The multimedia projector has changed the way material is presented in the classroom. Everyone can now see presentations or video from the Internet without crowding around a screen. The projector also works far better than a TV (at least the ones available at my school) in terms of everyone being able to see. Colorful presentations are much more interesting to today's youth than the old chalk and chalkboard approach. It keeps them more engaged and more attentive which usually leads to increased rentention of the material.
I found it very interesting that this article was written in June 2002 and that 22% of educators and AV specialists predicted that multimedia projectors would be in every classroom within 5 years. It is past five years later and most rooms at my school do not have a multimedia projector, including my own.
I love how the company CDWG provides same day shipping on all hardware, software and peripherals (even custom orders). If I could only get all of my shipments that quickly!
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Yes, presentations are far more interesting than they used to be, but we need to keep in mind 2 things. 1)Are we simply presenting material or actually educating our students about it? 2)Is the technology driving the content or the other way around? Some people, myself included are so excited to use projectors to show off these wonderful and colorful presentations with all the bells and whistles. So for example (I'm stealing this example from a presentation I saw) you are talking about a math problem where you're trying to calculate the distance from home plate to 2nd base using a right triangle. You've got this wonderful picture of the infield with a little guy standing at home plate swinging his bat. As you explain the problem, that little guy is swinging his bat all along. YOu know you have that student in your room (maybe even more than one) that is sitting there wondering, "How long is that guy gonna swing that bat?" and totally missing the lesson. Yes projectors and such are wonderful tools, but we need to ensure that we're making good decisions about what we're displaying.
Ahhh...same day shipping from CDW-G??? I wish my purchase orders were processed that quickly. I completed a purchase order in mid October for some things ordered from CDW-G and the were delivered in mid December. The purchase order process in our district is so slow.
Ryan, I agree with you regarding the research that was conducted by Philips, and no wonder their projection of one projector per classroom by 5-years did not come to pass, even though we are now in 2008. This is because I think they did not approach their research in good faith. I think they saw an upcoming market and decided to go in and conduct this research so that they can develop products that will surpass their competitors' in classroom compatibility. With this profit mindset they failed to look at such areas as: who will fund the buying of these projectors? and whether there has been a watertight argument to back the need to go for state-of-the-art projectors (for all classrooms).
I believe that if they had read articles such as "The Multimedia Paradox" they would perhaps have been a little circumspect in their projection. Nonetheless, I think it was good for them to get to listen to the end users (teachers) so that they could design more user specific equipment.
Reading the Multimedia paradox seemed to have woken me from a slumber. I think it is true that we are currently putting so much premium on having multimedia equipment, and sometimes the latest of them that is it quite easy for us to forget why we even need them , a realization that may bring us back to start asking ourselves if we really need "what we need". I agree that improved media equipment are awesome, but I think we are gradually being drawn in to buying them not so much due to our faith in these equipment as it is about the marketing gimmicks that are being pulled on us, and this is evident in the technology marketing article we are reading for this week.
By the way, has anyone used the talking photo program before? I am thinking that if you can pull it into flash you can recreate history all over.
I feel like we've seen a recurring theme throughout many of the articles. Technology can enhance learning when used effectively. However technology alone does not improve learning. I think this fits with other posts I have made before. Since I have been in teaching a long time, I have seen this first hand. The latest greatest toy may not be the ticket to improved learning. However, how we use that toy can impact students. I like the way this was presented in the article. Although the reference to film strip projectors made me feel a bit old.
The articles for this week all did have a theme over all...that multimedia is not a panacea for teaching, but merely a tool that can be one of many that can help engage students into learning content. I think this is always important to keep in mind. I found all the research very interesting, feel that more should be conducted, and wonder (at the same time) how much more research is presently being conducted. The next three to "five years" will be very intriguing as far as seeing how much technology will really get integrated into the school systems and if it will get done in an equitable way for all schools.
I can see the dilemma schools run into, wanting very much to get ahead in equipping their schools with the best technology but still wanting to make sure that they are not at the same time losing focus and getting lost w/ what I've heard people say "techno hype"...On this note, one of my goals for the PD workshop I'm developing for EDCT 661 is to help teachers utilize the technology tools they already have within their classrooms.
I believe that if done the right way, integrating technology (multimedia)into the classrooms can be done in a way that keeps the standards in focus. A teacher should also constantly reflect and be open to feedback from students. The goal would be to inspire and engage the student, without overwhelming them and in turn losing their attention to what is most important in any given lesson.
There were several similarities in this week's readings. None of them stood out though above the rest. They reminded me of the saying that someone who is an expert isn't always a good teacher. For awhile, there was a movement to try and bring people who were established in their field into the the classroom. The problem seemed to be that just because someone knew a lot about their field didn't mean that they could convey or pass on that knowledge to others. I think the articles this week seemed to echo this idea. Just because you have the technololgy doesn't mean that the information will be conveyed or passed on to the student. The one article pointed to the difference that the teacher made in how they used the technology, not that the technology made the difference.
This week's readings were very interesting. I think it is difficult to separate the effectiveness of multimedia and the instructor. I'm sure there are lots of tech coordinators out there trying to find the perfect data to support buying this or that. But the unknown variable is the instructor. The multimedia can support the instruction but it can't replace it.
I had to grin when reading the "Quick and Dirty" article. It mentioned that the instructor is much more concerned with imperfections that the listeners is. The article suggested "record once and avoid editing." Maybe I should have read this article before working on the Camtasia Assignment. I started to get annoyed at the sound of my own voice.
I was interested in the Phillips article because last year I entered a newly constructed building. (I'm back in an old building, only one projector for the school)I used the projector for a very short time and the bulb went out. Unfortunately, the projectors at the school had so many problems that many of the teacher just stopped using the technology.
For the short time, I had a projector I loved using it. My students imidately missed having the projector. Although not all educators have projectors yet, I think it is certainly on its way.
We have about 10 projectors in our 6-12 building. I could not, or would hate to try anyway, with out a projector. I use it mainly to demonstrate software, I also use it as a traditional slide projector for my CP Art History class ...but at times I am tempted like Renea to make some fancy bells and whistles presentation. The trouble with that is that it takes a lot of time that could probably be better spent researching the actual material rather than "neat" graphics. I find that I change my material or presentation of the material so much that if I spend a lot of time on the presentation for one class it will be wasted because I will change it next year. Maybe it would be more practical if I was teaching a core subject that is not as flexible as my class is. Like most of my posts lately...moderation with a purpose is the key.
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