Learning with Multimedia

Though I can't think of a lesson in my mind that stands out as so terrible, I have had many students in my Bio 122: Cells and Genetics class this term complain that they never fully understood the cell cycle in their high school biology classes. Looking back on my own learning of the cell cycle, I remember drawing pictures of the different phases and discussing as a class what was happening in each phase. Though I don't remember having difficulty with the concepts associated with the cell cycle, there are a number of things I would change. Together with my groupmates Lindsey Meckley and Donniell Cooke for EDUC 525, we have been designing a cell cycle lesson that centers around inquiry. The information we have gathered for this lesson in addition to lesson materials can be found at http://donnicooke.tripod.com./id5.html.

Donniell is experimenting with inquiry teaching in just one of her three biology classes that she teaches. We are using the "inquiry" class as the experimental group and the 2 "direct instruction" classes as the control group. All three classes are administered the same exams and cover the same material. The only difference is the manner in which this material is presented to the students. Similar experimental design could be used to asses the effectiveness of multimedia in lesson design.

Listed below are a number of diagrams, videos, and interactive websites that could aide in the understanding of the cell cycle.

Interphase
1) http://library.thinkquest.org/C004535/interphase_.html Helpful information and diagrams.
2) http://www.cellsalive.com/cell_cycle.htm An interactive animation of interphase.

Mitosis
1) http://www.cellsalive.com/mitosis.htm An interactive animation of mitosis.
2) http://www.johnkyrk.com/mitosis.html Animated mitosis in animal cell.
3) http://www.sci.sdsu.edu/multimedia/mitosis/ Interactive Mitosis Tutorial.
4) http://biologyinmotion.com/cell_division/ Interactive Mitosis/Meiosis Quiz. This is a great opportunity for students to assess their own knowledge of the cell cycle.

DNA, Genes, and Chromosomes
1) http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/basics/tour/ Helfpul information and diagrams.

Essential Conditions for Technology Integration in Use

The article, "After the Bell, Beyond," provides evidence for a number of the Essential Conditions for effective technology integration outlined in "Digital-Age Literacy for Teachers." The information has been organized into evidence for each essential condition.

(1) Shared Vision: Eric Langhorst acted as the monitor for the student blog entries. He reviewed all student posts and approved them before posting to ensure they were appropriate. Even the president of the school board got involved in the virtual book clubs.

(2) Access: Eric Langhorst has access to the internet, e-mail, a microphone, a CD burner, and Audacity, a free audio-editing program.

(3) Skilled Educators: Eric Langhorst has proved his technology skills in a number of ways. Using the resources he has available to him, Eric Langhorst was able to support the education of his students in a number of ways. He used the program Audacity, the internet, and a microphone to create the StudyCasts. The StudyCasts were made available online to the students. He also burned CDs for those students who did not have access to the Internet at home. He created virtual book clubs using blogger and e-mailed parents, experts, and authors to take part in the class projects.

(4) Professional Development: Eric Langhorst has met with fellow history teachers to discuss podcasting. Together, they created a collaborative podcast titled "Speaking of History."

(5) Technical Assistance: There is no evidence of technical assistance in "After the Bell, Beyond." Although I would assume he can fall back on his fellow history teachers, some of whom are more than likely computer savvy as evidenced by the collaborative podcast.

(6) Content Standards and Curriculum Resources: There is little direct evidence for content standards and curriculum resources. As previously mentioned, he has met with his fellow history teachers to discuss the integration of podcasts and together they created the collaborative podcast "Speaking of History." It would seem then that they meet to discuss the curriculum and resources. In addition, when e-mailed by a man from Spain who made Langhorst aware that he had not adequately described the contributions of the Spanish in the American Revolutionary War, Eric read the book suggest by the man and made an effort to describe both the French and Spanish contributions.

(7) Student-Centered Teaching: Eric Langhorst records 15-20 minute long StudyCasts to enable his students to better review for exams. Lance Huebner, a special education teacher in the building, recorded his narration of Guerrilla Season (with permission from the author) to help the students with reading disabilities.

(8) Assessment: Though the article does not provide any direct evidence of continuous assessment of the effectiveness of technology for learning, the article did mention that Eric and his fellow history teachers meet to describe class projects and suggest lesson plans. It is quite possible that they have discussed the effectiveness of technology for learning during these meetings as they did collaborative produce a podcast.

(9) Community Support: As previously mentioned Eric has received support from the special education teacher, other history teachers, as well as the president of the school board. Pat Hughes, the author of Guerilla Season, an 8th grade language arts class from California, a college professor in Louisiana, and a number of worldwide viewers participated in the virtual book club discussions. Eric's students participated in the Florida class's discussion, which was based off of his own class's discussion. Eric's class received support from the authors and experts on the Donner Party for their Oregon Trail project.

(10) Support Policies: There was no mention of school and university policies, financing, and rewards structures used to support technology in learning.

Web 2.0 in the Classroom

There are a number of Web 2.0 tools that can be used for brainstorming ideas, mapping out projects, collaboration, and archiving information. All Things Web 2.0 ranks the best and most popular Web 2.0 Tools. In EDUC 525, I have explored the following Web 2.0 tools:

1) Gliffy Concept Map

Gliffy is a concept-mapping tool that can be used for brainstorming ideas or mapping out projects. You can try a free 30-day trial membership. Visual aides, such as concept maps, are an excellent learning tool, particularly for visual learners. Once your concept map has been created, you can easily export it in a number of different file types or publish it on the web. For example, you can view my concept map of Millennials/Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants online.

Gliffy also allows for collaboration amongst members. Other uses for this tool include building simple images, creating flow charts, designing floor plans, etc. You can also import and search for images. I have found this site easy to use, and will keep this tool in mind for use in my own classroom someday.

2) Wikispaces
This tool allows teachers to build sites that can be used for knowledge creation and collaboration. There are a number of teachers who have used Wikispaces to build WebQuests. Any number of multi-media tools could be used in conjunction with Wikispaces. Teachers and students can incorporate images, web links, audio, video, etc. into their sites or utilize these Wikispaces to create multi-media projects.

3) Blogger
Blogger is a free blogging site. Students and teachers can create blogs to share their ideas and comment on each others work. The blog you are currently viewing is an example of such a blog. As you can see blog entries can include online documents, weblinks, pictures, and a news scroll. Blog entries can also include audio and video clips, links to other blogs, and much more.

4) Buzzword
Buzzword is equivalent to your desktop word processing application, but it is available online. It allows for collaborative workflow and commenting.

There are a number of Web 2.0 tools that can incorporate or be used in conjunction with multi-media elements.

Reflection on Multimedia Projects in Education

Chapter 1 reviews the impact of multimedia on learning. Multimedia, as defined by Ivers and Barron, is "the use of several media to present information." Forms of multimedia include but are not limited to text, graphics, pictures, audio, video, hypertext, and hypermedia. Multimedia projects give students the opportunity to work cooperatively, use problem-solving skills and higher-level thinking, and express knowledge in new ways. Multimedia projects are also a great way to support computer literacy skills in a world of ever-advancing technology.

The first chapter also addresses Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences. This theory acknowledges that students learn in a number of different ways. Ivers and Barron suggest that multimedia projects encourage a multimodal approach to learning and allow students to use their own individual learning style. When students are placed in groups, teachers should try to allow for students to utilize their strengths and place them in groups that will nurture their weaknesses. Table 1.1 suggests possible roles for each multiple intelligence in the creation process.

Under the constructivist model of education, students actively learn using their prior knowledge and experiences to work through problems and build new understandings. According to Simons, constructivist learning requires five components: (1) active, (2) cumulative, (3) integrative, (4) reflective, and (5) goal-directed. When designing multimedia projects, students typically address these five components in some way. For example, students must actively decide what content should be included and how the components should be created and used. Multimedia projects give students the opportunity to build upon their prior knowledge and experiences and elaborate on new knowledge. Students have the opportunity to present their knowledge in new ways. The design and development process requires students to assess what they know and need to learn. Teachers and students work together to define project goals.


Chapter 2 reviews the DDD-E Model for the design and development of multimedia projects. The four phases are as follows: (1) decide, (2) design, (3) develop, and (4) evaluate. Ivers and Barron suggest teacher and student activities to support the four phases.

In the decide phase, teachers identify standards to be covered and set instructional goals for a particular project. Teachers must develop assessments. Students are divided into cooperative groups and computer time is scheduled. Students brainstorm and conduct research at this stage.

In the design phase, teachers and students outline the goals and content of the project. Teachers provide students with guidelines and templates and provide students with feedback on their progress. Students outline the project content and begin designing the layout of the project.

In the develop phase, teachers facilitate the project development, manage media production, and provide continuous feedback. Meanwhile the students create the project components.

In the evaluate phase, student should test the program and make the necessary changes. Teachers assess the students and students evaluate themselves as well as their peers. Teachers should reflect on the project as a whole and make necessary revisions for the future.