Chapter 30: Using Rich Media Wisely was my favorite chapter so far. As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to motive and improve learning. I have learned several, however, I am always in conflict on how to present these “new ways” to both my low learners and my high achievers in the time frame allotted by the school calendar. This chapter was not about what exactly to present and when, but ways to present material for the maximum understanding.
Reading this chapter has given me a new outlook on how I teach. The first take-away I have is “Adding interesting but irrelevant words and graphics can distract learners.” (Reiser and Dempsey p. 321). I always thought that giving interesting information about the topic was a great way to get students interested in learning the concept I was trying to teach. Now I see that giving too much of this type of “interest driven” information is clogging up the pathways. When I start designing rich media to help my students learn better, I will stay away from interest based irrelevant information. I will also take this principle into the classroom with me.
Another “take-away” will be to use audio to help students with their learning process. The proof is in the chapter. “Mayer (2001) reports Audio narration is more effective. Mayer (2001) reports an average 30% gain with an effect size of 1.17, which is considered high.” (Reiser and Dempsey, p. 317). I have always been self-conscious about the sound of my voice on recordings. Well, it is time to get over it. If I can use audio to help my students learn, it will be worth it. The ideas in this chapter were the most helpful to me. It is probably because I have so much prior knowledge on the subject. I will take not only the two ideas above, but also the information as a whole when I start designing my own rich media based teaching/instructional design work.
Using the concepts from this book is important in the school population in which I work. I teach 7th and 8th grade English language arts. It is not the most popular subject among the tweens. I have a few students who are high achievers, some average students, and many low achievers. I have been looking for a way to help all of my students at the same time. Using Audio and visual will help all of my students work better and learn more. The question is…Am I creative enough to develop rich media lessons to engage and teach my students. I’ve found some on the internet, but they are costly and my school just doesn’t have the budget. If I want to use media to help my students, I’m going to have to develop a lot of it myself. This book is a start.
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2 comments:
Once again I enjoyed reading your comments, as your student population seems to mirror mine. I have always been a fan of not having much "stuff" on my walls, I have always felt the posters etc. were a distraction to the teaching going on in the room. I believe this chapter validates my feelings.
I agree that adding rich media can be expensive. This book has helped me tremendously. I have even found ways to implement tech tools and media with my Young 3's. I borrow quite a few things from ISD and somethings they let me keep. I guess when they upgrade they give a lot of things away. Enjoyed your reflection as always. Good Luck with your media development.
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