Managing E-Learning 2013: Assignment 1, Reflection 3, Week 4

Multimedia's in the classroom

http://www.voki.com/

Teachers should not only understand the importance of multimedia tools in the classroom, but understand how they can successfully them. It is essential for teachers to use a number of different multimedia to improve student achievement across curriculum areas. Walsh's text 'Pedagogic Potentials of Multimodal literacy' analyses ways' analyse ways of redesigning literacy pedagogy within e-learning and multimodal contexts. Walsh (N.D) presents evidence about multimedia importance and discusses that, "... Students need to be able to combine traditional literacy practices with the understanding, design and manipulation of different modes of images, graphics, sound and movement with." Teachers need to incorporate multimodal and digital technologies to create leaning experiences that are beneficial for the students.

Teachers need to understand how to use multimedia appropriately without risking overloading it in the classroom. Stansbury (2008) states that educators need to,

"- Know the importance of attention and motivation of the learner

and know the importance of separating media from the instruction approach."

Once embedded effectively, combining audio and images with text enhances learning significantly and promotes higher-order thinking.

Images:

Source: Google Images

Images are not only important in everyday classroom use, but images are essential for e-learning. When using images online, it is important to understand how to use them to create the right effect. Images can be used across all curriculum areas to influence or support students skill development.

In a classroom environment we were asked to consider having our students create an image for the book cover of the novel they have read for literacy. This concept would involve the use of high level thinking as students are using and creating images to represent characters, the plot and themes.

It is important for students to understand how to analyse text, but it is also essential for students to be able to analyse images and make meaning of them.

This could include students; using a digital camera to record information and creating mind maps with images. This could be used in all curriculum areas.

Photo resizing:

Original size: 2550 x 2550

Resized: 100 x 100

It is an important tool in the classroom for the teacher and the students to be able to resize images. I have used the Mobaphoto photo resizing editing tool to change the size of an image retrieved from Google Images.

Try it today:

http://mobaphoto.mobatek.net/en/

Photo Editing:

Original Photo:

Edited photo:

Using Be Funky photo editing tool, I was able to edit an original photograph that I had taken with my camera.

The editing tools I interacted with were;

Colour
Blur
Sharpen
Crop
Edges (Vignette)
Featured Effects
Featured Frames
Add text

Try this photo editing tool today:

http://www.befunky.com/

Podcasting and Digital Audio:

Source: Google Images

Podcasting is very popular and there are many available the internet and on iTunes. A podcast is most often just referred to as a 'sound file' and is a great tool that can be easily embedded into classroom teaching. Students can create their own podcast by recording their voice into a digital audio device and share it with fellow classmates by simply uploading it online.

Educational uses outlined by 'Podcasting in Education Wiki:'

Publish student work

Student project for assessment

Distribute school assignments

Peer teaching

Language classes

Create archive of class lectures

Interview guest experts

Create oral histories

Communicate with parents

Community outreach

Audio tours

Public safety messages

School happenings/performances

Professional development and personal learning

I had an attempt of creating my own Audio clip using 'audioboo;'

I downloaded the 'audioboo' app to my iPhone and found it really simply to record my voice and upload it to my blog. I would highly recommend using app in the classroom environment as its an easy an effective tool that can be embedded into all curriculum areas.

Digital Video:

A digital Video is a tool that can be affective in any curriculum area in the classroom environment. Digital videos allow students to become engage, its a tool that can be used for; communication, presentation, teamwork, moviemaking skills and high order thinking.

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5ySocUyI7I

I had an attempt at creating my own digital video using 'CineBeat.'

Check out this link to the video I made:

http://www.smule.com/p/101227140_13623839

I downloaded the CineBeat app to my iPhone and found it very simple to record the original video but had a lot of difficulties with uploading it and found it became very time consuming. I hope you have access to the link above. This app may be difficult to use in the classroom environment; a tool like 'movie maker' may be more appropriate.

References:

'audioboo' - retrieved from the app store

My recording link: http://audioboo.fm/boos/1519676-podcast-1

BeFunky. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.befunky.com/

'cinebeat' - retrieved from the app store
My video link: http://www.smule.com/p/101227140_13623839

Digital literacy- using technology in the classroom. (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5ySocUyI7I

Oddcast Inc. (2013). Voki. Retrieved from

http://www.voki.com/

Podcasting in Education.(2013). Wiki Retrieved from Moodle site
http://podcasting-in-education.wikispaces.com/