Multimedia is the use of more than one medium to communicate. Such mediums include images, videos, sound, text, graphics, and animation.
Teachers must remember that multimedia used in the classroom should be tied directly to the curriculum, and not merely be a time-waster, early-finisher activity. It should instruct not babysit.
The meanings of many words are better expressed using multimedia as compared to a simple text definition. Sounds, videos, and graphics can depict a deeper meanings and alternate definitions of words.
Dual-Coding Theory: This theory was developed by Pavio who said the human brain processes information through two separate paths. The first path is verbal information (such as, what is said), and the second path is nonverbal information (such as, inflections, gestures, pictures). Information that is decoded in both pathways (verbally and nonverbally) is better remembered and stored in LTM to be recalled. Presenting information in these two pathways, again, allows students to gain a richer, deeper meaning of words and their contexts.
More than just helping students have a better grasp of target words, multimedia also engages students in active learning, motivates students, and scaffolds students prior knowledge. Though all three of these aspects are important to all readers, they are even more necessary for struggling readers or at-risk readers. Multimedia may be the thing that makes a word click for a particular student and opens the door for more independent word learning.
Question: How have you used multimedia to enhance word learning in your classroom? Or, what have you read about or seen other teachers do to use multimedia to enhance word learning?
Something I want to use is this new app my store (OU IT/ One U) has been showcasing in Norman schools.
https://www.playosmo.com/en/
The word game has preloaded words on different levels that you have to solve for and spell out. But you can also add your own words and pictures! I can see this being an awesome way to practice spelling words and vocabulary!
Yes, I have used multimedia to enhance teaching/learning with my students, and it's been highly successful. Some students prefer computer-related games to paper-and-pencil tasks, which they've experienced failure at many times. Computers seem current, fun, and engaging, and kids like to use them. Our school has laptops for kids to use and they love them. There are mamny apps or games they can play that enhance lessons.
Our basel series had an interactive website that was like a powerpoint you played as you taught. It had interactive pages and places to stop and ask questions. It helped reiterate ideas and words the students were learning. I used youtube videos to teach color songs. I opened up the smart board during center times for kids to use websites and play teacher. Our class had clickers and I would set up questions for the kids to answer through the clickers. There are several ebook websites I would use to read books on the smart board that also had interactive links within the story.
What a great resource for your Basal series! I bet that was very helpful and made reading those stories much more engaging. I have Senteo clickers, but I confess that I don't use them as much as I should. I like them because they make it easy to assess a straightforward skill, but I strayed away from them when we were moving toward Common Core. I felt that the only questions I could ask were lower level. I could never figure out how to use clickers with higher level, open-ended questions. Have you had success with that, Kaitlin?
Our school had early childhood clickers and then upper elementary that were similar to the ones you described. The younger clickers only had ABCD as an option. Therefore it made it pretty simple. The bigger clickers would be overwhelming for 4 and 5 year olds.
Using multimedia can be very helpful when teaching vocabulary; however, there are many things to keep in mind when choosing materials for instruction. Materials should not be distracting. Features should benefit instruction and visuals should make sense and support learning. The layout should be easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing without being overwhelming or confusing. Layout, content, and modes of instruction are all important aspects to consider when deciding on multimedia. In addition, feedback should be constructive for when answers are wrong.
Yes I agree! I don't like confusing apps or games either. Another thing I will say is that it is a bonus is if the app can be used without teacher help (once the game is learned). This way the app could be used for independent or small group learning at a station perhaps.
Unfortunately I don't have a huge repertoire of technology to choose from. I really need to work on becoming more familiar with more. The more I practice , the eases of use will come.
I think that just like anything else you use in the classroom, you have to think, will this benefit the learning in the classroom? Will the children think this is engaging? Sometimes, honestly it takes a little trial and error. Sometimes kids get a kick out of something that I didn't think was all that interesting or fun. Sometimes the opposite is true. It all depends on your students and their needs and interests.
That's a really good question, Megan. I think it depends on the age of the student, what technology is available, and what the teacher is teaching. All of those are factors in deciding what media to use and how to use it. Children can watch "Arthur" on TV and learn from that, or they can supplement classroom reading with video programs in class and they can learn from that. It all depends.
There are a number of useful forms of multimedia that can be used in education. One type is videos. Research goes back to the 1970's when Sesame Street was on TV, and more current research has been done to see if watching videos is the best way to learn, or a supplementary way to learn. Most research concludes that it's an excellent supplement and is especially helpful to ELL students when videos are watched repeatedly. Videos promote vocabulary development and better conceptual understanding.
Digital texts are another way for teachers to use multimedia in the classroom. Digital texts range from simple to conplex, and can include narration in some cases. Different kinds of video texts support different kinds of vocabulary development. Digital texts should be chosen with care and may be used by students individually or as partners.
There are also computer programs, games, and applications (a.k.a. "apps") that children can use in the classroom to enhance understanding. Studies have shown that young children can learn vocabulary through computer-assisted programs. Some studies show that children exposed to computer games make greater educational gains in vocabulary than those children who do not engage in mutimedia learning.
Question: What multimedia have you used with your students? How successful has it been? What would you or do you do differently to enhance the learning experience?
How Multimedia Supports Vocabulary Development:
ReplyDeleteMultimedia is the use of more than one medium to communicate. Such mediums include images, videos, sound, text, graphics, and animation.
Teachers must remember that multimedia used in the classroom should be tied directly to the curriculum, and not merely be a time-waster, early-finisher activity. It should instruct not babysit.
The meanings of many words are better expressed using multimedia as compared to a simple text definition. Sounds, videos, and graphics can depict a deeper meanings and alternate definitions of words.
Dual-Coding Theory:
This theory was developed by Pavio who said the human brain processes information through two separate paths. The first path is verbal information (such as, what is said), and the second path is nonverbal information (such as, inflections, gestures, pictures). Information that is decoded in both pathways (verbally and nonverbally) is better remembered and stored in LTM to be recalled. Presenting information in these two pathways, again, allows students to gain a richer, deeper meaning of words and their contexts.
More than just helping students have a better grasp of target words, multimedia also engages students in active learning, motivates students, and scaffolds students prior knowledge. Though all three of these aspects are important to all readers, they are even more necessary for struggling readers or at-risk readers. Multimedia may be the thing that makes a word click for a particular student and opens the door for more independent word learning.
Question: How have you used multimedia to enhance word learning in your classroom? Or, what have you read about or seen other teachers do to use multimedia to enhance word learning?
ReplyDeleteSomething I want to use is this new app my store (OU IT/ One U) has been showcasing in Norman schools.
Deletehttps://www.playosmo.com/en/
The word game has preloaded words on different levels that you have to solve for and spell out. But you can also add your own words and pictures! I can see this being an awesome way to practice spelling words and vocabulary!
Yes, I have used multimedia to enhance teaching/learning with my students, and it's been highly successful. Some students prefer computer-related games to paper-and-pencil tasks, which they've experienced failure at many times. Computers seem current, fun, and engaging, and kids like to use them. Our school has laptops for kids to use and they love them. There are mamny apps or games they can play that enhance lessons.
DeleteOur basel series had an interactive website that was like a powerpoint you played as you taught. It had interactive pages and places to stop and ask questions. It helped reiterate ideas and words the students were learning. I used youtube videos to teach color songs. I opened up the smart board during center times for kids to use websites and play teacher. Our class had clickers and I would set up questions for the kids to answer through the clickers. There are several ebook websites I would use to read books on the smart board that also had interactive links within the story.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great resource for your Basal series! I bet that was very helpful and made reading those stories much more engaging. I have Senteo clickers, but I confess that I don't use them as much as I should. I like them because they make it easy to assess a straightforward skill, but I strayed away from them when we were moving toward Common Core. I felt that the only questions I could ask were lower level. I could never figure out how to use clickers with higher level, open-ended questions. Have you had success with that, Kaitlin?
DeleteOur school had early childhood clickers and then upper elementary that were similar to the ones you described. The younger clickers only had ABCD as an option. Therefore it made it pretty simple. The bigger clickers would be overwhelming for 4 and 5 year olds.
DeleteEvaluating Multimedia
ReplyDeleteUsing multimedia can be very helpful when teaching vocabulary; however, there are many things to keep in mind when choosing materials for instruction.
Materials should not be distracting. Features should benefit instruction and visuals should make sense and support learning. The layout should be easy to navigate and aesthetically pleasing without being overwhelming or confusing. Layout, content, and modes of instruction are all important aspects to consider when deciding on multimedia. In addition, feedback should be constructive for when answers are wrong.
Yes I agree! I don't like confusing apps or games either. Another thing I will say is that it is a bonus is if the app can be used without teacher help (once the game is learned). This way the app could be used for independent or small group learning at a station perhaps.
DeleteQuestion: How do you decide what multimedia to use?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I don't have a huge repertoire of technology to choose from. I really need to work on becoming more familiar with more. The more I practice , the eases of use will come.
DeleteI think that just like anything else you use in the classroom, you have to think, will this benefit the learning in the classroom? Will the children think this is engaging? Sometimes, honestly it takes a little trial and error. Sometimes kids get a kick out of something that I didn't think was all that interesting or fun. Sometimes the opposite is true. It all depends on your students and their needs and interests.
DeleteThat's a really good question, Megan. I think it depends on the age of the student, what technology is available, and what the teacher is teaching. All of those are factors in deciding what media to use and how to use it. Children can watch "Arthur" on TV and learn from that, or they can supplement classroom reading with video programs in class and they can learn from that. It all depends.
DeleteTypes of Multimedia to Support Word Learning
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of useful forms of multimedia that can be used in education. One type is videos. Research goes back to the 1970's when Sesame Street was on TV, and more current research has been done to see if watching videos is the best way to learn, or a supplementary way to learn. Most research concludes that it's an excellent supplement and is especially helpful to ELL students when videos are watched repeatedly. Videos promote vocabulary development and better conceptual understanding.
Digital texts are another way for teachers to use multimedia in the classroom. Digital texts range from simple to conplex, and can include narration in some cases. Different kinds of video texts support different kinds of vocabulary development. Digital texts should be chosen with care and may be used by students individually or as partners.
There are also computer programs, games, and applications (a.k.a. "apps") that children can use in the classroom to enhance understanding. Studies have shown that young children can learn vocabulary through computer-assisted programs. Some studies show that children exposed to computer games make greater educational gains in vocabulary than those children who do not engage in mutimedia learning.
Question: What multimedia have you used with your students? How successful has it been? What would you or do you do differently to enhance the learning experience?
ReplyDelete