Multimedia – An Opportunity not to be Missed!

“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison

“Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” – St. Francis of Assisi

I remember when I had my driving lesson last December I was scared to let go of the brake and step on the gas. I was afraid that I might hit on something or someone. But since my goal is to learn how to drive, I have to face my fear and follow what my instructor was telling me. I have to step out from my comfort zone for me to learn how to drive. After five sessions I managed to pass my driving lesson. If there’s one thing I learned from that experience is not to let my fear interfere with the opportunity to learn something new. As what St. Francis said “Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” Before my driving lesson, driving was something impossible for me to do. However after five days of learning how to drive I was able to do the impossible. I had the similar experience in this class. Before the start of this class, creating instructional materials would seem impossible for me. Some might say that I can just download from the web the procedures on how to create instructional materials. Yes that might true. However knowing the technicality in creating instructional material will not make it an effective tool. Having a knowledgeable person guide you in creating those materials will make a big difference. Aside from that having your peers evaluate your work will also make an impact on your material. Knowing what others have to say about your work will help you improve your material. The activities that we have in this class made me step out from my comfort zone. I have to unlearn some things for me to learn something new. Because of this class I became more optimistic about change. Now I can embrace change with little or no hesitation. We might view our assignments as challenges but in reality these are opportunities. If not for these assignments and activities we might not be able to discover what we can actually do. I’ve never thought that the time will come when I have to create a multimedia project. As I have mentioned before I’m not a techie person. I just know how to surf the net and use basic Office Programs. I might be familiar with iTunes and other online stores but that’s just it. I have no experience in creating multimedia software like HyperStudio, Hypermedia or interactive media. I might be familiar with PowerPoint but to a certain extent only. But because of our assignments I have to learn how to do these things and later on I was doing the impossible.

For our 6^th assignment I’ve decided to use PowerPoint, HyperStudio and Publishing Layout. I had fun making this assignment. I admit I encountered challenges along the way but that made my experience more meaningful. The “success” of finishing the project is sweeter because of the challenges attached to it. I’m not really a “follow the manual” type of person. I prefer to try things and see what will happen. I prefer to explore and test things than follow a step-by-step process. However in this assignment and my previous assignments I have to follow certain steps. I still explored the tools from time to time but I have to learn how to follow directions religiously. It can be challenging at times but once I got the hang of it became more manageable for me. Aside from following the steps I have to consider certain factors and guidelines. The discussions that we had for every module guided me when I do my assignments. Before taking PTC I’m intimated at rubrics. I felt restricted. I felt that my actions would be limited and controlled. However as I go along on my learning journey I just realized how helpful rubrics or any other assessment tool can be. It has become my partner as I do my tasks. It doesn’t really restrict the learner but it redirects your attention and focus to the things that are important. For example for this assignment one criterion in our rubric is grammar and spelling. With that in mind I have to ensure that my work will have no grammatical errors. I won’t be able to appreciate the essence of rubrics if not for the opportunities provided by my teachers. I thank them for that.

Our last assignment focuses on Multimedia. You might ask, what’s multimedia? Multimedia can be defined as an integration of multiple media elements (audio, video, graphics, text, animation etc.) into one synergetic and symbiotic whole that results in more benefits for the end user than any one of the media element can provide individually (http://cemca.org.in/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Section2.pdf). From the term itself multiple media. This means that it combines one or more types of media. Multimedia can be very powerful instructional material because it can appeal to many senses. However powerful doesn’t mean effective. Sometimes the combination of many media types can result to confusion among learners. One classmate of mine (Joseph Ryan Victoria) pointed out a good topic in terms of ineffective use of multimedia. He mentioned about the split-attention effect. This means that the person cannot process more than one media type simultaneously. He also mentioned about the redundancy principle. This means same type of information is presented in two media types. With these principles to consider teachers need to be careful when they incorporate multiple media in their instruction.

Certain factors need to be considered when we create multimedia. First we have to know our learners. What are their learning styles? What knowledge and skills they already have? What’s their demographic profile? These are some factors that we need to think of when we want to know our learners better. Next factor we have to consider is our lesson or topic. What will be the content of the material? Is multimedia the best resource for this content? We also have to consider the learning objectives and the outcomes we want to achieve. The resource should correspond to the learning objectives of our instruction. Will it support the teacher in meeting the learning objectives? We also have to consider the time, practicality and skills (teacher) when we plan to use multimedia in our instruction.

Let me share some guidelines in terms of using multimedia in the classroom.

• Prepare a class plan.
• Build in some flexibility.
• Use multimedia in creative ways.
• Provide clear navigational directions.
• Encourage learners to explore for learning.
• Provide opportunities for interaction.
• Must show that elements (text, audio, video, animation and graphics) complement each other and the instruction.
• Language and content must be appropriate for intended learners.
• Ensure there are no grammatical errors.
• Must be relevant and consistent with the instructional content.
• Content must be organized logically for better comprehension.
• Get the right equipment.
• Obtain good Multimedia Content — Legally.
• Have a backup plan in case of unseen technical problems.
• Include supplemental materials to help students concentrate on the instructional activity.
• Consider your presentation environment when planning to incorporate sound and video into your presentation.
• Provide students with adequate directions and instructions so they can complete lesson without “human” assistance.
• Design screens that are easy for the learner to follow and use throughout the lesson.
• Acknowledge sources. Be conscious of copyright and fair use policies when using materials from the Internet or other sources.

From these guidelines I want to concentrate on three things – Interactivity, Harmony of elements and Copyright. Interactivity can be interpreted in many ways. Based on what I’ve learned it can come from the material and the learners using it. Multimedia becomes effective when it can engage learners to interact and be part of the instructional process. It’s not just about clicking on any navigational buttons and asking them to do something. It’s more than that. What separates instructional multimedia from other types multimedia is its ability to actively engage students in the learning process. Animation, sounds and videos can be appealing to many senses however it doesn’t guarantee learning. We have seen many times how learning becomes more meaningful and beneficial for students when they engage themselves in the learning process. Another important guideline I want to elaborate on is the harmony of elements. Since multiple media will be used in instruction these elements should complement each other and not compete with each other. Using text with animation must be considered carefully as this may distract the learners. From the assignment I created, the teacher will be showing PowerPoint presentation throughout the discussion while the students use the HyperStudio program. The PowerPoint presentation serves as a guide to them while they navigate the HyperStudio program. When they see the topic of the slide being shown the students will know if they were on the right screen of the HyperStudio program. Sounds have been very minimal in my multimedia project because I don’t want students to be listening, clicking and watching at the same time. As much as possible I want them to focus on the task at hand. Within the HyperStudio program, they can click on their handout. If they think that they need to look at their handout they can just click it from any of the screens from the HyperStudio program. Lastly when using materials downloaded from the web or other sources, it’s important to include sources and consider copyright policies.

For this assignment I decided to use HyperStudio software. Wikipedia defines HyperStudio as a creativity tool software. It can be described as a multimedia-authoring tool, and it provides relatively simple methods for combining varied media. From my experience it’s easy to use most of the time. I just had challenges when I try to create animations and interactive objects. I guess I needed more time to get to know the software better. It lets you create your own animation or you can choose from their library. It also lets you insert your downloaded animations. There are several types of backgrounds and buttons to choose from. You can insert movies, videos or sounds. You can also choose from HyperStudio library or you can use other videos or sounds downloaded from the web. It will also let you open other applications or documents. It can also launch websites. Although it provides users with “how to videos” I tried exploring the software to know its features. For a non-techie person such as myself, patience and perseverance are important in learning how to use this software. As I’ve mentioned earlier I had fun when I created this assignment. However I’ve encountered several challenges and failures along the way. All in all it was a good experience. I really learned a lot from it and not just from making the assignment itself but I also got to know myself more. A person can only know his or her true ability if she’s (he’s) been put to the test. Opportunities can reveal the true potential of an individual. So let’s not pass up every opportunity that comes our way.

This assignment made me realize that if you want to achieve something you really have to work hard for it. There’s no shortcut to success. Everyone must work hard for it. Let me end my journal by quoting Colin Powell, “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.”

Resources:

EDS 151 Forum Discussions. Retrieved from http://myportal.upou.edu.ph/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=40936

HyperStudio. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperStudio

Quotations. Retrieved from http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/c/colinpowel121363.html

Inspirational Quotations. Retrieved from http://www.values.com/inspirational-quotes/value/24-Hard-Work

Ludwig, T. E, et al. (2004). Using multimedia in classroom presentations: Best principles. Retrieved from http://teachpsych.org/otrp/pedagogy/classroommultimedia.rtf.

Lamb, A. (n.d). Chapter 11:Building treehouses for learning: Technology in today’s classrooms. Retrieved from http://eduscapes.com/treehouses/TN11multimedia.pdf.

Multimedia in the classroom. Retrieved from http://fcit.usf.edu/multimedia/overview/overviewa.html.

Guidelines for multimedia productions and the use of the internet. Retrieved from http://libmedia.salkeiz.k12.or.us/Copyright/multimediacopyright.htm.

Stemler, L. (1997). Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia: Educational Characteristics of Multimedia: A Literature Review. Retrieved from: http://www.medvet.umontreal.ca/techno/eta6785/articles/multimedia_design.pdf