Category: Multimedia Learning (page 1 of 1)

I enjoyed experimenting with Canva for week 5’s topic and focus; design principles for multimedia presentations. In the past couple of weeks of learning interactive and multimedia learning, it’s evident that proper visual aids and information for online learning can make or break your audience’s engagement in what you’re trying to teach them. I have been following and learning Mayer’s principles through Canva, a graphic design tool that works to simplify the digital design process. The platform provides tools to create beautiful and intricate work for everyone, from social media images, videos and gifts to posters, websites, multimedia presentations, and more. It’s a valuable tool for helping you level up your design skills, even if you’re just starting. I’ve used Canva in the past to design an infographic, but I never had the creative freedom to choose any topic and make it my own, especially with the new knowledge I’ve learned from weeks 5 and 6. In my experience as a student, I was never taught the rules and concepts of instructional design as educators expected students to know how to deliver the products through multimedia work properly. Merrill’s delivery on instructional design clearly showed me that it’s important to show your audience exactly what you want them to know and allow them to use what they have learned. In addition, he added that the effect on instructional design has decreased due to the increase in the user interface, promoting a decrease in properly using this design. In his research, people are creating a habit of dumping information on pages or slides and calling it educational when they are just dumping it, causing cognitive overload. Merrill explains the importance of learning as engaging learners promotes it in solving real-world problems, applying that in their work and carrying out different procedures, making predictions or troubleshooting more complex tasks. 

To apply what I have learned through Merrill’s video of proper instructional design, I’ve allocated time to create an infographic on Starbucks beans and a couple of their most popular espresso-based drinks. In my experience as a Starbucks barista on campus, I’ve realized that some students don’t fully understand what they’re drinking and how it’s made. I’ve made sure to make an effective infographic that is well-designed and easy to understand. Following the “How to Create an Infographic – Part 1: What Makes a Good Infographic” (link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLxQAa5Sras&ab_channel=Visme).

Here is the infographic I created on Starbucks beans and espresso-based drinks:

This infographic has practical value as it’s created for anyone wondering what Starbucks products contain; it’s well structured and organized, and contains large amounts of information that is easily comprehensible. I have also taken into account the use of white space as it promotes the readability of the content, reduces cognitive overload, and helps readers understand the content better by creating a sense of order and flow. 

References:

Easelly: Infographic Design Tips & Tutorials. (2019, May 19). White Space in Infographic Design: Why It Matters [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npt3ipuJJBU&ab_channel=Easelly%3AInfographicDesignTips%26Tutorials

Visme. (2017, June 30). How to Create an Infographic – Part 1: What Makes a Good Infographic? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLxQAa5Sras&ab_channel=Visme

For this week’s blog post, I’ve focused on multimedia resources and explored sketchnoting, and for the concepts this week, I’ve done a short reflection on my experiences with text-to-speech tools.

I tried sketchnoting this week for my french cinema class, and I found it beneficial as it helped attract my attention and focus on the concepts we learned this week rather than being distracted or dozing off in class. It’s an excellent method that helped me organize my thoughts, sketch the important things, and retain information. I’m a visual learner and doing the whole process of sketchnoting assisted me to remember the types and methods of shots and camera work. Drawing each shot allowed me to familiarize myself with the different types of shot ranges and how the camera moves. When sketching, I found myself more attentive and was creating a visual representation of what was being explained, and it extended my attention span because I was trying to draw and note down the scenes. The segmenting and modality from Mayer’s theory are at work here, especially for the sketch note I did for my french cinema class. The modality principle applies in this case as it focuses on learning through diagrams and is more effective in learning and retaining information.

Here’s my sketchnote for my FRAN 335 class:

I have used text-to-speech tools before, and there are times when I have found them helpful, especially activating them for longer reads. Although having a second resource to assist with reading is practical, I find that sometimes the speech-to-text voice puts me to sleep. It occurs because the voice is monotone and is situated at one octave; there usually isn’t a change in tone or voice with text-to-speech tools. Using different voices at different sections of the text has helped me retain the words being said aloud, but I can’t consistently use them. I prefer to read at my own pace, and reading over sentences multiple times helps me absorb what I’m reading better rather than just reading over the words. I appreciate the text-to-speech function as I can see how beneficial it can be for other users.

I enjoyed reading and watching videos about accessibility and equity in learning environments. Shelley Moore’s video “Removing the Barriers: Planning for All!” is an excellent educational video that teaches viewers about the concept of inclusivity and how important it is to shift the current paradigm. Educators should offer adaptations and modifications to different teaching styles accessible for all learners, regardless of the environment. Moore said the more we support the context to reduce barriers, the fewer individual resources a person will need to be successful; students aren’t broken but need additional support. We need to aim to create a universal design to suit the needs of all learners.

Here’s the link to Shelley Moores’ Video – Removing the Barriers: Planning for All in case you wanted a refresher. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzL8yMBKM7k&ab_channel=FiveMooreMinutes

References:

FiveMooreMinutes. (2021, October 7). Removing the barriers: Planning for all! YouTube. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzL8yMBKM7k

Retrieved February 2, 2023, from https://edtechuvic.ca/edci337/2023/01/29/w4-accessibility-and-equity/

Hey everyone! My name is Claire, and I’m in my third year at UVic. I’m pursuing a major in French and a minor in Education in hopes of becoming an elementary school teacher. My family is originally from Taiwan, but my parents immigrated to Canada in 1995 to raise my brother and I; we were both born in Musqueam land (Richmond, B.C.). During my pastime, I enjoy spending time with my friends, watching movies, playing volleyball, going to the beach, and enjoying different types of cuisine. 

This week’s “How do We Learn” content is quite mesmerizing. I was taken away by Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) and the three cognitive science principles. These three cognitive principles significantly affect how our brain functions, react and assess plausible situations. The Dual Coding Theory is a beautiful concept regarding how our brain distinguishes information. I had no idea our memory has codes that deal with visual and verbal stimuli, and although they are independent factors, they are still linked. This promotes the enrichment of the information and content a learner is absorbing. It’s beyond fascinating that our brain is capable of such wonders. According to Mayer, active processing occurs when we create logical representations in our minds through an active process of filtering, selecting, organizing and integrating information (Loveless, 2022). This principle is essential in our everyday lives, especially as students; it’s an everyday occurrence where this would be applied. Personally, active processing consumes my mind and actions. This idea of delegating and organizing my life can be overwhelming, but that’s where the principle of limited capacity comes in. Ultimately, these three principles go hand in hand with one another, which I had not known about until now. 

Here’s a picture example of the three cognitive principles:

Reading the four principles from Mayer’s theory of reducing extraneous cognitive load opened my eyes to what I could do better in my future work and presentations. They are straightforward principles that should be deemed obvious. Still, after going through them, I realized how simple it is to make mistakes in my work, such as adding interesting but off-topic materials or repeating information in my learning projects. These are wonderful principles to know and stick by; they are great reminders to elevate my learning projects! 

References: 

Loveless, B (2022, March 17). Dual Coding Theory: The Complete Guide for Teachers. Education Corner. https://www.educationcorner.com/dual-coding-theory/

Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning [Digital Image]. https://www.blendspace.com/lessons/cDlX50QivCWYRA/mayer-s-cognitive-theory-of-multimedia-learning