Screencast Reflection

As reflect upon my video screen cast that used a PowerPoint, narration, and screen flashes to show a prospective graduate student how to apply for the UH-Manoa's Educational Technology Master's program, I am in limbo about the cognitive load theory discussed by Joe Winslow. In his article, cognitive load theory suggests that combining "high intrinsic (reading text) and high extrinsic (narration)" puts a person's memory on overload (p.4). Basically, this says that using the video, text, and voice at the same time is too much information to process all at once. I feel that if the text is minimal and the narration relates to it, than a person's mind will automatically block out the delivery method that doesn't work for them. I am a visual person and prefer to read the text, rather than hear it spoken. When I listen to a speaker who has a PowerPoint presentation, I read the slide before allowing myself to hear what is being said.That is not the case for all learners and most of us learn to adapt to the style that is most beneficial for us.

What I did learn through this process is that the UH Manoa website is very hard to navigate. There were broken links, links that did not take you where they should have, and the search bar was of little or no help. The COE-ETEC homepage is better organized this school year and displayed all the information in a common space. When I applied to the OTEC MEd in the spring, the graduate division requirements and extra ETEC necessities were on separate pages.

Video Screencast

Brain Research and Online Learning

The brain presentation by Dr. Mike was very informational and provided a broad overview of how learning is enhanced by the proper use of the multimedia design principles. His helpful tips about multimedia, spatial contiguity, temporal contiguity, and coherence has made me aware of how the use of text and images in educational presentations is connected to the way the information is received by the audience.

In creating an active and engaging online learning environment, it is necessary to use the Web 2.0 tools available to us today. Blogs, wiki spaces, and collaborative spaces like Blackboard has changed to face of distance learning and education. When I began my online learning journey, our class time was spent typing in chat windows as we struggled to make our point and keep up with the moving conversation. Today, I can sit in a class and hear and see my classmates. It has made distance education a personal affair.

Now that I have read Bonk & Zhang's R2D2 Method, I can recognize it in my current and past online classes. Reading and reflections have played an important role in how students collaborate and build relationships with each other online. It gives us time to process the new information and reflect on it before having to respond to our peers. This process can be time-consuming, but makes doing group projects easier because we have been making connections with each other throughout the course of the semester.

This material will help me in various parts of my work and personal life. I co-head my school's parent association and I am also the director of the preschool program. Having the knowledge to make connections to families, faculty, and students through the use of multimedia will benefit our school greatly. We are attempting to move with the time of technology and making the most of those opportunities to impact our audience is important to our success. I also hope to teach adult-learners who are looking for online programs in the field of early childhood education. Whether that be in a college course or professional development workshop, I believe I have the drive and capacity to rise to the occasion.