Although a painful task, completing an inventory of all the different multimedia in one’s LMS does have its benefits. It is important to consider all of the different types of media (video, audio, text, visuals, live, software, collaborative, and integrated). Multimedia can have a positive effect towards the learning environment by increasing focus, engagement, and create more meaningful learning, if carefully selected (Seimens, 2003). However, it can have a negative effect, and create unwanted distractions if not carefully considered.
This process of logging all of the different media allows the designer to see if their LMS is overloaded with any one particular type of media. Over saturation of one type of media can create an uninteresting and boring experience for the learner. For example a completely text based LMS, is heavily dependant on the motivation of the learner (Seimens, 2003). Although text is easy to produce, it takes the learner a long time to read and thus increases the opportunity for the learner to lose focus.
As a science teacher, I often find that I rely heavily on text to provide students with content. After conducting this task, I see the need for a careful balance in all media types. Video is also a great way of presenting content. The learner gets to ‘watch and learn’ while being stimulated audio and visuals. The problem is that videos are often time consuming or expensive to produce.
Other types of media can improve student interactivity and make them feel like part of the learning community. Designers must chose between synchronous media and asynchronous forms of media. Live forums provide many media formats in one ‘live’ learning environment. Audio, visual, video, and text all come together in one environment. This type of media is very effective for engaging students and facilitating learning. This technology is typically effective for only small groups, can be quite costly and lacks a ‘knowledge trail’ (Seimens, 2003).
As with many of the choices we must make when selecting which technologies to use, one must make an informed decision based on theoretical framework. My preference for such considerations is to use the SECTIONS framework as proposed by Bates and Poole (2003). Each type of media is better for some situations than others. In the end, a balance of multimedia must be selected based on students’ needs, ease of use, cost, time, interactivity, organizational issues, novelty, and speed, to create a learning environment that is engaging and effective.
Click on the following link to view my comprehensive multimedia inventory page.
References
Siemens, G. (2003). Evaluating Media Characteristics: Using Multimedia to achieve learning outcomes. Elearnspace. http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/mediacharacteristics.htm
Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using
Technology. In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education:Foundations for Success. (pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.
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