This post is a reflection on using Images, Audio and Video for teaching. The following table summarises the main features of these three technologies.
Table 1: Main features of Images, Audio and Video
Images
|
Audio
|
Video
|
| Images are freely available. Take them yourself or use content available on the web if that material is not subject to copyright. Always acknowledge your sources. |
Many audio files and podcasts are also freely available on the web.
Can easily record your own audio files, either taping others or recording yourself. |
Many sites available that have free use of video files. Can create materials yourself.
|
Students are able to take photos and/or create images relatively easily.
|
Students are able to take photos and/or create audio files relatively easily.
|
Students are able to record videos or make vidoes of static images with freely available software.
|
Equipment is readily available.
|
Equipment should be readily available in schools.
| Equipment should be available in schools. |
Images are usually fairly small and can easily be uploaded on to the web.
Software available to make images smaller. |
Audio files can easily be uploaded on to the web.
Software available to make audio files smaller. | Even short Videos can be large files. Can be uploaded on to the web with some applications and then embedded elsewhere. Software available to make videos smaller. |
Images can be used to enhance teaching materials.
Students can use images to illustrate their work. Can be used as a medium to to support transformational learning. | Audios can be used to enhance teaching materials. Students can use audio as a creative way to present their work. Can be used as a medium to to support transformational learning. | Videos can be a very powerful tool to enhance teaching materials. Students can use higher order thinking skills to create video artefacts. Can be used as a medium to to support transformational learning. |
Educational Principles - Learning Theory & TPACK
I must admit that I love the use of images, audio and video in both my teaching and learning experiences. The course EDED20491 is a good example of how to incorporate these features into a curriculum. Every week Wendy has incorporated examples of these three tools in her teaching materials. They enhance the learning experience through presenting materials in multiple media. They also cater for Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic learners. As Wendy argued in her course notes "aural literacy, together with visual literacy, is becoming very important in the 21st Century literacy set, as indicated in this paper: http://archive.nmc.org/summit/New_Literacies.pdf" (EDED20491 Week 4 Learning Materials).
As with the Group 1 tools this course has modelled how to utilise the group 2 technologies in teaching practices in a manner that encourages the students to use HOTS (higher order thinking skills) by presenting materials to the students is ways that engage their thinking or support their skill development. These activities should be scaffolded with thinking routines to guide the learners' thought processes.
I believe that each of these tools will be useful in my digital toolbox. It is difficult to argue the case for one technology over the other two without a context for what to teach and to whom. The TPACK model is based on understanding the pedagogy, content and the technology within a given teaching context. But having said that I would argue that my pick of the tools this week would be the use of images. Because using images is easy. There are many available and they can easily be manipulated. I can use them for teaching resources and I can easily get the students to use them in their work. Using images requires a minimum of equipment a computer and a digital still camera.
When working with Images, Audio and Videos I would need to think carefully how to use them to support the student learning and helping them to achieve the learning outcomes. These tools could easily be incorporated into Blog, Wikis and Websites (Group 1 tools).
Use of multimedia in teaching materials should not be gratuitous just to make the site look good. They should always have a purpose that is linked to the pedagogy or content knowledge. These resources from Wendy Fasso provide a great introduction to using multimedia to enhance learning:
A consideration in the choice of using these tools is whether or not the school has the necessary equipment. If every student had access to a computer with video and audio editing software then it would be a straightforward process to ask them to manipulate these artefacts to create something new. Some schools may not allow students to record themselves so it would also necessitate enquiring as to the schools' policy on use of these Group 2 tools. As I have not yet started my prac teaching I do not know what equipment is available at my host school or what their policy is with respect to using images, audio and video for learning and teaching purposes.
To use these Group 2 tools I need to ensure that the students would be working in a safe environment. This may mean using images, audio and video in restricted environments. I need to model good practice in acknowledging other people's work and restricting the amount of material I use from any site. Always model safe, legal and ethical practices in the classroom and digital work spaces.
I must admit that I love the use of images, audio and video in both my teaching and learning experiences. The course EDED20491 is a good example of how to incorporate these features into a curriculum. Every week Wendy has incorporated examples of these three tools in her teaching materials. They enhance the learning experience through presenting materials in multiple media. They also cater for Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic learners. As Wendy argued in her course notes "aural literacy, together with visual literacy, is becoming very important in the 21st Century literacy set, as indicated in this paper: http://archive.nmc.org/summit/New_Literacies.pdf" (EDED20491 Week 4 Learning Materials).
As with the Group 1 tools this course has modelled how to utilise the group 2 technologies in teaching practices in a manner that encourages the students to use HOTS (higher order thinking skills) by presenting materials to the students is ways that engage their thinking or support their skill development. These activities should be scaffolded with thinking routines to guide the learners' thought processes.
I believe that each of these tools will be useful in my digital toolbox. It is difficult to argue the case for one technology over the other two without a context for what to teach and to whom. The TPACK model is based on understanding the pedagogy, content and the technology within a given teaching context. But having said that I would argue that my pick of the tools this week would be the use of images. Because using images is easy. There are many available and they can easily be manipulated. I can use them for teaching resources and I can easily get the students to use them in their work. Using images requires a minimum of equipment a computer and a digital still camera.
When working with Images, Audio and Videos I would need to think carefully how to use them to support the student learning and helping them to achieve the learning outcomes. These tools could easily be incorporated into Blog, Wikis and Websites (Group 1 tools).
Use of multimedia in teaching materials should not be gratuitous just to make the site look good. They should always have a purpose that is linked to the pedagogy or content knowledge. These resources from Wendy Fasso provide a great introduction to using multimedia to enhance learning:
- http://www.eschoolnews.com/2008/03/26/analysis-how-multimedia-can-improve-learning/
- http://www.academia.edu/1046356/Does_Multimedia_Truly_Enhance_Learning_Moving_Beyond_The_Visual_Media_Bandwagon_Toward_Instructional_Effectiveness
A consideration in the choice of using these tools is whether or not the school has the necessary equipment. If every student had access to a computer with video and audio editing software then it would be a straightforward process to ask them to manipulate these artefacts to create something new. Some schools may not allow students to record themselves so it would also necessitate enquiring as to the schools' policy on use of these Group 2 tools. As I have not yet started my prac teaching I do not know what equipment is available at my host school or what their policy is with respect to using images, audio and video for learning and teaching purposes.
To use these Group 2 tools I need to ensure that the students would be working in a safe environment. This may mean using images, audio and video in restricted environments. I need to model good practice in acknowledging other people's work and restricting the amount of material I use from any site. Always model safe, legal and ethical practices in the classroom and digital work spaces.
No comments:
Post a Comment