Category: edci337-blog

Over the past week, I had the opportunity to delve into the key concepts of multimedia and how it may be implemented in an academic setting. With the introduction of topic 3, we first looked at what the multimedia learning principles are, and how they were developed. The 12 principles were first introduced by Richard E. Mayer, who wrote “The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning” and discussed various ways in which you can make multimedia learning more effective (Mayer, 2014). As stated during lab 3, Rich McCue brought up the fact that “a couple of these multimedia principles can be contradictory” (McCue, June 11, 2020) and those specific circumstances require different applications of these principles.

In Dr. Ray Pastore’s Youtube video, I found it interesting that he chose to present his understanding of multimedia learning, yet ignored many of the principles he said were important. He ignored three very critical principles:

1. “Modality principle: People learn better from graphics and narration than from graphics and printed text.” (Pastore, August 18, 2020)

2. “Redundancy principle: People learn better when the same information is not presented in more than one format.” (Pastore, August 18, 2020)
3. “Embodiment Principle: People do not necessarily learn better when the speaker’s image is on the screen.” (Pastore, August 18, 2020)

In topic 3, were we asked to watch the video above and incorporate Sketchnoting, where you combine words and images to take notes about a particular topic (McCue, June 9, 2020). This is a non-digital form of using a multimedia tool to benefit the learner and incorporates the following principles: “multimedia, modality/split attention, redundancy, signalling, spatial and temporal contiguity, signalling, and interactivity affect”. If you view the image below, you can see how I used images to support the terminology I needed to understand. I found that using sketch notes for this video allowed me to summarize the key parts of the video without writing down word-for-word what was being said. As someone who often writes notes word for word, this format is a time saver and will help me store the information in my memory better.

My first attempt at Sketchnoting.

Another example of a multimedia design we discussed was the use of HP5. I have shared the link to the video I created from the lab on Thursday. I had a bit of trouble originally working with HP5, but I think with more practice, this could be a very beneficial tool to use in the classroom!

– Ms. G 🙂

Mayer, R. (Ed.). (2014). The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139547369

McCue, R. (2020, June 9). EDCI 337 Lab: Sketchnoting [YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxySeAj_GJs

McCue, R. (2020, June 11). EDCI 337 Lab 3: H5P – Create interactive content, Interactive Videos, Games, Quizzes & more [YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6D52JyrHAc&feature=youtu.be

Pastore, R. (2018, August 16). What is Multimedia Learning? What is Multimedia? [YouTube]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-sknUVq1mk

Welcome to my EDCI 337 blog! I hope everyone enjoyed reading about my experience in EDCI 336, and I am excited to advance my technological understanding throughout this course. Before today, I had no idea what the term “multimedia learning” referred to. Over the next few weeks, I hope to gain a better understanding of multimedia learning and how we as educators can utilize it to support students. I think I am most apprehensive about using Microsoft as a platform for the course. I have always used Apple products and my experience with Microsoft is limited to Word. However, I am open to this new experience as it will only benefit my understanding of technology. 

After listening to Rich McCue speak about interactive/multimedia learning (along with the assigned readings), I began to consider where I have seen these forms of learning used in my own educational experience.  It reminded me of my French 10 class in high school, where our teacher had us watch music videos from popular French artists and we were asked to translate the songs and discover their meaning. One thing that made this a more enriching experience was by supporting our auditory and visual skills. When he played the videos, he provided us with a printed out copy of the lyrics. By doing this, we could use the words and images to help piece together the meaning of the song. I feel this is an excellent example of combine multiple mediums enriches the experience for the learner. This is the ultimate goal of all teachers.

In the first chapter of Mayer’s The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning, “Introduction to Multimedia Learning”, the author discusses the difference between technology-centred and learner-centred interactive learning. I believe it is critical to distinguish between these two approaches as one focuses on adapting the learner to the tech where the other adapts the tech to the learner. In a world of evolving technology, I understand the struggle to keep up to date with the newest programs and apps. I feel that is would be more beneficial to students to take the “learner-centred” approach where the teacher chooses the tech that will best support their learning experience. For example, if you are want to develop students’ literary skills, as well as teach them introductory coding, a program such as “Scratch” would be an excellent tool to use.

If you are new to multimedia learning like I was, I recommend watching the youtube video below that quickly describes what it is, and gives an example to put it into a real-life perspective!

– Ms. G 🙂