Digital Story - Who needs Nick Burns when you can build your own computer!

The purpose of this digital story is to provide viewers with a complete narrative that explains what's inside a modern-day personal computer. To many, the how and why regarding how a computer works is a mystery. By giving the viewer a "tour" of a computer's innards, I hope to demystify just what exactly is inside.

Because these are pictures from computers I build myself, there was a familiarity with the subject matter, which both helped me personalize the story and also "own" it, as I had purchased all of the components and installed them with my own two hands.

By starting and ending with brief excerpts from Nick Burns, Your Company's Compute Guy, I hoped to add humor and hipness to a topic that is, let's face it, a bit geeky.

Those interested in taking the next step and attempting to build their own computers will find a number of great resources online, including tutorials like this one from PC Magazine.

Something I learned from this project is that the time can really add up quickly. Even though each of my slides were, on average, about 10 seconds long, my digital story ended up being 4:26 long. This just reinforces the importance of knowing what you want to say and sticking to the script. Tangents and sidetracks can derail a digital story and cause the viewer to lose interest.

Coherence Analysis

1.      What is the Coherence Principle and its most important constraints/criteria?

The Coherence Principal is the idea that humans can only process so much in their working  memory. By overloading instructional materials with redundant or unrelated visuals, audio effects, and background music, learners will less successfully be able to grasp the concepts and ideas the instructor wishes to impart.

2.      Describe and/or include one example of successful and one example of unsuccessful attempts to apply the Coherence Principle in actual instruction and training you have experienced, especially as it might be implemented in PowerPoint-based instruction and training. Have you ever seen this principle violated or abused? Identify the violations, including citations as needed from your textbook.

The Massachusetts State Police recently visited our high school to review safety procedures in the event of an intruder in the building. The officer who spoke to us had good presence and was articulate; unfortunately, the PowerPoint presentation that accompanied his lecture violated the Coherence Principle in two ways.

The first was that his presentation contained extraneous text. It was also set up in such a fashion that what was written on the slides was almost word-for-word what he was saying. The slides were dense with text and poorly spaced. It would have been more effective if he had paired his speech with relevant visuals and a couple of choice words. Sentences upon sentences of text on a PowerPoint presentation is always a bad idea.

The presentation did contain one visual, but it didn’t seem to be directly related to the material on the slide. I can’t remember what the image was, or what the material on that slide was about. This is likely because the image disrupted my ability to build an appropriate link to the material (Harp and Mayer, 1998).

An example of a successful presentation was one I saw today in a workshop I attended at the Technology and Literacy at the Beach conference in Myrtle Beach, SC. The presenter, who was speaking about social media tools in the classroom, had a PowerPoint slide that contained four words and a picture. The picture related directly to a point she was making about collaboration, and helped me to understand what she was talking about.

3.      Discuss the relationship of the Coherence Principle to other Multimedia Learning Principles examined thus far in your readings.

The Coherence Principle dovetails nicely with a number of Multimedia Learning Principles we’ve studied earlier. In particular, I thought of the Multimedia Principle, which advocates for the use of both text (either spoken or written) and visuals. While initially it might appear that the Multimedia Principal is in contrast with the Coherence Principle, the key to the Multimedia Principal is using graphics that support learning. The Coherence Principle warns against the dangers of using complex, tangentially-related visuals. Put into this context, it becomes evident that these two principles are complementary.

4.      Discuss the relationship of the Coherence Principle to fundamental theories of psychology as described by Clark & Mayer in your textbook.

While it would appear that employing the arousal theory when creating instructional materials would help to stimulate interest and engage readers in the material, old friend John Dewey reminds us that “interest cannot be added to an otherwise boring lesson like some kind of seasoning” (Dewey, 1913). When instruction is paired with extraneous audio or video effects, the learner is often distracted from the core content of the lesson by the very accoutrements employed to help foster learning!

5.      What do you personally like or dislike about this principle? Present a coherent, informed opinion and explain why you hold this opinion. Are there any limitations or qualifications of the principle (caveats) which the authors did not consider and, if so, what are they?

I like the soundness of this principle. When you think about it rationally, it makes sense. We can only process and pay attention to so much, so when you add too many elements, it’s only natural that focus on and attainment of the desired learning objective becomes lessened. On the other hand, I can see how flashy multimedia bits can be used successfully as activators or rewards, either prior to or after the chief instructional lesson. Problems come up when these effects are attempted to be implemented during the lesson.

I personally find it enjoyable to do work while listening to classical music. I’ll often play it in my classroom at a very low volume. Students say they enjoy it, so it’s something I’ll usually put on when students are doing independent work. I wonder, though, after having read this chapter, if that music is a hindrance, resulting in writing tasks taking more time, as the text suggests. I've be curious to do my own research experiment to find out.

References

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2008). E-learning and the science of instruction, 2nd edition. Pfeiffer: San Francisco, CA.

Dewey, J. (1913). Interest and effort in education. Cambridge, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Harp, S.F., & Mayer, R.E. (1998). How seductive details do their damage: A theory of cognitive interest in science learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 414-434.

Write On! initial podcast

In the premiere podcast episode of Write On!, I provide an overview of the four types of journalistic leads - the news, feature, review, and opinion. Each article is different, and each requires a unique strategy. I talk about the chief aspects of each type of lead, and then provide actual examples from our school newspaper, Spotlight.

Click HERE for the link.

Write On! will feature writing tips, advice, and examples from a variety of genres, including newspaper, academic, and creative writing. Future topics could include "crafting thesis statements,""concluding with authority," and "the art of analysis."

I had a lot of fun recording this, channeling my own Mark Hunter from Pump Up The Volume. I was surprised how quickly I was able to fill the time. For future podcasts, I may try to limit the number of segments, or work at being more concise with my language and ideas. This was definitely a great learning experience, and I have a new reverence for the work of the radio personalities who entertain me on my way to and from work!

Narrative Games 1

This was a fun quest. I remember as a kid being intrigued by "choose your own adventure" books. Having an opportunity to influence the outcome of the story made it more engaging and meaningful. Rocky Ledge was similar.

As I played, I pictured in my head a Resident Evil-style narrative unfolding. Resident Evil is a shooter that makes use of narrative elements, including text. When your character interfaces with the world, you receive a message that describes what your character is looking at, using, or trying to do. Sometimes you'll try to do something and can't. One example is opening a door. Some door locks you can shoot with your gun, while others require a special key.

Rocky Ledge was similar. There were some directions that allowed for greater exploration (a path, the forest, the Great Canyon), while others were simply dead ends that required you to turn around. I definitely felt relief when I was able to move in the direction I desired, and panic when I reached a dead end (mountains, debris, buildings, etc). As I was reading and playing, I cared about my character's ability to roam free and explore the terrain.

One of the chief take-aways from this quest is the investment that narrative games can effect. Right now I am playing the video game Mass Effect 3. I want my character to succeed, and I want to make good choices that up her standing and shape her character in a positive way.

Response to Perry: Will videogames become better than life?

This TED talk provided a solid and concise history of the evolution of video games, and lays down the argument that the future of video games could become more meaningful and engaging than "real" life itself. As virtual and real-world experiences increasingly overlap, the line between games and reality becomes blurred.

Because of the power and influence of video games, one could argue that designers now have ethical considerations to make when designing worlds, characters, and plot lines. Much of who we are and how we relate to the world is now viewed through the lens of video games and pixilated protagonists. Given games' hold on our psyches, the future for games is vast. It's exciting new territory, and I look forward to traversing it with open and critical eyes.

Connected Constructionism

This assignment asked us to create our own "mash-up" learning theory based on two or more existing theories. We were to draw a diagram that represented how the pieces fit together. Above is my illustration of "connected constructionism."

The theory starts with connectivism, which places greater value on the capacity to know rather than what is known. Networks are fundamental to connectivism. One might say networks are connectivism. In today's digital word, it is simply unacceptable for the teacher to be the sole proprietor of knowledge and ideas. Teachers must facilitate connections between students, between other teachers, professionals, scholars, documents, resources, etc. Students must see these connections as valuable, they need to be taught how to navigate them, and it needs to be accepted as OK that there are multiple ways to access these networks, and that different discoveries are possible depending on the networks one accesses.

Once students are exposed to a variety of ideas (new knowledge), they need to be able to place them into a schema that makes sense. This is where constructionism and prior knowledge comes in. Learners need to be able to make meaning of new information in order for learning to occur. This is why learning is so very personal. Today's educators need to develop a mindfulness for the learner, attune themselves to how students learn, and place equal (if not more) credence on the process of learning as with the content of learning.

Visual explanation

The lines above Connectivism all link to various ideas. Regardless of the path one chooses to explore an idea, eventually the learner will be able to travel all paths and encounter all ideas if he or she chooses. I tried to illustrate the importance of the network, and the interconnectedness of both ideas and those who seek them out.

Once a learner is exposed to a new concept, it needs to become meaningful. Prior knowledge and experience allows for this. When you add that to new knowledge, learning occurs. Because I see these ideas building on one another and allowing for knowledge to grow, the graphic reads upwards from left to right.

Questions for the reader

I wonder if by only using connectivism and constructionism in my mash-up, I am forgetting or neglecting some important aspect of cognitive development that renders my mash-up invalid. Should I throw in another theory, or is this sufficient to stand on its own?

I had some trouble reconciling in my brain the relationship between the paths learners can take to access the network, and the ideas they can find there. Are all ideas really linked? Is it possible to access the same ideas from two different paths or perspectives? I definitely made some assumptions here. I hope they weren't false.

Overall, this was an enjoyable assignment which gave me an opportunity to articulate the relationship between two learning theories that are really central to my instruction as a high school English and journalism teacher.

Project 1: Multimedia Instruction

One of the reasons I became an English and journalism teacher is because I enjoy reading, writing, and photography. Whenever I need to create instructional materials, I look for opportunities to hone my skills and practice my craft. That was very much the case with this assignment.

I knew I wanted to utilize a predominantly image heavy approach. Once I settled on the topic of panning and photography, I began to envision specific slides I thought would be effective in conveying this technique's chief principles. It didn't take long to realize that  not only would I probably be better off taking my own images, it would be more fun too.

I thought about also mentioning something about shutter speed, and how it can be manipulated to create some dramatic images that convey motion. But because I didn't want to overwhelm my viewer by introducing too much new information, I left out slides on shutter speed.

An effective follow-up to this presentation could be another about the role shutter speed plays in freezing objects and conveying motion, and how panning and shutter speed can work together to create some incredible exposures.

I've noticed it can be easy to throw too much at an audience too soon. Pacing, volume, and sequence matter, and its important to be mindful of them when designing instruction. It's also worth noting that an appropriate and manageable amount of material can be obfuscated if the delivery of that material is not done according to the principles of design.

The most important things about 'gamifying' education

 
There's been a chasm between games for "edutainment" and entertainment. Educational games' primary focus is to educate, and can leave the player with a feeling of being smacked in the face with a lesson plan. Entertaining games can sometimes leave players feeling flat once they're done, as they haven't necessarily bettered themselves in some way.

Video games can utilize tangential learning to both engage and educate. When one exposes an audience to topics it's already interested in, it will often choose to "self educate" and seek out new information.

Tangential learning can both be subtle and obvious. It's all about smoothly integrating it into the narrative of the game by picking the right moments and opportunities. Done this way, the gaming experience can be enhanced with learning while still being fun.

By exposing players to new concepts, designers can lay the groundwork for new learning. This idea makes sense, and is perhaps one of the reasons Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect - two games I love - have been immensely popular. When I play these games I have fun, but I also learn, so the time spent playing doesn't necessarily feel "wasted."

7 Ways to Reward the Brain

It was quite amazing to me to learn that the major games today are measuring one billion points of data per day. This means game designers have an incredible amount of information at their disposal. This data allows designers to tailor games to an appropriate level of challenge, which, in turn, leads to engagement. As an educator, this makes me think how we could be more effective if we had the kind of reliable, informative data that is readily available in the gaming world. What do students get? What don't they get? What is just beyond their grasp? This information takes time, energy, and effort to discern. With electronic games, this kind of data is recorded instantaneously.

I really like the idea of rewarding effort and not punishing failure. It's so important, and yet the current educational system is loath to reward effort and seems to thrive on punishing failure, both by students and teachers.

Something else I take away is the concept of the "reward of uncertainty" that really lights the brain up and engages people. When things can't be predicted, they're exciting. As educators, we should work to infuse our teaching with more of these moments. 

Response to video game 'seduction secrets'

Last spring The Guardian published an article dubbed "The seduction secrets of video game designers." The piece, which was tweeted more than 700 times and "liked" on facebook more than 600, articulated the elements which keep users coming back to games - at the tune of $50 billion annually.

The article also offered insight into the parallel applications of "game seduction" for creators and consumers of online instructional content. Games, and, increasingly, online learning environments, are serving as fertile grounds for learning due to the fact that failure is OK, even welcomed, according to game designer Raph Koster.

As a learner, I speak from experience that some of my greatest and most significant instances of learning occurred after experiencing a setback, understanding why I failed, acquiring new knowledge, and trying the task again with a better understanding of how to proceed.

As a teacher, I need to remember to provide my students with "opportunities to fail," and to not penalize them when they do so. I want my students taking risks, pushing boundaries, and expanding their knowledge and understanding.

Mass Effect 3 Creative Commons image by scorp_stanton on Flickr