Reflection

There are still many technologies and software programs I would like to learn and use more efficiently. Before this course, I was completely unfamiliar with Adobe creative programs, and I already know how to do much more than I did. However I still don't know their full potential for designing instruction. I think I still need to develop consistency throughout design and find ways to counter issues such as not having immediate feedback and interaction with learners. Issues such as these can be resolved and avoided with a good instructional design. I think, therefore, it is important to be aware and anticipate issues that may arise and know how to fix them.

Designing Instruction from Multimedia Perspective

One of the most prominent things I learned and built on each week, was the importance of "how" content is presented. The type of media used, how it supports with the content, and the how the learner experiences it are all important things the designer must consider. Previous to this course, I had learned about the interaction between content and the presentation, but never specific to the types of media used. What I have learned about multimedia technology along with what I learned in cognitive psychology, will help me to develop better instruction no matter the instructional setting (web-based or traditional classroom). A large factor in web-based instructional design vs. classroom-based is the opportunity for teacher/student interaction and feedback during instruction. In web-based students can't ask questions or clarify information immediately (as in the classroom). This places greater importance on the design of instruction and its thoroughness and clarity. 

Using Video instruction

In terms of designing an instruction that teaches someone "to do" something (as is our assignment) I think sometimes the video medium can be beneficial for instruction, but I think it can also be unnecessary for some topics. To clarify, I think video can add a lot to instruction and can achieve things that visuals and audio cannot, but I think in my topic of instruction I could not draw out the potential of video. Many instructional topics can be enhanced and better taught with video, (i.e. changing a flat tire, making a peanut butter and jelly) in which it is difficult to express the specifics with strictly audio or text. However, others (such as my topic which is more intellectual in nature, I think) does not. When I consider using video instruction for traditional academic content, such as history or writing (taught web-based), I think video can be very useful because it seamlessly integrates audio and visuals you might use while teaching (such as referring to maps or manipulating text). VIdeo can result in web-based instruction that is more in line with traditional classroom instruction. In video instruction, as with other forms of multimedia design, it is necessary to be mindful of and reduce distractions that may affect student learning. 

Using Audio & Visual Media

The article Defining Audio/Visual Redundancy… by Annie Lang was very informative and impacted how I approach designing audio/visual/text instruction. I had not previously considered how the two media might be stored in our WM/STM differently, but this article made me think about how that could be the case. I have found Audio/visual media to be the most efficient, thus far. In my learning experiences, I am better able to recall audio information, when I have a visual to "tag" to it. As I designed my instruction I took my personal knowledge as a learner into account and tried to associate each pertinent piece of information with a graphic. To not distract from my audio, which I felt "carried the load" of the instruction, I made these simple, recognizable images that did not require mush additional processing by learner. Audio allows the teacher to provide more in depth instruction, than text alone, while still maintaining students' attention and engagement. 

Lang, A. (1995). Defining audio/video redundancy from a limited- capacity information processing perspective. Communication Research, 22(1), 86-115. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/009365095022001004

Multimedia Design

As I designed Audio/visual instruction, I found it easier to approach than single media.  I was better able to relate it to traditional face-to-face teaching, in terms of what information students need to be presented with, what they can access and how the media support one another. Some important points I've gotten from designing multimedia instruction: the balance of media supplementing each other while not overwhelming or distracting the others. To achieve this I found it important to consider what each medium would accomplish for the learner and how it would enhance the content, separately; then "layer" the media so that they interact in an efficient way. This multimedia design made me really consider "how" students obtain information and experience instruction (resources, content, format, etc.), and I see better how to be more mindful of this in instructional design and classroom teaching. 

Using Audio Media

One of the biggest differences, I found, between audio and visual media is the role STM plays in learning from audio. In many cases with visuals, the information is static; it is there in front of the learner and is constantly accessible. However with audio media it is "moving", which requires more work by the learner's working memory to process and move information to LTM. Of course, audio media can benefit learners with different learning styles, such as auditory learners, who learn better from verbal explanations and instructions. With my particular subject, I found audio media easy to work with. I was able to go into more depth in the instruction I wanted to provide than I was with text. Including everything in text thetas in verbal instruction could take up twice (or more) space, which is not always an option. 

Multiple Visual Media

As I was creating my graphic/text multimedia project, I discovered several pertinent points to remember when designing multimedia instruction. It is important to consider how two mediums interact with one another. They can benefit each other, as each alone has limitations. However, I found it necessary to carefully combine the graphics and text to ensure that they weren't creating a hinderance in the message being presented. Since both text and graphic are taken in visually, their relation to each other, informationally and design-wise is something to consider. In general, I found creating instruction with multiple forms of visual media easier than with single media. For example, when attempting to use only visual media, it was difficult to portray a concept that required intellectual or cognitive response from the learner. But the text allowed me to provide the instruction. An additional benefit is that it provides for learners with different learning styles, as single media can fail to do.