Multi-Media Learning Theory is something that can and should be used in all classrooms. I believe that by bringing in many different types of learning, it can better help student pick up and engage in their learning. Instead of standing in front of the class and lecturing about a specific topic, which many students would tune out and not pay attention to, using visuals, either photos, videos, or text can help the students to stay focused on what they are learning. However, it is important to not overwhelm student with too many different forms of media. I am hoping to teach grades 3 and 4 in the future, and I feel that introducing the Multi-Media tool H5P would be useful to have them interact with videos. However, getting students of this age range to attempt to use Screencast and H5P could become tricky. Because of the different levels of technological literacy these students may have, there could be large gaps in skill level. Therefore, if I decided to introduce these tools to my students for their own use, there would have to be many lessons leading up to this to help build their technological building blocks. However, I’m sure that a teacher of students in Middle and High School would benefit for their students using these tools on projects as another way to express their learning and interact with the teacher and other students.
Because we are in the age of emerging technology, there is a constant flow of new websites and ways that students can learn. However, not all students are able to quickly pick up new technological skill which can help their learning. Therefore, the use of Screencast can help students see a step by step process on how to navigate a new medium. Also, because Screencast has an interactive option, it allows educators to see if their students are engaging with the video and are paying attention to what is being shown on the screen. You can use Screencast to record anything on your screen and therefore, it is an extremely useful website to have. As see in my Screencast video below, I made a tutorial on how to make a Pinterest Board. While this video does not require any interaction with whomever is watching, I did add in some questions to see in the viewers were paying attention. Also, you are able to add links to the videos. This can be extremely useful for if you are needing students to go and try out what they have learned on the same website that you are working.
The Multi-Media Learning Theory provides educators with tools they can use to help their students engage in their learning both inside and outside the classroom. However, using too many of the tool at once can overwhelm the students short-term memory. Also, it is important to ensure that the medias that are being used align with what is being taught. If there are pictures on a powerpoint that do not correspond with what is being taught, it can cause students to become distracted. Therefore, when using different medias in the classroom it is important to ensure that you are enhancing your students learning instead of hindering it.
I really enjoyed your blog post Maya! I agree with the importance of using the multimedia learning theory in all classrooms. I think you made a good point suggesting that although useful, it may be challenging for younger grades to learn to how to use applications such as screen-casting and HP5. I believe that your choice of photo and use of framing text enhanced my learning. I thought your interactive video was really thorough and as a pinterest lover myself I found it interesting and easy to follow! I wonder if including a hyperlink or breaking up the text into smaller paragraphs could create a less lengthy read for the viewer? Overall I thought it was great and I look forward to following along on your journey as you learn the guitar.