Multimedia and Graphics to Facilitate Deeper Learning

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Week 1: Introducing Multimedia

Outline

  • Multimedia is presenting both pictures and words
  • People learn better from words and pictures than from words alone
  • Dual Channel: humans have two different processing channels for visual and auditory materials
  • Limited Capacity: learners have a limited capacity for processing information from each channel
  • Active Processing: learners must actively engage in the process of learning by selecting and organizing information, then integrate it with prior learning. Active processing results in deeper learning

 

Note: The multimedia in these presentations may take a minute to fully load after they appear before they will play properly. I uploaded these to a server rather than a video sharing site to retain user control of the progression of the slides.

 

Introduction to Multimedia

 

 

 

Additional Materials

 

 

 

 

 

What is your experience with the impact of multimedia on learning? What do you think the attributes of effective multimedia are? Do you feel that most educational multimedia is well designed to improve learning?

Task Discussion


  • Liz Renshaw   March 19, 2012, 8:56 p.m.

    Just wondering if anyone has used any tools to turn video clips to comics.? Any ideas please?

  • Steve O'Connor   March 20, 2012, 4:35 p.m.
    In Reply To:   Liz Renshaw   March 19, 2012, 8:56 p.m.

    I don't know of any such application. Does such exist?

  • Liz Renshaw   March 21, 2012, 1:07 a.m.
    In Reply To:   Steve O'Connor   March 20, 2012, 4:35 p.m.

    www.kurzweilai.net
    “Movie2Comics” software can generate comics automatically, including comic panels of different sizes, positioning word balloons, and rendering movie
     
    I picked it up on FB and was just wondering if anyone had done any earlier work in the area.  Thanks
  • Liz Renshaw   March 18, 2012, 1 a.m.

    Do you feel that most educational multimedia is well designed to improve learning?

    Generally speaking no, I think that people using multimedia are more focused on the content and using the media as an informational tool. There is scant attention paid to the principles raised in these articles. I dont think that people give the design elements much consideration however in some contexts this situation is changing as people work in multi skilled teams with designers of learning resources.

    My experience, inside the walls of an organisation, has shown me that open source resources provide fantastic potential for teachers to create educational multimedia that really could facilitate deep learning.but ....organisations act to restrict, control and limit access for teachers and students alike. For instance Moodle is a great platform but confined within institution walls, teachers really only have access to about 50% of the features.

  • Steve O'Connor   March 18, 2012, 9:19 a.m.
    In Reply To:   Liz Renshaw   March 18, 2012, 1 a.m.

    I have to agree about practitioners focusing on content rather than the suitablity of the resources for learning. The principles outlined in Mayer's work are equally valuable to those evaluating multimedia as to those who design multimedia.

    I generally create most of my multimedia at home because there are no restrictions on access. In my school things actually got better in that they now allow teachers greater access while maintaing greater control over student access. 

  • Liz Renshaw   March 17, 2012, 2:50 a.m.

    This is a good topic as I've been engaged in a 36 week online course called Change11 and I've seen it all- in terms of online presentation styles.

    So what has had the most impact for me is the presentations of Martin Weller. He uses the media to assist learners to make deep connections with the issues. I felt he used his powerpoint presentation to great effect. It followed the coherence principle in that there is NO extraneous material, Continuity principle in that the words did correspond directly to images and were next to the them and the signalling principle in that his material was exceptionally clear and well organised. So for me, it ticked all the right boxes. Interestingly I have not come across these principles previously but Weller's work had massive intuitive appeal to me.

    So I have been very guilty over the years of producing excruciating powerpoint presentations with sufficient bullets to equip a whole army. Death of powerpoint seems to be a worldwide disease which courses like this can hopefully help to eradicate.! 

  • Liz Renshaw   March 17, 2012, 2:45 a.m.

    Has the intro to multimedia first video got sound.. .just checking where the problem might be.?

     thnkx

     No sound, but not to worry as was able to get the gist from the slides.

  • Steve O'Connor   March 17, 2012, 11:41 a.m.
    In Reply To:   Liz Renshaw   March 17, 2012, 2:45 a.m.

    It takes a little while to fully load depending upon your Internet connection. Has the proplem persisted?