Multimedia Applications for the Classroom

Article:

(Below is the intro of our article followed by the link to the full web page, Enjoy!)

There is a clear disconnect between the media students are accustomed to using outside the classroom and the media they predominantly use within the classroom. Students spend copious amounts of their free time socializing, shopping, and even studying on the Internet, where they are flooded with text, images, video, animation, and sound in what is a complex multimedia environment. The younger generation is intimately familiar with multimedia, accustomed to receiving and sharing information in a range of formats. In contrast, students spend most of environment within school. Printed text is one-size-fits-all, but students' learning strengths, needs, and interests are all over the map. Thus, the traditional print-driven curriculum raises a number of barriers to access and learning.
Integration of multimedia into instruction can help to reduce curriculum barriers and improve learning for all students. This article provides a basic introduction to multimedia and describes how it can be used to support student learning.

http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=106

Summary:

This article does a great job of explaining the different types of multimedia that can be used in the classroom. It mentions wonderful ways of using tools such as animation, CD-ROM storybooks, and even specialized texting which can help students with disabilities. The ways it can improve teaching and learning are by making the subject areas more compelling and offering a new perspective for the students to view the given subject. As the intro says, there is too much disconnect between the huge use of technology outside the classroom and the lack of use of it inside the classroom given the technical nature of the future generations. After reading the article and the descriptions of how the different types of multimedia are used, sparks many ideas of how to incorporate one of the tools into a lesson plan. The article talks of how every student is different in the learning style but that there is most likely a multimedia facet that would suit their needs. While reading the article it is plain to see that it is productive and beneficial for both the teacher and the student to use multimedia applications in the classroom.


By Sarah Cappel

This article is a great tool for understanding what multimedia is and how it can be used in the classroom, providing a basic introduction to multimedia it then describes how it can be used to support student learning. Right of the bat you are given a great definition "Multimedia is in essence a presentation of information that incorporates multiple media such as text, audio, graphics, and animation" Following is a presentation of the types of multimedia and their classroom applications. Talking books and speech synthesis is the first sort of media that is discussed. Read-aloud is an intrinsic feature of so-called talking books, but with text-to-speech software, virtually any digital content-including web-based texts-can be read aloud. One of the key benefits of Read-aloud is that it supports the development of key literacy skills such as fluency and reading comprehension. Next is CD-ROM storybooks. These offer the story text together with animations, vocabulary definitions, and sound effects. The article warns that because of the animations and sounds this could be distracting to students and the teacher should be wise in deciding when to use this type of multimedia. The next example of multimedia in the article is Video/videodiscs. Video can be used to anchor mathematics instruction to an authentic context. That is, video can be used to present to students a real-world context within which mathematical problem-solving can then be situated. Hypermedia and Computer simulations are the final two types of multimedia that are reviewed. Hypermedia refers to hyperlinked multimedia-the linkage of text, audio, graphics, animation, and/or video through hyperlinks. For example, a hypermedia study guide might offer illustrated textbook content hyperlinked to web-based video and other content, glossary entries, and comprehension questions. Using hypermedia design software, students can construct multimedia compositions that afford them a much greater range of possibilities than text. Computer simulations are computer-generated versions of real-world objects (for example, a brain) or processes (for example, an election). They may be fully automated or interactive, eliciting user input. Computer simulations can be used to increase content knowledge. For example, a simulated marine ecosystem can be used to teach ecology concepts. So as you can see this is a great article for learning about different types of multimedia and how they can be useful in the classroom

By Mark Stuckey

Thoughts and Reflections:

This article made a great point that multimedia in the classroom can "help reduce curriculum barriers and improve learning for all students". It also talked about how students are used to receiving and sharing information in all types of ways. But, in the classroom they are limited to viewing printed text and listening to the teacher. Print-text is as the article calls it a "one-size-fits-all" way of learning.When the reality is that students strengths and needs are met in a variety of ways, not just by reading and listening. I think that by integrating multimedia in the classroom it enables all students to get what they need from a lesson. It enables the teacher to present the course information in a visual way with pictures and graphics and animation for the visual learners. It also allows for different types of audio devices for the auditory learner. It doesn't have to be computerized, but computers provide endless possibilities for teachers.There are many tools in multimedia, such as, CD-ROM storybooks, video/video tapes, talking books, and computer simulation just to name a few. All of these are great tools for teachers to use in their classrooms so every students needs are met and as a bonus it makes learning fun for the students!!

By Katherine Eastham

Ideas regarding the topic:

Computer simulations, hypermedia, video, CD-ROM, talking books and speech synthesis are great examples of multimedia available to us in the twenty-first century. There are multiple reasons that multimedia is beneficial in education. The first reason multimedia is beneficial is it can "help to reduce curriculum barriers and improve learning for all students" (cited.org). So exactly how does multimedia reduce curriculum barriers and improve learning for ALL students? Well, it may not improve learning for all students but multimedia does accommodate many different learning styles. Some students may prefer the traditional style of learning, meaning text and lecture, where others may be auditory, interactive or visual learners and might benefit from the use of multimedia. In addition to aiding different learning styles, multimedia also offers fast access to massive amounts of information that would normally be hard to access in the traditional setting. Hence, multimedia is just another bonus technological creation that may someday be surpassed by a greater (if possible) creation that will benefit even more people and thus more facets of education.

By Amy Lovett

Opinions:

Media integration into the classroom is almost a must nowadays. I believe it helps the student and the teacher. The students can learn much better with the media involved, especially now with how the younger generation is so intimate with the computer and technology media. They are able to see in a picture visually what they are learning, or they are even able to see an animation of the topic to better their understanding. Teachers are able to convey their points much easier, they can use simulations, videos, storybooks, ect. The teachers have an aide in multimedia and should use it to their advantage.

By Laura Kvaley

Further Research:

Multimedia and Animation can be used alot through out the classroom. Most teachers find multimedia as a great source of technolgy to teach a lesson to a class. As you research more and more you find out new and exciting things to do with animation that will bring excitement to your classroom. The article touches on the affects of bringing a little fun into the classroom while the children are learning which I think is a great way to keep the childrens attention. This article that I linked at the bottom provides a little history about animation and multimedia. The article not only gives a little background information but it also gives some examples of how you can incorporate this use of technology in to your classroom. Overall I think this is a good article to help answer in remaining questions that may be lingering.
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Educational_Technology_Innovation_and_Impact/Multimedia_Courseware/Animation

By Christina Dunlop