Mary is a primary EFL teacher. She has been told she needs to incorporate multimedia into her classes but she does not exactly know how to do so and is doubtful whether her 10 year old students will benefit at all. She is also concerned because many of her students live in poor areas of the city and do not have access to technology.
Can you help Mary? Based on the course bibliography and the material covered in classes 1 and 2, answer the questions below.
1) Define the concept of multimedia for Mary
2) Propose 3 different ways in which Mary can incorporate multimedia into her lessons
3) List 5 possible benefits of incorporating multimedia into her classes
4) Explain to Mary the impact that the digital divide may have on education. Propose 2 different strategies or approaches to help bridge the gap among her students. You may want to check out the following link for more ideas: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb15/vol72/num05/Helping-to-Close-the-Digital-Divide.aspx
Who said it? Read the statements below and decide which of the following perspectives they reflect: technologist’s, social pragmatist’s and/or critical analyst’s. Explain why. 1) The Internet could be looked at as one giant “garbage dump”. 2) Working with technology is difficult and frustrating. 3) The notion of “communicative competence” should be expanded to include the interactions that take place through oral and written communication with a computer. 4) “Data” is viewed as a degraded form of knowledge. We tend to accept or view Internet sources uncritically. 5) We take into account the context in order to examine the reality of day-to-day technology use. 6) Our ultimate goal was to create a person. We look at communication between humans and computers.
Multimedia is the field concerned with the computer-controlled integration of text, graphics, drawings, still and moving images (Video), animation, audio, and any other media where every type of information can be represented, stored, transmitted and processed digitally.
ReplyDeleteOne possible way in which Mary can incorporate multimedia into her lessons is Online Research on their phones. Many students use the internet to research topics, especially those they are unfamiliar with. But as we said in our multimedia lessons, we should begin by teaching our students how to determine a source's credibility.
A second possible way is using Power Point and Keynote. This software allows students to utilize various forms of media elements in their presentations. For instance, students can incorporate video and audio files into their presentation along traditional elements like visuals and text. Presentations with video and audio files have the potential for being compelling, eye-catching experiences. We must ensure that all students have access to the same, or similar, software packages. We wouldn't want to make students who don't have access to a computer or a computer with this software to feel that other students have an unfair advantage.
A third possible way could be to create a family tree by downloading the following app to their mobile phones (Family tree maker). It is quite suitable for younger elementary grades.
Mary should understand that the future is all about technology and multi-screening. Education can’t lag behind. On the other hand, when using technology, learning becomes interesting. It engages and challenges students with brand new and interactive methods. It also improves skills: problem solving, planning, mobile learning, self-direction, digital learning, global awareness, etc. It also increases collaboration. Students can work and collaborate with people in other locations. Distance learners can join online communities.
Last, but not least, it reduces weight. Instead of carrying lots of books, students just carry their phones which contain all their books and projects.
Mary should know that the gaps created by inadequate infrastructure and a lack of basic knowledge about the digital world are two major obstacles to genuine mass connectivity.
To help bridge the gap among her students, Mary should take these pieces of advice into account:
As was suggested in http://www.ascd.org, the simplest way to close the divide is to reduce the need for home Internet connectivity. This can be done by choosing devices for 1:1 programs that store programs on an internal drive (like laptop computers) or in flash-based memory (like iPads or other tablets)
Schools also may wish to make sure all materials can be downloaded to and stored on devices so people can access the material when not connected to the Internet
Finally, teachers should examine whether individual homework assignments even require Internet access. Every student can read an e-textbook or watch a video installed on his or her computer. Asking students to use information that's only available online may leave some students at a disadvantage, so ask yourself whether the Internet-dependent component of an assignment really adds to the learning.