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Theme by Anders Norén

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Strategies for using Multimedia Technology within Teaching and Learning

Above I have included a picture of a sketch note I made for my nutrition class this year. Normally I find it very helpful to make a one page “study guide” where I put all the important information, graphs, and equations that I need to know for the exam. When i make this study guide I always use colours and make sure that my information flows from one topic to the next. However, after doing this weeks readings, I think the next time I make a study guide for a class I will include pictures. When i was working on this sketchnote I realized that the pictures helped me remember facts better because I could visual my sketches that represented the words I needed to remember.

The Dual Code theory explains how using pictures and words simultaneously can improve students ability to retain information better over time. The theory was proposed by Allen Paivio, who argues that the formation of images when studying can aide ones ability to learn and retain written information. He states that visual images and words are processed differently, which provides two different representations of the information, and it can be argued that students tend to learn better when teaching combines multiple different learning approaches.

Below I have included a quick crash course video that further explains the Dual Code theory

Kaster, A. (2019). Dual Coding theory. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wixEGpznyG8

What is Multimedia and Interactive Learning

I think that Multimedia has become an instrumental part of the curriculum as it promotes a more inclusive and interactive learning environment. As someone looking to be a future elementary school teacher, I was excited to be able to learn more about the topic. I think the biggest thing I took away from the readings this week was that our educational system had become so dominated by the idea that people form a greater understanding of a topic from words alone. However, with advances in technology, teaching is able to expand to pictorial instruction, with things like videos, powerpoint slides, and pictures, which is ultimately creating a more inclusive learning environment for all students.

For instance, I was a student that struggled in my first two years of french class. When I finally hit high school, my new french teacher would hand out a worksheet once a week with the new french words we would be learning and a picture beside each word. I noticed that the visuals added context to the word and increased my ability to remember the new words by the end of the week.

Ultimately, the curriculum is shifting to represent a more inclusive environment for all students by introducing multimedia. Moreover, by using a multimedia approach to learning, students are more likely to have a greater understanding of a particular topic because they are able to build meaningful connections between the words written in front of them and their pictorial representations.

References:

Mayer, R. E. (Ed.). (2014). The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139547369

Photo Reference:

The Benefits of Interactive Learning . (2019). The Benefits of Interactive Learning with Touch Screens. photograph. Retrieved September 19, 2021, from https://www.viewsonic.com/library/education/benefits-of-interactive-learning/.