Topic 5 – Selected Multimedia Creation Tools (June 18-20)

Introduction to Topic 5:

In this topic we will focus on virtual reality and video tools for multimedia learning. The tools could be used by you as an instructor to create multimedia learning objects for your learners, or you could use them as tools for your learners to use to create their own multimedia learning artifacts:

360 Tours with Marzipano
VR Storytelling with Google Earth Narrative Maps
Screen Casts, Video Editing & Animated GIFS
Social Video Assignments & Responses with Flipgrid

Please feel free to work through the lab materials below on your own if you’d like, or work through them during our optional lab on Thursday, June 18 from 10-11:30am via Zoom. If you have any problems or questions while working through the lab materials on your own, please attend the lab or send me an email and I can give you a hand then.

Multimedia Learning Principles: Rules to Live By or Guidelines?

What does the Pirates of the Caribbean have to say about rules and guidelines?

Below is a quote from an anonymous educational Technology expert about breaking multimedia learning principles:

“We as educational technology experts break multimedia learning principles all the time, and usually that’s ok as long as we are aware of what we are doing and are following another principle or have a strong pedagogical reason for breaking the multimedia learning principle.”
ANONYMOUS educational Technology expert

Now let’s get hands-on with some tools that can help us create interactive multimedia learning objects!

360-Tours with Marzipano

Here is an example of a 360 tour of the Digital Scholarship Commons space on the third floor of the library, which can be viewed in a computer or mobile phone.

Please work through the following hands-on Marzipano activity so that you can create your own 360 tour:

Now that you’ve created a 360 tour, what multimedia learning principles do you need to be aware of as you create 360 tours as MML objects? What pedagogies could 360 tours support? Do you think that you might use 360 tours in your classroom in the future? Why or why not? There are no absolutely correct or incorrect answers to these questions, and the answer may be situational and depend on the grade level or tool availability.

Note that when the library opens again you can borrow a 360 camera and tripod so that you can make your own 360 tours. The camera used to take the pictures of the DSC is the Insta360 One X and costs approximately $550.

VR Storytelling with Google Earth Narrative Maps

Google Earth is a multiplatform and web program that uses aerial photography, superimposed images, and GIS data to create a 3D representation of the earth. Users can enter addresses and geographical coordinates to view areas at various ages. In 2019, Google added creativity options that would allow individuals to tell their own stories using 3D street views, aerial footage, placemarks, routes, shapes, and descriptive text. Here are two examples:

Famous biologist in Gombee, Tanzania.
The where a DSC staff member and his family lived for several months.

Please work through the following hands-on Google Earth Narrative Map activity to create your own narrative map:

Now that you’ve created a narrative map, what multimedia learning principles do you need to be aware of as you create narrative maps as MML objects? What pedagogies could a narrative maps support? Do you think that you might use narrative maps in your classroom in the future? Why or why not? Again, there are no absolutely correct or incorrect answers to these questions, and the answer may be situational and depend on the grade level or tool availability.

Screencasts, Video Editing, & Animated GIFS

For software or website tutorials or instruction, screencasts and animated GIFS can be an excellent way to quickly and clearly communicate instructions in a visual way while allowing learners to go at their own pace.

Start by working through this hands-on activity of Screencastify and create your own screencast:

In addition to downloading an MP4 version of your screencast, you can also create an animated GIF of your video in Screencastify by downloading in GIF format. See step 3 of the for instructions on how to do this, and click on the Export animated GIF button instead of the MP4 button. You can then upload your animated GIF to your website, or import it into a Google Doc for example.

If you would like to change something in your video and don’t want to record it again from the beginning, you can edit your screencast video. If you’re not familiar with video editing, you can learn how to do this by working through a hands-on video editing activity for iMovie (Mac), or (Windows, Linux, Mac).

Now that you’ve created a screencast, what multimedia learning principles do you need to be aware of as you create screencasts as MML objects? What pedagogies could screencasts support? Do you think that you might use screencast with your students in the future? Why or why not? Again, there are no absolutely correct or incorrect answers to these questions, and the answer may be situational and depend on the grade level or tool availability.

Social Video Assignments & Responses with Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a tool that facilitates video discussions between a teacher and their class. It is currently used by some teachers in SD 61 and SD79, however both school districts are doing FIPPA reviews to determine whether or not it should be used by teachers after the relaxation of FIPPA rules because of the COVID-19 crisis.

The video below is a screencast that walk you through how to setup FlipGrid as an instructor, and then at the end highlights some of it’s features from a student perspective.

Here is an EDCI 337 Flipgrid you can check out and play around with if you’d like (an account is required to upload a video): https://flipgrid.com/mccue337

What multimedia learning principles does FlipGrid potentially embody? What pedagogies could it support in your classroom? What FIPPA concerns does you have about it’s use?