Saturday, February 16, 2008
Week 6 Readings
I loved the article on Multimedia Paradox. It is so typical in education to jump on the latest band wagon and end up with cool stuff that no one can use. the author talks about the research questions focusing on the technology rather than the education content being taught. We have done this kind of things with curriculum, standards and tests to the point that I feel sometimes the students are just being shoved from one novel idea to another. In the last year the education department of the college in which I work has made several technological advances one of which was the addition of a smart board in class. As far as I know only a couple of people in the department use it a little and no one is using it to its fullest capacity. As a matter of fact the IT department told us we had to have it because they got a grant and them gave us a 2 hour training on the piece. It is a great tool for those who have spent the time to use it but the students are still using it as a projector screen which in the end would have been a cheaper purchase if that is all it is being used for. I guess in the end I agree with this author we really need to look at the students first and tailor the tools to fit their needs and abilities in new and creative ways.
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17 comments:
Like Carole, I also very much appreciated Multimedia Paradox. It did an excellent job of making me consider why there is a relative lack of research-based evidence into the efficacy of technology and multimedia-based learning, making the excellent point that "the medium (technology), message (content) and the messenger (presenter or teacher) are inextricably linked." This one statement complicated my very positive perception of one of last week's articles on learning and multimedia presentation techniques, and made me stop and consider it with a grain of salt. Even in a day-to-day context, it IS incredibly difficult to gauge whether medium or message or both is at work when evaluating tech-based instruction. It seems that striving for continuity, clarity, and excellence in both is key, which Mayer's research seems to reinforce.
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 would have been a good place to have used the "Did You Know" segment. There may not be proof that technology improves learning, but where will we be if we don't use it? I think this is the point of "Did You Know."
The Blue Ribbon Technology article is an example of an article that is always good to read. If I don't read information on what the new products in the field are how will we know that they are available. This article was from Teaching K-8 which is a great resource with another one being T.H.E. Journal. T.H.E. is free, you just need to apply for it online.
I agree with Dave in that none of the articles really stood out to me as better, or more informative, than any of the others. What I did appreciate was that two of the articles "Multimedia Paradox" and "Research on Multimedia", reinforced a belief that I have held for quite a while. It doesn't matter what kind of degree you have, what fancy technology you're using, or how smart you are - your ability to TEACH is what's going to help your students.
For example, during my undergraduate program, I endured a class called “Introduction to Education”. The instructor for this class had a doctorate in education, but he had never actually taught before! Here he was, in front of a classroom of education majors, teaching for the first time. No amount of technology could have saved him. He was a bad teacher and everyone knew it. I love using multimedia in my classroom. It’s a great way to show my students things that they will probably never see in real life. It’s a way to keep them interested and focused on the topic at hand. But, none of that will do any good if I’m a lousy teacher.
Another point that was made in both of these articles is that too much multimedia can be a very bad thing. We’ve all seen PowerPoint presentations that have so much animation, so many graphics, and so much “stuff” that we forget to pay attention to the actual topic of the presentation. Presentations such as these will not assist in the education process, it will, in fact, hinder it! This is a great reminder for teachers who use media in their classrooms. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing.
The article Multimedia Paradox was a very interesting piece. The points mentioned there remind me of another article I read which made the statement that technology and multimedia are just components of solutions to educational problems. Clearly technology in itself is not a boon to learning outcomes but rather it is the manner in which the technology is utilized that determines whether the learning experiences of students will be enhanced. Perhaps this debate on multimedia would be best served by research that will determine which ways multimedia can influence particular subject areas and particular students. such researh could then inform teachers on the appropriate ways to use technology effectively
I agree with Stanlyam. “The Multimedia Paradox” is an interesting article I read this week. “In Mayer's research is that students tested on their ability to ‘transfer’ information that had been presented to them multimedia-style showed a whopping 89 percent improvement in performance over traditional book-based methods. Broken down into categories, when text and graphics were combined in a teaching presentation, the students' transfer ability went up 68 percent; when the information was presented orally rather than read by the student, the transfer rate went up 80 percent.”
It seems better for using listening, speaking, reading and writing together to enhance preference of learning process.
For the media learning, the author “believes, because human beings receive and process information through two basic channels, verbally and visually, the advantage of using multimedia is that it ‘takes advantage of the full capacity of humans for processing information.’”
I also agree with author’s idea “used correctly, multimedia both improves information retention and understanding.”
I agree also. Sometimes it is hard to understand that just because the technology is there doesnt mean it needs to be used in the class. Technology doesnt work if it isnt used effectively. And some technolgy might be useful to instruct but if the person using it isnt using it correctly the message is lost to the students. Right now at OU-Z we have purchased the student response clickers and maybe 2 professors shows any interest in using them. Most professors has decided there is to much work involved in using SRC. I had also heard from somewhere that they are finding out the the SRC are not really very effective either. The students are not really involved in the instruction when the SRC are involved. We have spent all that money and I dont know if it will be put to good use or not.
I agree with the comments above. The teachers at my school have good intentions to use new technology and want to purchase new equipment, but then it sits unused.
In response to Multimedia Paradox, I disagree with the person who states that computers, projectors, document cameras, etc. in the classroom are just in a cycle. 90% of my 4th grade class goes home and uses a computer and the Internet for entertainment each day. I can't see kids "phasing out" technology in their personal lives, so why would educators stop using technology in their classrooms?
Hey anybody who needs to read more about Mayer can check out a book called "Instructional Design Theories", it has on onlne version too. He has put in a cool writing there. I now understand why his version of constructivism is different from others. He seems to put more emphasis on how to make the material being used in the teaching process to stand out so as to have a lasting impact on the memory of the learner. He emphasises stuff like using Bold, Underlining heading etc. By these leanings he seem to suggest that whatever creates lasting impressions on a learner is not so much from the medium through which that informtion is presented, but most importantly how it is presented.
I also enjoyed the multimedia paradox. It seems similar to other articles we've read in that the theme seems to be that it isn't the technology itself that should drive instruction. It talked about a company who simply put their text books online as being a traditional use of new technology. It really doesn't change much. It it the same information in a different format. In an instructional design project I am working on now, I am trying very hard not to simply put the same information in an online format. I think the fact that it is online necessitates a difference. Simply looking at slides is no more interesting than reading it from a text book, and certainly doesn't do much for higher order thinking skills.
As we use technology or encourage its use, its important that we don't use it just for the sake of using it, but that it has a very specific purpose for improving education.
The CrazyTalk program would be really cool in class … I can just imagine having Pythagoras actually explaining his theorem to the students instead of me … very fun! And it beats me having to dress up!
The research conducted on multimedia classrooms compared to traditional classrooms continues to reinforce that technology is a tool for instruction. It cannot replace quality instruction, only enhance it. I thought it was interesting that the only significant difference reported between the two classrooms was in how the instructor delivered the lesson. This helps to explain why a school system can have extensive resources and students can still be falling behind. It also helps to emphasize the need for instructors who genuinely care about the profession and keeping their skills updated. The Multimedia Paradox, again, seems to
link the power of technology with the presenter as well as the presentation. You still have to have something meaningful to say – the lights will only dazzle them for so long.
The research on multimedia projectors was something I have observed in my own high school. Our AV specialist cannot move then from room to room fast enough … and recently the push has been to get one in every room. The math department has written several grants and we now have projectors in every room assigned to our department. Between the projectors and SMARTBoards, the instruction looks very different from every last year. We are able to incorporate so many more applications – and especially in geometry, the students are really able in interact and explore properties of various shapes.
I have mentioned before that you can have all the technology available in the classroom, but that doesn't mean it isn't going to enhance learning. You need the right technology and a teacher who knows how to incorporate it into their classes. Having cutting edge technology does not mean you will have a great learning experience in class. It is imperative that teachers are trained well on the technology and how to incorporate it into their classrooms to be productive. I think with the right use of technology integration, it can be a great learning/teaching tool. I'm sure that you can find classrooms where teachers teach without it that are just as effective as those with it. It's finding a good combination of the two.
Week 6
As I was reading about the multimedia projectors, I just now thought about how much they are used. I had really never thought about it before. They were used so much during my undergrad and now in this masters program we use them all the time. I just got a job this week and I’m learning about how much I will use this tool. One of the charts on the pdf showed an outlook for equipment in the future. The TV ranks at the very top with 83% and the computer is at the very bottom with 14%. I feel this has changed greatly from the year 2002. The projector and computer will get used over and over until they come out with the next “big thing”.
Week Six-
I am with everyone else... Week 5&6 seemed closely related...
The Multimedia paradox was an eye opener... After reading it... I could see myself sitting in class at OU being hmmm.... MAD.... because our district doesn't provide the technology world to our students! I automatically want all the things that everyone mentions, without doing any research or caring why we might not have the equipment, software...ect
Another thing that came to mind is Data! If we as teacher, keep good notes and data- and record the things that take place in our classrooms, we could use the data to prove that technology promote a higher ratio of learning than does oral lecturing or other hands on activities... or could we?
I do agree with the fact that TOO MUCH MEDIA could be a bad thing. Kids like Adults... need a balance of things they are familiar with or know how to do. Ir is important to hold onto some of our "roots!"
I believe I oringally posted my comments for the readings for week six in the wrong area, so here it is again.
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!
I have now heard from others that they are nowhere near this quick. Oh well, it was nice to think it while it lasted :(
I too put mine in the wrong spot... Just to make sure I get credit for the posting here it is again.
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.
Multimedia Paradox
As other have stated in this blog (in different ways!), you can have all of the technology in the world; however, it’s how that technology is used is the key to providing the right environment for successful learning. I liked the statement Mayer makes in the paragraph under What is learning. Mayer states that “instead of adapting technology to fit the needs of human learners, humans were forced to adapt to the demands of cutting-edge technologies.” He states that “the solution is to adapt a “learner-centered” approach to multimedia that is consistent with the way the human mind works.” I agree with Mayer. If used correctly, multimedia (projectors, laptops, etc.) help to aid the visual and auditory learners to retain/process information into meaningful and understandable content. As instructors continue to use multimedia in the classroom, they should be cognizant of the appropriate and inappropriate ways to use it.
The Mulitimedia Paradox and multimedia projectors
I think that the question “Do kids learn more when there are computers in the classroom?” is a very interesting question and it is also difficult of answering. However this article discussed that the use of technology can produce good and bad education outcomes, but it is focused on the use of multimedia projectors and power points presentations. In my opinion the use of a projector or a power point is generally a way of supporting teaching with technology but it is not a real integration of technology in classrooms. I mean this kind of technology and uses of them can easily support teacher-centered education. To answer the question above thinking on a real integration of technology, thinking on the use of technology in learner-centered classrooms would be well worth doing.
As the multimedia projectors article says the projectors help a lot in a classroom. For example, a projector can avoid that students have to be crowd around one computer, instead of this; the entire class can view a big screen. But this article mentioned that multimedia projector can lead “alternative ways of teaching” and “change conventional habits and rituals in the classrooms”. As an example of this the author says that multimedia projectors can replace the chalkboard. This is not a real change or the type of change that is expected with the use of technology in the classrooms. To use a projector for teach a large group of students is, somehow, the opposite. The technology should help the teacher to individualized each student education instead of help them to teach larger groups as single unit. The integration of technology means something different and more similar to the experiences presented in the article of the week 5: “3D and far out”.
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