Image Credit: Cristina Glebova on Unsplash

EDCI 336, Post #2

Video Credit: Rachel Mainero on YouTube

This week’s readings focused a lot on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of digital teaching and instruction, and how we as educators can find stronger and more comprehensive ways to use online learning. A large takeaway for me personally was the emphasis on moving away from just making videos to understanding the cognitive science behind how our students actually understand and process online information. We also talked about Multimedia Learning Theory (MMLT) and the evolving area of Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) and how certain online spaces/platforms, like BlueSky, give a more intentional, educator-led alternative to algorithmic based social media we’re used to. 

This reminds me of a point that my learning pod discussed, which was that these kinds of online platforms do offer more control, but we agreed that the challenge is getting students to actually move away from the ‘dopamine loops’ of typical social media towards more intentional learning and education.

It was also my first time learning about Richard Mayer’s Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning. What I took away from that, is that the human brain processes information through two separate areas: auditory and visual, and these areas both have their own limited capacity. So if we overwhelm a student with a large amount of text while simultaneously talking and explaining the information before the student themselves can even process the information given to them, we are actually causing more harm than good to their working memory.

Video Credit: Dr. Ray Pastore on YouTube

Dr. Ray Pastore

When I watched Dr. Ray Pastore’s video on multimedia principles, I took a note of the exercise he talked about in “do as I say, not always as I do.” While I can see that Dr. Pastore is an expert. I found that this video did challenge The Redundancy Principle, which suggests that learners and students often learn better from graphics and narration than from graphics, narration and on screen text. In some parts of the video, having the text on screen while he spoke did create redundancy that I think could actually distract a student more than help them learn.

At the same time, this reminds me of the accessibility discussion we had in class and how we talked about the idea that while redundancy might reduce learning for some students, closed captions / subtitles / on-screen text are helpful or even vital for students learning English or with hearing impairments. It’s a reminder that there’s no ‘perfect’ design in education and it just requires us as educators to work to find that balance between students’ needs.

Video Credit: Betsy Potash on YouTube

When thinking about applying this to a high school English class, I wouldn’t just use video for my own tutorials, I would also use it as a tool for student assignments. Instead of af traditional paper, I would have students create digital book trailers or video essays. I’d also encourage them to use audio editing to add thematic soundtracks or sound effects that reflect the mood of the book they are analyzing, which would let them to show their literary understanding in a more creative, multimodal way.

My Screencast

My ScreenCastify with Interactive Questions

For this week’s hands-on activity, I decided to focus on one of my personal favourite online platforms, and one that also I believe is a staple for any other English teacher, which is Goodreads. I recorded a quick tutorial on how to navigate the site to curate reading lists and discover new books to read and what’s being published this year, as well as the interactive social media aspect. I also included H5P ‘check-for-understanding’ questions after learning, which is included in the link above.

I see a lot of value in using these tools for both middle and high school English. Adding  H5P through interactive questions in the video forces students to actually engage with and hopefully understand the material better before they’re able to move on. I like that screencastify has options to include those, as well as not letting students skip forward in the video until they’ve answered the question; I can see how doing this encourages student learning and understanding rather than them just passively watching a 5 minute instructional video. 

Image Credit: Kimberley Farmer on UnSplash

There are definitely both positives and negatives to the ‘Flipped Classroom’ model, where students watch the tutorial at home so we can do the hands-on work in class. I think for strengths, that it’s great for differentiation. Students can pause, rewind, or slow down as they learn a new platform. It also means that the teacher isn’t stuck at the front of the room lecturing, ideally they would be able to circulate and help them with their work and projects.

For weaknesses, I would say that what we talked about in class is a huge concern, the sort of digital divide that can come up when relying on internet connection, proper up-to-date technology, device speed, a quiet space etc. So in that way, it can be hard to meet students where they’re at and make sure everyone is moving at a relatively similar pace, rather than letting the unpredictability of at-home work negatively affect a student’s actual learning experience.

Image Credit: Panopto Infographic

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