Ed in ETEC

Raj and Multimedia

Three Important Questions Raj could ask himself when deciding which multimedia to include:

• What kinds of multimedia resources are available at his hands to use? From the case study’s information, it appears that he has videotaped Chief Cunningham and his stories. Raj has also taken over 100 pictures. Raj needs to ask himself if the number of video clips he has videotaped, and the number of pictures he has taken, sufficient to fill his module (or specific lessons, depending on how he plans his module).

• What technical skills are required by Raj to handle these multimedia resources, and is Raj capable of utilizing these resources? Raj may have the best resources available, but if he has never learned or does not feel capable of using various programs to incorporate these resources into his lessons, the whole exercise can prove fruitless.

• What does Raj’s school provide in terms of technological needs and hardware? Raj can produce the best multimedia lessons in the comfort of his home, but if the school does not have the proper equipment for him to show the materials to the students, or to allow the students to work on the assignments/activities he has designed, the lessons would not be useful. Raj’s lessons, unfortunately, need to be designed based on the system’s technological capabilities.

Do you think Raj can deliver this in a month? Explain your answer.

I personally do not feel that using 10 hours a week for four/five weeks to create a website for a 5-lesson module is very time/cost-effective (or is he using 10 hours in total to create the entire module?). Based on the amount of resources he has gathered, and assuming that Raj does have a good grasp on the technological skills required to use these multimedia resources, I think time would be best served for him to create a unit of 5 lessons that utilize his resources. In his unit, he can create multimedia presentations, create inter-activities for his students, and provide resources that students can keep.

One significant aspect in Raj’s lesson planning that I see missing is the power of the collaborative force of the students. Just because these students are in grade 5 does not mean Raj needs to spoon-feed them with all the information and present them with all the pictures and videos. His resources can be used as introduction to the content to which he wants to deliver. Students can participate in activities that would allow them to gain some hands-on experience exploring and discovering more to the content Raj is teaching. Better yet, why not conduct a four-lesson unit, and recap the lessons by taking the students to the Kwikwetlem Reserve for a personal visit? By comparison, anything Raj can create on his website would be uni-directional.

In conclusion, yes, Raj can probably create a website filled with multimedia resources in a month if he is planning to give 40 to 50 hours of his time doing so. However, time can be much better spent when he engages his students in a student-driven fashion of learning, and to provide them with a hands-on experience through a field trip.