Category: Assignment 1 – Blog Posts

In this week, we mainly learn about some effective theories to evaluate multimedia and multimedia tools. Sometimes, teachers need to combine with several theories to determine if a specific multimedia is the most cost-effect. Here in this blog, I mainly compare with TRACK, SAMR and SECTIONS and tell their differences.

TRACK model refers to technological, pedagogical and content, knowledge. It emphasizes on students’ understanding of knowledge and describes some effective pedagogical practice in technology-enhanced learning environments. This model is more likely related to formal K-12 classrooms.

SAMR, substitution, augmentation, modification, redefinition, is a technological model to see how technology might impact teaching and learning (Hamilton et.a. ,2016). In the substitution level, teachers merely replace the traditional materials with digital versions. In the augmentation level, teachers keep the contents unchanged but enhance the lesson through asking students to take part in the multimedia presentation. In the modification level, teachers can use a learning management system, such as Moodle or Zoom, to teach or communicate with students who have traditionally been marginalized. In the redefinition level, teachers tend to enable activities that were previously impossible in the traditional class.

SECTIONS refers to students, ease of use, costs, teaching functions, interaction, organizational issues, networking, and security and privacy. It is a rather comprehensive teaching system includes the technology and educational environment. Teachers would access the technology about its advantages or disadvantages before class. After accessing the technology, teachers would implement it to make the class most effective for students.

Generally speaking, all of the three models enable teachers to identify suitable technological ways to evaluate multimedia. TRACK model lays more emphasis on teaching knowledge with appropriate technological and pedagogical methods; SAMR focus more on different multimedia tools and provide a high-level view of technology integration in teaching; while SECTIONS is more like a checklist for teachers to access and implement the technology they used in the class.

References

Hamilton, E.R., Rosenberg, J.M. & Akcaoglu, M. The Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition (SAMR) Model: a Critical Review and Suggestions for its Use. TechTrends 60, 433–441 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-016-0091-y

In this week’s reading materials, I learned certain insightful information about UDL, UID and UbD. UDL refers to Universal Instructional Design and it is based on seven principles. It focuses that the instructional materials and environment should be accessible and fair to students. As for UID, it means Universal design for learning, which emphasizes on providing multiple means of representation, expression and engagement in the process of learning.

What impresses me most is the use of UbD. According to McTighe and Wiggins (2013), UbD, understanding by design, is beneficial for teachers to design a goal-based framework for students’ learning. When teachers plan the assessment at the same time as they create teaching contents, teacher would have a clear mind to match what to cover in the lesson. Overall the likelihood of having coherent, focused, and related learning activities increases. In my opinion, I concur that teachers should set the goal to help students to use knowledge meaningfully. Traditional classroom focuses more on teachers’ interactive teaching skills and multiple teaching methods. However, at the same time, they should take the goal for students to use the knowledge into consideration. If they do so, students would connect facts and create meaning, which means deeper learning is possible to true understanding.

Generally speaking, educators should know more about UbD framework and apply it into teaching.

Reference

McTighe, J.& Wiggins, G. (2013) The Understanding by Design® framework https://files.ascd.org/staticfiles/ascd/pdf/siteASCD/publications/UbD_WhitePaper0312.pdf

I am sorry I found that I mistook the first blog and the second blog. Therefore, here in this blog, I would mainly tell you guys something about me.  

Hi everyone. My name is Zhaohan Tan. I was born in Harbin, China in 2000. My hometown is extremely attractive since it is a prosperous and dynamic city. Mixed with Russian culture, this city broadens my learning and inspirational horizons since I was young.

When it refers to my personal interests, I like cooking very much. I join a local cooking club and it arranges two online classes a week. It teaches nutrition, color matching and food ingredient with multimedia tools. When I have problems during cooking, I can have interactive feedback and assistance from my group mates in time.

In addition, I am keen on doing sports on a regular basis. For example, I go to the gym every two days. I keep jogging and yoga for a long time. It is not easy to keep learning different sports literacy. Besides, I make more and more like-minded friends. We set the time and do sports together. Sometimes, we share some decent instructional videos and blogs to keep healthy.

By the way, I like animals very much. For example, I have two dogs in my family. One is called “blacky”and the other is called “lucky”. They are my best friends and stay by my side. Sometimes, I would like to go to the zoo to see them in person. Whenever I look at the animals, I feel peaceful and comfortable.

I always like traveling. I enjoy planning the routines for a new place. I would search online about the local food and accommodation, in order to get the best experience traveling there. During the traveling, I would like to write a diary and take pictures. Traveling enables me to experience the culture differences in the world.

Currently, this is my third year studying in University of Victoria, majoring in economics. I am always keen on reading certain books related to social development and economic changes.

As for this course, I hope to attain more useful knowledge about  multimedia management. Multimedia learning is necessary in our daily life and it is important for us to know how to learn effectively with interactive skills and multimedia tools. 

Looking forward to meeting and working with you guys in the following weeks!

Blog One : My Thoughts on Interactive and Multimedia Learning

In this week’s reading materials, I have access to certain basic principles of multimedia learning and how interactivity used for better teaching in the classroom to enhance teaching efficiency.

To begin with, Mayer (2009) proposed twelve important principles of multimedia learning. His words give a new perspective in certain ways. Firstly, he proposes the coherence principle and argues that when teaching, teachers should not include too much non-related elements in the lesson plan, such as background music. Previously, I thought both acoustical and visual elements are important in the multimedia class. I mistakenly thought the more teachers used these elements, the better students learn better. However, through the principles provided by Mayer, I get to know the key multimedia elements and ratio.

Besides, I learn that interactive teaching is beneficial for students in the classroom, such as brainstorming, think-pair-share, buzz session, incident process, and Q&A sessions. For example, when teachers assign brainstorming questions or videos before class, they lead students to arouses their interests and think about related elements in today’s topic. During the class, think-pair-share teaching method can also motivate every student to participate in the topic discussion and get peer feedback and support. Generally speaking, these interactive skills boost students to participate into the class more actively.

Reference

Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.