- What types of trends do you see in the ways audio and still/video media are being used to support learning?
As I review my own materials in grad school, discuss various topics on technology with my daughter, and read assignments in and out of this class, I am amazed at how fast those within and out of the classroom learn from audio and video. For me, I know watching someone model or demonstrate for my is my preferred learning method. It is like if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a thousand pictures. Because audio and video have the power to bring alive a subject, teach a subject at a faster pace, and teach those who may not be able to learn via reading, it is a powerful tool to expand the base of knowledge and increase rate of knowledge gain. Audio and video have the power to inject emotion, situational context, and and energy that may not come from reading. Additionally, it can reach the learner who does not have the ability, confidence, or knowledge to reach out to someone in order to seek assistance.
- Specifically, how do you see these media enhancing participatory learning within the Web 2.0 context beyond that possible by text media?
The funny thing about watching or hearing other people is you (the viewer) are drawn into the conversation. There is a need to interact and make contact with the other person – even if it is just a recording. Having audio or video can draw the learner into the process in a different way through the type of engagement that is required by the medium. It changes the motivation in the interaction, which can in turn, change the motivation to learn.
- Richardson & Mancabelli describe six new literacies for 21st century learning environments. Which of the six measure of literacy do you see as the most challenging? Why? Are there any you would add?
“Managing, analyzing, and synthesizing multiple streams of simultaneous information” has to be one of the toughest to implement at this moment in education just due to the infrastructure, hardware, and software that is needed. While it is recognized and valued, it is expensive to purchase and include. As the article states, this cannot happen unless every child has a device and that has not happened in our schools yet.
I would add “Develop a mental/psychological flexibility for embracing change” since technology improves/changes so rapidly.
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I completely agree that video should enhance the lesson and not be there simply because the teacher or designer wanted to do it. I took an online class in which there was a video every few weeks that introduced the topic. For me, I found the videos a little slow and would have rather read the information in a text format or at least listened to an audio recording instead. In fact, I’m not sure why there was a video since audio would have suited the purpose of a person explaining the lesson. I think it is important to offer different media for the same concepts. For example, in the online course that I designed, I created text notes, but also added games and videos when I knew there was a challenging topic. I let the students know that the videos are supplemental and there for them if they need additional help. In this way, students can decide themselves what tools work the best for them and use their time in the most effective way. I think I will add more of these types of supplemental materials based on what I have learned in this class.
“The funny thing about watching or hearing other people is you (the viewer) are drawn into the conversation. There is a need to interact and make contact with the other person – even if it is just a recording.”
This is so true! My mom leaves such long voice mails that I forget at the end and tell her goodbye! Audio and video mimic human interaction and can help students make more personal connections with their learning.
I agree that “it is a powerful tool to expand the base of knowledge and increase rate of knowledge gain. Audio and video have the power to inject emotion, situational context, and and energy that may not come from reading.” As Phil explained, we should more careful what is the best for learners depending on topics and related activities. For example it would be better to use text or audio in literature class and better to use visual resources when learners need to grasp the basic concepts of mathematics.
Yes, video is indeed powerful because of its rich, visual nature. For example, learners viewing a screencast can see where a tutor is clicking, typing, or uploading. But in the same way that we, as educators, need to think carefully and deliberately about the best tool to use in conjunction with a particular lesson or instructional activity, we also need to think carefully about what is the best mode (e.g., text, video, still image, audio, etc.). What might be some situations where video would be less than ideal, not the optimal mode to use?