Chapter 9: Expressing Creativity with Multimedia

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I think it is safe to say that multimedia is one of the most effective ways to reach all students no matter what their learning preference is. Visual learners can access what they need, there are audio books for audio learners, hands on learners can benefit from the projects through either powerpoint, videos, or other applications that meet their needs.

MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES IN SCHOOLS TODAY

When teachers utilize multimedia within the classroom, they are using the multimodal technique. This mixes talking with visual, technological, and audio reinforcement. Without using other media options, the teacher is using a single-mode learning technique. This is not effective or exciting to the students. According to a study mentioned in the book, students who learn in a multimodal classroom 'outperform' those who are in a single-mode environment. Traditional learning environments used single-mode learning, however in a more modern learning environment, the book gives the example an English teacher having her students listen to an audio of poets reciting their work, and then recording the students as they recite their work as well. 

POWERPOINT AND NEXT-GENERATION PRESENTATION TOOLS

Powerpoints, while as a student make me cringe, are something I will absolutely utilize as a a teacher. They are valuable for a number of reasons, time management, preparedness, planning, and confidence building. By utilizing these presentation tools, the students are fully immersed in their learning. I am also a firm believe that we learn better when we are teaching. It is also an excellent way to engage the entire class, it is always motivating to do something different, instead of listening to a teacher lecture day in and day out, sometimes the students react more energetically to a small, temporary change in the mundane. 

VIDEO IN THE CLASSROOM

This is something that I witnessed firsthand being used in the classroom during my observations for another class, it is also something that I will absolutely use in my classroom. At the beginning of each class the teacher used a video he called the "Bell Ringer", this was a type of informal introduction to the days lesson. This to me is genius, it acts as a 'trigger' for the student to think back on when they think about the subject, this will help them to recall these triggers during exams, hopefully helping them remember it easier. Youtube is another surprisingly effectively video. It helps to break down complex ideas in a more simple manner. 

Technology is the future of education, while I hope it never completely replaces the teacher, it is exciting to see what we are capable of doing inside the classroom in the next ten years.