Multimedia allows teachers to go a step further with students. Instead of just reciting back information, students can get a deeper understanding of concepts. Daley writes, "One 'creates' and 'constructs' media rather than writing it, and one 'navigates' and 'explores' media rather than reading it," (Daley, 36). Literacy has definitely taken on a new meaning since the explosion of technology. It is a required skill that almost all job applicants are proficient in some aspect of computers. Due to this, it is important for students to learn and understand multimedia and how it can be used.
I have a lot of experience using multimedia in an education sense. I have taken many of my graduate classes through eCollege and while it is very different than a traditional classroom environment, that is not a bad thing. It gets students to communicate with one another and collaborate on ideas to create projects. Instead of just listening to a teacher lecture, online courses forces students to read material and actively participate in class discussions. Daley adds the point that previous work presented by students was kept private, only for the student and teacher to see. With multimedia, however, students are able to share their work with whoever they want. I took a class last semester called ePortfolio which was basically to make an online portfolio of our best work. This was a way to stand out on the internet in an attempt to attract potential employers.
I definitely think students should be encouraged to work with multimedia. Besides the value of learning, students are In a 2010 study conducted by Tariq M. Khan, children with learning disabilities benefitted from using multimedia in the classroom. By incorporating multimedia in the classroom this could be an opportunity for students who may not learn as fast as their peers a chance to shine. It can help students who are not strong writers, be able to express their ideas to their peers and others.
Daley, E. (2003). Expanding the Concept of Literacy. Educause, 33-40.
Khan , T. M. (2010). The effects of multimedia learning on children with different special education needs. Retrieved January 26, 2017, from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042810007305
Hi Ashleigh! Thank you for sharing these insights. As a student who has participated in a number of graduate programs at different schools, I was really interested in what you wrote about students being distracted by technology in class. When I was in my masters program, no one in my class used technology to take notes. Everyone was focused on the professor unless they were doodling in their notebooks. However, I could see this as an issue in my last program at Rutgers. 99-100% of students used laptops or iPads to take notes. It was incredibly common to look around the room and find students multitasking between browser windows if not completely being shut off from class. I think this is an issue that educators need to take into consideration. Modern students are drawn to technology and multimedia, so incorporating them as a part of lessons is less of a suggestion and more of an imperative to increase engagement and information retention.
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That is a really good pint that you bring up. With all of the benefits that come from using multimedia in the classroom, it is important to consider any consequences that come along with it. The use of technology is so engage, as you mentioned, it can lead to students being distracted or losing focus. I know sometimes schools have certain sites banned, or a program that shows everyones screens. Do you think there any efforts that the teacher can do to prevent this from occurring?
DeleteI think your example about student engagement while listening to a lecture vs. watching a video is really interesting, particularly because I personally have the opposite experience. In classes, when teachers show videos, I am often at my most distracted, and look for ways to multitask, which can result in me being off-task. I agree that using technology now is am imperative, but I think it's better to use it in the meaningful ways you mentioned, where students are collaborating and creating rather than passively watching. Technology empowers students to be part of the process, and I'm not sure showing a video is the best way to harness the power of participatory culture.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashleigh!!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you regarding the way students are paying attention to lectures in college nowadays. Over my time of being an undergraduate student at Rutgers I have seen a drastic change in both the students and professors approach to the use of technology within lectures. My professors who are of the 21st century, tend to not allow technological devices to be out in their lecture halls while my professors from older time periods tend to not have a say about technology and recommend for students to decide on the method that works best for them. However, these are the classes where students are sidetracked by everything else on their laptop other than taking notes. Additionally, I have tested out taking notes on the computer and also taking notes by hand. I have discovered that by being able to take notes by hand I have had a better understanding of the information, whereas, when I type my notes, I tend to not understand what it is that I am typing.
I like that you mention the concept that multimedia allows teachers to go a step further with students. In the school that I did my student teaching in there was a third grade teacher who was in the middle of teaching a lesson to her students about bees. Rather than her just reading books to the students and having them do research she skyped with her fiancé who was a bee keeper. I was intrigued when I entered her classroom when this was happening. The students were so engaged with asking questions it helped me see just what multimedia can do for a student’s learning.
Overall I really enjoyed reading your post it really helped to emphasize why it is important to incorporate multimedia into lessons in the classroom!
AShleigh!
ReplyDeleteI have noticed the media and visual texts engage my students far more than traditional text! I work with struggling readers and writers and they are often engaged with visual text which is why I use it so often but once students receive traditional text they are immediately disengaged! I have not quite figured out a solution yet as this is something that I still Face!
Multimedia does allow students to go a step further cognitively however sometimes I wonder how can I incorporate Multimedia with the traditional writing. Ultimately students still have to complete standardized exams, they still have to write a 4-5 paragraph synthesis paper and a literary analysis paper for the Common Core English Exams. My question to you or anyone would be : To what Extent can Multimedia be used to help students excel in mastering Common Core Exams? Sometimes I wonder if students would be more engaged in typing an essay as opposed to hand writing an essay. I think if students were to format their writing or maybe they can work collaboratively on an essay they can perhaps enjoy the notion of typing on the computer.
Hi Ashleigh,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate hearing your prospective on multimedia in the classroom. I had not even considered this aspect but you are completely correct. For myself, if I have my computer open, I can spend forever just messing around. If I just sit at my desk with the readings, I get right to them and remain more focused. How can we expect students not to be tempted to fiddle around just like I tend to? I am sure that becomes increasingly challenging as students get older and more savvy.
As far as using eCollege and online classes I have mixed feelings. I have taken online, hybrid, and classes in person and each has something different to offer. I have also had classes where the teacher uses a Wiki instead of eCollege. That way students have the ability to contribute to the class wiki and it is a little more student driven (much like Google+) but more of a website with different pages as opposed to the newsfeed we have on Google+. My only hesitation with online classes is that is hard to get to know your peers. Yes, we all comment on posts and created introductions. But you are not sitting next to someone in a classroom and sharing more personal interactions. I have really enjoyed the experience of hybrid classes. On the other hand, I have now moved and would not be able to take this class in person.
Thanks for sharing!