Topic 1- What is Multimedia and Interactive learning? And Why is it Important?

Outline one thing you hope to get out of this class, and one thing that you’re unsure about with this class. 

I’d like to have the ability to use different programs as a reflex while teaching. Ideally, using digital media will be just as simple as writing on a chalkboard. Additionally, I want to develop the skills to be able to solve problems that may develop when using digital technologies in the classroom. 

I’m unsure of my comfort level with corresponding through text rather than spoken word when commenting on blogs because revisiting things I have written down is a major anxiety trigger for me. However, I also see this as an opportunity to develop the necessary strategies to deal with this issue, and I will do my best to overcome this negative attribute of my personality.

To what degree was the example of Rich’s son playing a web-based game an example of interactive and/or multimedia learning? 

Multimedia Learning is “Building mental representations from words and pictures” (Mayer 2014). So Rich’s son’s experience playing Pandemic 2 was multimedia learning to the degree that he learned about the mechanics of how a disease spreads around a population from the words and pictures present in the game. The learning that Rich’s son experienced by playing Pandemic 2 fits into all three of the views of multimedia learning (Mayer 2014). It matches the delivery media view because the game uses a screen and a device to deliver sounds. Pandemic 2 fits the presentation mode view because it uses both text and pictures. Pandemic 2 fits into the sensory modalities view because it utilizes sound and visuals. Therefore, Rich’s son’s experience was undoubtedly an example of multimedia learning.

Can you think of an example of an interactive or multimedia learning experience you have experienced yourself that you enjoyed or made a positive impact on you? What made it impactful to you? 

Similar to Rich’s son’s experience with Pandemic 2, I started playing Madden NFL Football at the age of nine on my Sega Genesis.  Later, when I started playing organized football at 13 years old, I discovered that I had an expert-level knowledge of playcalling and formations due to my experience playing Madden. Therefore, I was learning without realizing it, just as Rich pointed out happened with his son. I think that my learning about the intricacies of football through playing Madden was impactful because it was one of my first experiences with experiential learning that I noted to myself (metacognition). 

Can you think of an example of an interactive or learning experience that did not involve digital technology that you enjoyed or made a positive impact on you? What made it a positive experience?

photo @ unsplash.com

An example of interactive learning that did not involve digital media that I have experienced is the first time I field-dressed a deer. I read a few books and had seen pictures of how to do it. However, I did not possess the actual skills to complete the task until I had to perform the act in real life. I enjoyed the experience because I could see the things I was trying to do, and the hands-on activity taught me in a manner that a text could not. Another exciting thing about this is that I found the prospect of processing an animal to be gross when I read about it, but when I did it, it was not gross at all.

Other thoughts or reflections on interactive and multimedia learning from today’s videos and readings? 

My favorite reading from this section of EDCI 337 was the storytelling as a medium for learning article. I have many experiences of learning through the telling of stories. An example happened today as I attended Rich’s lab about WordPress, I found that the most memorable part was when he told a story about his son building a gaming PC and an experience they had with an SSD memory card installation. This experience was an example of the value of storytelling as a medium for learning, and it was especially impactful because it happened spontaneously and was the passing of expertise from one mind to another through storytelling. Additionally, because I am in the process of learning about learning, I had an experiential learning experience due to my recognition of the positive effect of Rich’s method (metacognition).

Works Cited

Mayer, R. (2014). Introduction to Multimedia Learning. In R. Mayer (Ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology, pp. 1-24). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI:10.1017/CBO9781139547369.002

Juliani, A. (2016, March 21). The Hidden Importance of Teaching With Stories. Retrieved June 06, 2020, from http://ajjuliani.com/hidden-importance-teaching-stories/