Introduction to Topic 4:
This topic will give you an overview of the Multimedia Design process which is intended to be a foundational element that you can use in the future as you create your own multimedia objects, along with the Principles of Multimedia Learning.
We will also review some tools you can use to evaluate multimedia applications, which should be helpful as you work on your Group Evaluation of a Multimedia App project. Included in this topic are two interviews with local School District educational technology leaders about how they evaluate new technologies for use in their districts.
Please don’t forget to post your individual Multimedia App Evaluation blog post by the end of the day, June 17 using the edci337-app category. If you or your group have any questions, please let me know.
The Multimedia Design Process:
Please listen to Kevin Alexanders Podcast and take note of the graphic below as Kevin talks about the gradual progression of tasks as you move from lesson planning to creating multimedia learning objects. Note that the multimedia learning objects are created in the service of your pedagogical goals (or learning outcomes). Please ignore Kevin’s comments about completing a multimedia lesson plan assignment or project, as we are doing a Remix of a chapter of the Harvard Handbook of Multimedia Learning (Mayer, 2014)
Evaluating Multimedia Learning Tools in SD61 & SD59:
I am happy to let you know that I was able to record two interviews with local School District educational technology leaders about how they evaluate new technologies for use in their districts. The first interview is with SD 61 District Vice-Principal Jon Hamlin, and the second with Lisa Read, the District Instructional Technology Coordinator for SD 79. Both have somewhat different perspectives on education technology in general but in both interviews, they talk about how their role in their School Districts is not to evaluate the pedagogical reasons for using a new multimedia learning tool but to leave pedagogy considerations up to individual teachers and their professional judgement. Lisa and Jon do however look closely at new multimedia tools for FIPPA compliance and make sure there is informed consent if needed.
As you listen to the conversations please ask yourself why Lisa and Jon would not want to evaluate new multimedia apps suggested by teachers in their School Districts using a pedagogical lens rather than limiting their review to FIPPA considerations only? Consider using your new to help you record and remember key information from the interviews.
Websites mentioned in Jon’s interview:
- Focused Educational Resources for BC Teachers & Students: https://k12.bcerac.ca/
- SD 61 Information Technology for Learning: https://techforlearning.sd61.bc.ca/
How do we Evaluate Multimedia Learning Tools?
Below is a selection of rubrics and evaluation forms to help you evaluate the suitability of educational technology tools for a range of age groups and abilities. Given that none of them focus specifically on Multimedia Learning Tools, there are two additional questions I’d like you to ask along with rubric questions that you determine are relevant:
- Does this multimedia learning tool not follow any Multimedia Learning Principles (Mayer 2014)? If not, are there reasons why the creator of the tool may have chosen not to follow the principle(s) in the service of another learning outcome or pedagogical goal?
- Where on the ladder of the SAMR Model of technology integration does the multimedia tool being evaluated fall? If the MML tool is more than a substitution in the SAMR model, are the additional benefits the tool provides worth the investment of your time, your learners’ time, and school budget compared to other tools already in use in your school district?
Educational Technology Evaluation Rubrics:
- Educause Review: A Rubric for Evaluating E-Learning Tools in Higher Education (but includes valuable questions for K12 educators to ask when evaluating MML tools)
- University of Western Ontario: Rubric for eLearning Tool Evaluation
- Chewelah School District (Washington State): Education Technology Resource Evaluation Form
- Nets for Teachers:
- BC Focused Education Resources: Software evaluation form
- This is the form you would fill out if you wanted to suggest a resource for the https://k12.bcerac.ca/ website
Assignment:
- Submit your individual Multimedia App Evaluation (a prerequisite for the Group Evaluation of Multimedia App) due June 17 using edci337-app category.
Lab:
- Video Introduction &
- June 16, 10-11am, via Zoom
Bibliography:
Alexander, K. (2017a). A Design Process: Multimedia Lesson [PNG]. https://coursespaces.uvic.ca/pluginfile.php/2338172/mod_page/content/6/the%20design%20process.png
Alexander, K. (2017b). The Design Process—Multimedia & Interactive Learning [Mp3]. https://soundcloud.com/user-433569679/the-design-process-multimedia-interactive-learning
Anstey, L., & Watson, G. (2018, September 18). A Rubric for Evaluating E-Learning Tools in Higher Education. Educause Review. https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/9/a-rubric-for-evaluating-e-learning-tools-in-higher-education
Curriculum Starting Points Planning Tool. (n.d.). Focused Education Resources. Retrieved June 14, 2020, from https://archived.bcerac.ca/services/starting-points/index.aspx H, L. (2017, October 30).
H. L. (2017). SAMR Model: A Practical Guide for EdTech Integration. Schoology Exchange. https://www.schoology.com/blog/samr-model-practical-guide-edtech-integration
Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2014). The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139547369
McCue, R. (2020a, June 10). Jon Hamlin SD 61: Evaluating Educational Technologies [Mp3]. https://soundcloud.com/rich-mccue/edci-337-jon-hamlin-sd-61-interview-v2
McCue, R. (2020b, June 10). Lisa Read SD 79: Evaluating Educational Technologies [Mp3]. https://soundcloud.com/rich-mccue/interview-with-lisa-read-district-instructional-technology-coordinator-sd-79
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