infographic:
To successfully complete this assignment, you will create an infographic that illustrates how your home could ideally benefit from concepts of this lesson.
Communicating Visually:
Illustrate points where and how energy efficiency and the smart grid would relate, and how your home could connect to distributed energy features such as microgrids. You can show both the interior elements, as well as how the home relates to the grid in map diagram format. In your illustration, show connections, if any, to the national grid. Illustrate which elements of your home that would be part of the smart grid.
To help you in thinking of what to show, the U.S. Government has simplified energy efficiency shopping for customers with the ENERGY STAR rating system, a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that awards Energy Star status to highly efficient products. If you'd like more information, visit the Energy Star website or read through How Energy Star Works.
For other ideas, once again go to the Project Drawdown explorer page, filter by sector and click on electricity, and explore some of the innovative projects dealing with efficiency and distributed energy. Some cases have been around a while, like green and cool roofs, but others are quite cutting-edge like dynamic glass and building automation.
Successfully Completing this Assignment:
If you haven’t done so already, review the foundational resources provided in the Orientation lesson. They are titled Creating Infographics and Overview of Infographic Assignments. The rubric used for grading this assignment is provided on the following page in Canvas.
If you have any questions, please post them to the Questions about EGEE 401 Discussion Forum.
Infographic Information Video (4:13)
Transcript: Infographic Information Video (4:13)
Creating infographics. Step one, getting started. The best way to begin working on your infographic is to start by reviewing the assigned online readings. You may wish to scan the midst of assignments in advance to know which less than 10000 infographic. As you work your way through the lesson, pause to write down key points you feel are especially important. You may also find it beneficial to create a quick drawing or sketch to visually support your learning and retention of the information. This process is called sketch noting. Sketch noting is essentially capturing content in a visual format. The drawings to not have to be elaborate. They can be simple and use basic shapes by sketching key concepts from the course, it enables your brain to remember the information more effectively. Step two is conducting independent research. Once you have completed the online chapter, you will need to conduct your own investigation on a topic relating to the information discussed within the online lesson. Use the online readings as a starting point. You may consider the following questions to help you begin your independent research. First is there's something you found interesting in the assigned readings and want to learn more about. Is there a point on which you wish to gain further clarity? Are you interested in seeing how the statistics may have changed over your lifetime? For example, comparing the data from today to the year you were born. After you have found at least one suitable article, follow the same process of note-taking or sketch noting that you implemented when you review the online readings, you may review as many articles as you wish to further your understanding of the topic. You are required to submit an infographic that include the reference to a minimum of one external source. Note that some of the infographic assignments to find the topic for the assignment. And this may help focus your research and may modify the proposed steps. Step 3 is synthesizing the key points. In reviewing your notes or sketches, find the points you feel are most important and want to assure you remember beyond the semester, the inforgraphics should be more than simply recapping the online readings. These points will likely be the most interesting, thought-provoking aspects of the various articles. And reading the revealed. Distill those points down to approximately ten plus or minus a few is perfectly acceptable. This will help you narrow your focus of the points you want to convey in your infographic. Following this strategy will also give me the ability to quickly identify connections between the course readings and other sources of information. Your submission must include a connection between the course content and another source. Now we're going to create the inforgraphics step 4. When you are ready to create your infographic open Adobe Spark, Canva, or another program of your choice. It is recommended that you use one of the available templates, the software. This will save you significant amount of time in creating the infographic. It will also ensure the readability and view ability of your infographic. You are welcome to create something original. However, this is recommended only for individuals who have advanced knowledge of color theory and graphic design. Mixing certain color types, such as red and green or red and black, make texts unreadable. Select a template which you think your content will transfer to easily. Replace the existing text in the template with your own and changed out the graphic for ones that tie more strongly to your content. When adding quotes, graphics, or other data to your infographic, be sure to clearly identify the source word k. Simply adding a citation at the bottom of the page is not an appropriate way to cite a source and will result in the loss of points. We should also acknowledge the program where the template came from as part of the citations. Once your infographic it's complete, you can download a copy and submit it to Canvas. And you're done. Infographics are an innovative and effective way to convey ideas that will help your intended audience grasp the content. These take practice but will help you with your communication. The idea is in the future.