Category: edci337-blog

Assignment #3: Core Multimedia Principles

On November 5, 2022

In edci337, edci337-blog, Interactive and Multimedia Learning

Hi everyone! My multimedia project is an interactive learning resource I created for EDCI 335 in the summertime. This interactive learning resource is about stress, and the goal of this resource is to teach children ages 11-14 (middle school-aged) about stress and how to manage it. Essentially, these resources strive to educate middle school-aged students about stress and coping techniques to help increase their overall emotional intelligence and well-being. Throughout the remainder of the blog post, I will list the issues of my original learning resource and how I corrected them in my improved learning resource based on the concepts we have learned throughout this course.

Here is the original slideshow presentation:

EDCI-335-ILR-Before Download

Here is the updated and improved slideshow presentation:

EDCI-335-ILR-After Download

Here are the links directly to the Google documents to see the speaker notes:

Before: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15BOZdsNDUOfaF219rKEYi2XM1VTYVWhZLxXhA1oOaNQ/edit?usp=sharing
After: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PEq3z9qgj3f7Q_OrA_61caM8-BMVdEtTYi4WdyNSy9Y/edit?usp=sharing

To begin, I used the SECTIONS model to identify the issues in my multimedia learning object. The SECTIONS tool is an analytical approach that involves asking questions about who your students are, the accessibility of the multimedia tool, the costs of creating the tool, whether your tool is a good way to teach your chosen material, whether the tool promotes interaction, the organization to the resource, the networking opportunities within the resources and overall security for the users (Bates, 2019). Using this strategy, I could see my resource from a different perspective, allowing me to see the weaknesses of my resource, such as colour contrast, font, learning outcomes, making full use of the program of choice, and activities.

You will first notice that the colours do not contract well; therefore, it is very hard to see the content on these slides. According to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, based on Cognitive Load Theory, it is essential to ensure there is enough contrast between the text colour and the background to ensure that those can easily view and access the information (CAST, 2018; Hendricks, 2016). Using colours high in contrast and that are not red and green ensures that the resource is accessible to those with colour blindness. Further, according to Cognitive Load Theory, using colours high in contrast will help learners focus on the key information without overloading their senses (Hendricks, 2016). In my updated learning resource, I have chosen high-contrast colours that are not susceptible to colour blindness; thus, the slides are easy for everyone to read and focus on.

Also, various fonts, such as all capital fonts on slides 4 to 6, make it hard to focus on the critical information on the slide. According to the Signalling and Coherence principles, it is essential to ensure that the most important thing on our slide is the most prominent and to use contrast to move the audience around the information on the slide (Mayer, 2014). Therefore, in the improved version of my learning resource, I have changed the fonts and rearranged the spacing between some of the elements on various slides, mainly slides 4 to 6.

Diving into the slideshow’s content, the presenter jumps straight into the topic without any welcome, introduction, or setting out the learning expectations. According to the planning decisions at the core of instructional design, It is important that students know the learning outcomes or objectives so that they can attend to the key information throughout the lesson (Kurt, 2015). In the updated version of my multimedia learning object, I have included an introduction of the topic and the learning outcomes, which are aligned with the assessment activities throughout the overall design. Overall, this adheres to instructional design principles and Mayer’s Coherence principle (all information fits together like pieces of a puzzle; Kurt, 2015; Mayer, 2014).

This slideshow is for the teacher to use to present to the students; however, there are no speaker notes. Speaker notes are helpful tools for the presenter to leave ideas and key points they must bring up in addition to the slides and essential questions that need to be asked. According to the Redundancy principle, it is important that instructors do not read text directly off the slide; instead, the audience should read it (Mayer, 2014). Speaker notes can be utilized to include what you want to say in a different way than what is already on the slide. Therefore, in the improved version of my learning resource, there are speaker notes included on all the slides, where necessary.

There are various activities in this slideshow; however, some of these activities, such as the class discussion, the essay, or the think, pair, share activity, may not be accessible to all learners.

The class discussion asked students to share their experiences of stress; however, this may be traumatic or triggering for some students. Mental health is always a complex topic to address in the classroom, as not everyone is always kind. Therefore, in the updated version of my learning resource, I included speaker notes and visual reminders for students to be kind and respectful.
The activity for module three, to write an essay about eustress and distress, is very prolonged and excessive. It’s best to use smaller, more informal assessment forms to ensure student learning and understanding. In the updated version, you will see I have completely changed this activity to a compare and contrast chart on the differences between eustress and distress. This activity will help increase student engagement and interaction, thus promoting active learning and adhering to Merrill’s principle of Engagement (Mathers, 2017; Merrill, 2002).
Notes should also be included on how the teacher can work to modify the activity if it is not going as planned. For example, the think, pair, share activity may be challenging to complete this activity. Therefore, in the updated version of my slides, I have included speaker notes on how the teacher could modify the activity.

In addition, in the original resource, there are no other sources of media for students to learn from. According to Mayer’s Multimedia principle, it is essential that students have multiple forms of information to ensure they understand the material (Mayer, 2014). Therefore, I have included multiple brief videos relating to each topic to help enhance student understanding.

Overall, I believe the changes I made to my multimedia learning object would effectively increase knowledge transfer in prospective students based on multimedia learning principles and related learning theories we have learned throughout this course.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed it 🙂

Amelia

References

Bates, T. (2019). Teaching in a Digital Age – Models for media selection. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/chapter/9-1-models-for-media-selection/

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Hendricks, D., (2016, April 17). Cognitive load theory, how do I apply it? YouTube. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stJ-MkTgRFs

Kurt, S. “Instructional Design Models and Theories,” in Educational Technology, December 9, 2015. Retrieved from https://educationaltechnology.net/instructional-design-models-and-theories/Dr. Serhat Kurt, Instructional Design Models and Theories. Sept 28, 2022.

Mathers, B. (2017). Wikipedia – Active vs Passive learning.https://bryanmmathers.com/wikipedia-active-vs-passive-learning/CC-BY-ND (images for Active/Passive Learning interactivity)

Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2014). Principles for Reducing Extraneous Processing in Multimedia Learning, from The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp 279 – 315
Merrill, M. D. (2002). First Principles of Instruction. ETR&D, 50, 3. pp. 43-59.

Blog Post #8: Active and Passive Learning

by ariehl

On October 30, 2022

In edci337, edci337-blog, Interactive and Multimedia Learning

This week we learned about active and passive learning. To set the stage, active learning is when students actively engage with the course material, whereas passive learning is when the student is responsible for absorbing all the material themselves (Mathers, 2017).

In the reading “To Learn, Students Need to DO Something” by Jennifer Gonzalez (2018), various issues about students actively learning in classrooms were presented. One overarching issue that was presented throughout this reading was that teachers forget to incorporate tasks for students to meaningfully process and apply the material (Gonzalez, 2018). However, there were various other issues that were causing this issue, such as the amount of documentation teachers are required to complete, the cycle of test taking, and the lack of time allotted for teachers to prepare a lesson (Gonzalez, 2018). To combat these issues, Gonzalez suggested activities to enhance the use of active learning. These suggestions included sorting, kinesthetic, work, discussion, graphic representations, writing to learn, mini projects, anticipation, guides, quality, note-taking, retrieval practice, and collaboration (Gonzalez, 2018). Many activities were suggested; therefore, I will only address a few that I found particularly interesting and would like to implement in a classroom someday.

This is a diagram comparing active and passive learning.

First, I find kinesthetic work to be an exciting activity to use with students. Kinesthetic work can range from doing short skits to creating visual representations of the material, such as models out of Play-Doh or popsicle sticks. An example of this work I have experienced throughout my education is building models of buildings or bridges. For example, when I was in middle school, we completed a unit on monumental buildings throughout the world, and as our final project, we were tasked to create a model representing this structure. My monumental building of choice was the twin towers in New York City; therefore, I created a large model of the twin towers and surrounding buildings. Creating this model, I had to research what each part of the twin towers was used for to label them. Overall, this activity increased my overall knowledge and understanding of the twin towers! It was a very fun and effective active learning experience.

Here is a fun video for more examples of kinesthetic work!

Second, group discussion is a very meaningful way to actively learn the material from one another. Group discussion is a way in which I find I learn best, and it’s very easy for teachers to implement in a classroom. For example, to use group discussion as an activity for active learning, teachers simply need to give students discussion prompts and tell them to discuss for a few minutes. It is a very quick and easy activity to implement in a classroom; however, it could be difficult to grade. To easily grade a discussion, the teacher could simply give completion or participation marks rather than grades on the content of the discussion. Another way to easily grade a discussion is to have the group write a summary of what was discussed. Overall, a discussion is a powerful and meaningful tool to enhance active learning.

Here is a useful infographic on the advantages and disadvantages of group discussion.

The last strategy Gonzalez (2018) presented in her article that I will discuss is retrieval practice. Retrieval practice is when students are asked to recall information to help them increase their understanding. Retrieval practice is relatively easy to implement in a classroom, as an instructor can do so by asking lots of questions. In a lesson plan, it’s really important to include the types of questions you will ask so that you won’t forget to ask them. Questions are an essential and important part of learning as it helps guide student learning, show students what they are expected to know, and help the teacher judge how well their students are learning the material. There are many ways retrieval practice can be built into a lesson, and questions it’s just one of them. Teachers can also plan activities, such as review activities to complete at the beginning of one class to review the material that was presented in the last class. In fact, this is a strategy that I have used in my past teaching experiences. I find that retrieval practice helps solidify student learning, so they feel confident with the material.

For more information on retrieval practice, click here!

Overall, active learning strategies are vital for meaningful and effective student education.

I hope you enjoy 🙂

Amelia

References

Mathers, B. (2017). Wikipedia – Active vs Passive learning.https://bryanmmathers.com/wikipedia-active-vs-passive-learning/ CC-BY-ND (images for Active/Passive Learning interactivity)

Gonzales, J. (2018). To learn, students need to do something. Cult of Pedagogy. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/do-something/

Blog Post #7: My Experience Using the SECTIONS Model

by ariehl

On October 25, 2022

In edci337, edci337-blog, Interactive and Multimedia Learning

This week in EDCI 337, we learned some neat techniques to evaluate multimedia, such as SECTIONS and TPACK!

I applied some of these strategies to my own multimedia and had an exciting experience! I enjoy creating videos with my blog posts because it’s fun and makes my blog more personal and accessible. However, I sometimes wonder if my videos meet the needs of those who view my blog or if I’m wasting my time and resources. Bates (2019) created the SECTIONS model, and here is what the acronym stands for:

Here is a poster I made summarizing the SECTIONS model.

In applying the SECTIONS concept to my blog, I determined that including videos in my blog is not a waste of my time or resources. Here is specifically what I found:

S – My viewers are university students who are often tired of reading, so my videos allow them an opportunity to complete their school work while giving their eyes a break.

E – My blog is easy to use. I am technology illiterate, and if I can navigate my blog, I believe a monkey could navigate my blog. I have purposefully designed my blog site to be clean, organized, and easy to navigate

C – Below Average is free for both me and users to use; however, creating these blog posts takes me a while to do well, but they do not take much time for viewers to read through my blogs.

T – Topics are based on education for the purpose of education, and therefore my blog has an appropriate teaching function

I – The comment tool on each blog post allows for interaction between myself and the reader. However, to leave a comment, one needs an OpenEd account.

O – Each blog post contains various links to free resources on the internet. This includes links to news articles, pictures, scholarly articles, videos, and other websites.

N – My comments tool allow blog users to connect and check out one another’s blog sites.

S – My blog promotes privacy and security, as those who leave comments can choose to do so anonymously or with the username attached to the comment.

As I was applying the SECTIONS tools to my blog and learning what exactly it was, I found that it relates to Universal Design for Learning principles (UDL). A UDL “is a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn” (CAST, 2018). A UDL employs guidelines such as a UDL must offer multiple means of engagement or motivation, multiple means of representation of information, and multiple means of action and expression (allowing students more than one way to interact with the material (CAST, 2018). However, in order for students to be engaged, have multiple formats of information and have more than one way to interact with the material, the lesson needs to be inclusive. To be inclusive, a UDL must consider what students want to learn and how they want to learn, which pertains to “S” in SECTIONS. For a UDL to be accessible to learners, it must be easy to use and promote interaction, per the “E” and “I” of the SECTIONS tool. Essentially the SECTIONS tool and UDL utilize various strategies and evaluation techniques in order to optimize a learning environment to further promote learner success and inclusion.

Visit this website to learn more about UDL.

Further, there are some more learning strategies ad theories embedded within the SECTIONS tool. For example, I find that the SECTIONS model is connected to other multimedia principles, such as the Engagement principle of Merrill’s Principles of Instruction (Merrill, 2002). The Engage principle states that “online learners [are encouraged] to engage with the [multimedia] content” (Merrill, 2002). This engagement can be done in various ways, such as individual or group brainstorming, reflecting, and discussion. Therefore, as Merrill’s Principle of Engagement promotes connecting with others for learning, so do “I” and “N” of the SECTIONS tools.

This is a brief video on Merrill’s Principles of Instruction.

A constraint in using the SECTIONS tool is that it can be difficult to use for evaluation purposes. For example, I had a difficult time assessing my blog for organizational issues and privacy and security issues. These concepts and suggestions are rather broad and, therefore, can be difficult to apply, especially if you do not know what you are looking for. Another downfall of the SECTIONS model is that it does not take into account all factors that are necessary to consider when evaluating a multimedia tool. For example, SECTIONS does not consider your own specific circumstances, such as what resources are available to you to create a useful multimedia tool.

SECTIONS should be used as a tool in addition to other evaluative strategies, such as the TPACK framework, which “focuses on the dynamic relationship between technological knowledge (TK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), and content knowledge (CK) when integrating technology into a learning environment” (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). Also, when using the SECTIONS tool, it is important to consider your own circumstances and what is available to you to use and provide to your learners.

Visit this website to earn more about the TPACK framework.

Hope you enjoyed 🙂

Amelia

References

Bates, T. (2019). Teaching in a Digital Age – Models for media selection. https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/chapter/9-1-models-for-media-selection/

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Merrill, M. D. (2002). First Principles of Instruction. ETR&D, 50, 3. pp. 43-59.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for integrating technology in teachers’ knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108 (6), 1017–1054

Blog Post #6: Storytelling

by ariehl

On October 18, 2022

In edci337, edci337-blog

This week we learned about storytelling with video for learning! This is a widespread technique used in education settings, and a technique that I have often used when teaching.

A meaningful learning experience that started with a story was when I was in middle school, and we had a speaker named Robb Nash that came in to speak to our school about mental health. When Nash was 17, he was in a near-fatal car crash where he almost died. He was found not breathing with no pulse, and a first responder resuscitated him, saving his life. This traumatic event sparked Nash’s long battle with depression. Nash’s story is extremely emotional and terrifying to imagine being in his shoes. Further, to enhance his message and goal, Nash uses music to reach out to students and teachers. What made Nash’s story so impactful for me was how he described the event, how he felt, the sheer terror he felt in that car accident, and the sadness and grief he felt after surviving a car accident.

Robb Nash is from Winnipeg, Manitoba. His story is truly inspiring and tugs on the heartstrings. Click here to learn more about Robb Nash and the Robb Nash Project.

Ultimately, Nash’s goal in this presentation was to ignite the discussion about mental health and work towards ending stigma, but to do so, he used a few storytelling techniques that we reviewed this week, such as using a conversational tone and making the presentation powerful and accessible. Nash’s conversational style was friendly and enthusiastic, creating an environment that viewers couldn’t take their eyes off; his story encapsulated everyone. This use of conversational tone is Mayer’s Personalization Principle (Mayer, 2005). Further, Nash went as far as to include a PowerPoint with captions displayed and had an ASL signer to ensure his presentation was accessible to everyone, thus following Universal Design for Learning guidelines (CAST, 2018).

I made this video to share a little bit more detail on the Robb Nash presentation and the strategies he used.

I hope you all enjoyed the read 🙂

Amelia

References
“About UDL” from CAST (2018)http://udloncampus.cast.org/page/udl_about

Mayer, R., & Mayer, R. E. (Eds.). (2005). The Cambridge handbook of multimedia learning. Cambridge university press

Blog Post #5: Principles of Instruction and Instructional Design

by ariehl

On October 10, 2022

In edci337, edci337-blog, Interactive and Multimedia Learning

Hi everyone! This week we learned about Merrill’s first principles of instruction, instructional design, and lesson planning. I wanted to discuss Merrill’s principles and how I would use them.

There is a scenario that immediately comes to mind where I have used Merrill’s principles of instruction. I am currently a visiting student at Athabasca University taking education courses, and for one class, I had to create a lesson plan and teach the lesson plan. The lesson was on globalization and how we can track where our T-shirts have been before arriving at our doorstep.

Click here for more on Merrill’s Principles of Instruction and this infographic.

The learner and I engaged in solving this real-world problem about how globalization affects our everyday lives and how we wouldn’t have the things we do without globalization. The learners’ knowledge about importation and exportation was activated and served as a foundation for new knowledge about globalization (Greenwood, 2019). The learner and I then explored an interactive documentary, “Planet Money Makes a T-Shirt,” by National Public Radio (2013). The learner applied this knowledge to a quiz I had prepared for them (Greenwood, 2019). Throughout the documentary, I had the learner track every place the T-shirt visited before arriving at their doorstep by tracing lines between the locations on a map, thus integrating the new knowledge into the learners’ world (Greenwood, 2019).

This is my instructional design example!

As Merrill (2002) suggested, more than only media and multimedia is needed to promote learning. It requires activation, demonstration, and application, which I used in the planned lesson.

Lesson planning is an essential part of effective teaching. It is vital to create a lesson plan by considering your plan’s big ideas, learning outcomes, evidence of learning, assessment, and learning activities (Kurt, 2015). Considering these five items will help you create a lesson plan that is easy for you to follow and understand while teaching as it progresses. In addition, creating a plan will help ensure that your lesson includes the curriculum you intend to teach. Lesson planning also enables teachers to go back and review their lessons and consider what worked well, what didn’t work well, and what they would change for next time.

I hope you enjoyed the read 🙂

Amelia

References

Greenwood, J. (2019, December 19). Merrill’s first principles of instruction. James Greenwood. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.james-greenwood.com/instructional-design/toolkit/merrill/

Merrill, M. D. (2002). First Principles of Instruction. ETR&D, 50, 3. pp. 43-59.

National Public Radio. (2013). Planet money makes a T-shirt. NPR. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://apps.npr.org/tshirt/#/title

Blog Post #3: Inclusive Design and Universal Design in Media and Multimedia Learning

by ariehl

On September 26, 2022

In edci337, edci337-blog, Interactive and Multimedia Learning

This week’s topic is accessibility and equity. Accessibility and inclusion in learning environments are essential in media and multimedia design. As educators, we should continually seek out strategies for adding accessibility to our lessons so that inclusion is built into our media and multimedia learning design.

Inclusive design means that anyone can come together to learn, no matter their ability, beliefs, or ethnicity, can come together to learn. If an inclusive design were to be summed up into one word, it would be accessibility. Many principles and ideas we have explored in this course so far connect to inclusive design. For example, for a design to be inclusive, it must first be engaging, offer multiple presentations of materials, and must allow students to use their new knowledge—these are Universal Design for Learning guidelines (UDL) (Jungles & Patel, 2019). Continuing, for design to be inclusive, it must work to create effective and meaningful learning experiences that Merrill’s Principles of Instruction promote (Jungles & Patel, 2019). For example, Merrill suggests we must engage learners and their learning experience to reap the full benefits of the material (Merrill, 2002). Essentially, we must allow learners to engage with the content, create something based on the content, complete an assessment, or provide an opportunity for group work and discussion. Last but not least, for a design to be inclusive, It must be accessible to as many people as possible. For example, Mayer’s Multimedia Principle states that people learn better when information is presented in various ways, such as text, audio, visual, or physical (Mayer, 2014). Essentially, the more ways that material is presented, the more opportunities people have to learn (Mayer, 2014). For example, some people are not great at learning from pictures but may learn very well from completing a project.

Designs for learning should be made as designs for buildings are made—teachers are the engineers of education, just as engineers are the ones who build our buildings. Just as engineers must create safe structures, teachers must create learning designs and use learning approaches in media and multimedia learning in which students will be accepted and adhere to each of their needs.

To achieve inclusive design, we can explore and experiment with various tools, such as the Web Accessibility Evaluation tool (WAVE) and other tools, such as captions. The WAVE tool Is an evaluation tool to help authors, contact creators, and website designers create a more accessible environment for individuals with disabilities. For example, I used the WAVE tool on my last blog post, and here is some of the feedback: some of the colours were low in contrast, my video did not contain captions, and my sketchnote example would be difficult for someone to read as it includes fancy writing and would not work with text-to-speech tools. There are a host of other tools we can use to create a more inclusive design. For example, we can use captions on videos for those with hearing or processing impairments. Further, in text, we can utilize various fonts and effects, such as bold, italic, or underlined, to draw attention to important information. I love utilizing fonts and effects in my blog posts to draw attention to important information or notable quotes. Images can also be used in an inclusive design, as we can include an alt text describing the picture. I always provide an alt text describing the picture or video for all of the photos and videos I have in my blog posts. Providing an alt text helps those with reading impairments to use text-to-speech tools to ensure they have access to all the information they need to be successful. We must continuously work to recognize exclusion where it exists and work to correct this exclusion, which these tools help us accomplish.

Here is a video explaining a little bit more about my quote on teachers as engineers.

Inclusive design should not be mistaken for universal design. Inclusive design is “a methodology that enables and draws on the full range of human diversity. Most importantly, this means including and learning from people with a range of perspectives” (Vinney, 2021). In comparison, universal design is “the design of products and environments to be useable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design” (Vinney, 2021).

Click here for more on the differences between inclusive design and universal design. Click here for the link to this image.

Creating media and multimedia to suit every individual’s needs is challenging. However, when designed with universal design guidelines, the result is a single solution that can accommodate as many people as possible (Jungles & Patel, 2019). For example, we can work to create an inclusive design for a few learning disabilities, such as those with hearing impairments, and these additions, such as captions, can be extended and helpful to many. Universal designs are curated based on diverse characteristics, such as ability, age, gender, race and ethnicity, to serve as an accessible resource to as many people as possible (Jungles & Patel, 2019). When we try our best to think of our target audience, work to address the needs of our population, and employ ideas and concepts of multimedia learning and UDL, we will be well on our way to creating an inclusive learning environment and design.

I hope you all enjoyed 🙂

Amelia

References

Jungles, A., & Patel, C. (2019, June 24). What is universal design for learning?YouTube. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdmoBl3Z75I

Merrill, M. D. (2002). First Principles of Instruction. ETR&D, 50, 3. pp. 43-59.

Vinney, C. (2021, August 5). Universal vs. Inclusive Design: What’s the difference? Career Foundry. Retrieved September 26, 2022, from https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/universal-vs-inclusive-design/