This is my review of a TeacherTube video posted by Dr. Elizabeth Murphy. I looked at the video with a focus on the theories and principles of multimedia learning.
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1. 709 FINAL PROJECT Michael Carothers Spring 2009 April 23,
2009
2. Option B video review In looking around TeacherTube, I was
pleasantly surprised to find an interesting video regarding the
learning environment of on-line courses. Although I have no plans
on leaving the classroom, I feel that many of the issues mentioned
not only relate to our course work, but also comprise good teaching
regardless of the situation.
3. The Video basic information The video that I decided to
focus on was created by Dr. Elizabeth Murphy, an Associate
Professor in the Education Department at Memorial University in
Newfoundland, Canada. Dr. Murphys titled her video Perturbations
and possibilities in the virtual classroom. The video is embedded
on my wikipage.
4. The Video main idea The main idea that Dr. Murphy presents
is that on-line courses need to build a sense of community amongst
the learners just like courses that physically meet do. The key
benefit of this sense of community is that students will feel more
connected to the course and they will be more focused on learning
the content that is presented.
5. The Video concerns Dr. Murphy brings up several concerns, or
obstacles, regarding establishing a sense of community in an
on-line course. There are no ice-breakers or get-to-know- 1. you
activities in the on-line environment. While technology can allow
for some face to 2. face interaction (in a synchronous learning
environment), there is still the veneer of technology separating
all of the participants.
6. The Video concerns Dr. Murphy presented several key
concerns: It is easier to access your (the teachers) bag of 3.
tricks to encourage/build the sense of community when you are face
to face with your students. As a teacher, you are able to quickly
assess 4. where your students are when the class is physically
meeting (facial expressions, body positions, etc.). This is far
more difficult in a virtual classroom.
7. The Video concerns Dr. Murphy presented several key
concerns: Many of the tools that are used in on-line 5. learning
environments (such as IlluminateLive!) are very teacher centered
and allow the teacher to have a lot of control over the learning.
Many of these tools limit, or prevent, students 6. from exploring
on their own during the synchronous class time.
8. The Video concerns A secondary concern that Dr. Murphy
raises focuses on student involvement. Face to face interactions
allow teachers to know 1. when students are lost and need greater
details or a different approach. In a synchronous web-based class
it is difficult 2. to know what else is competing for the attention
of your students. This is less of a concern in an asynchronous 3.
learning environment.
9. The Video concerns Dr. Murphy posits that a key reason
on-line students are off-task is because they do not feel connected
to what is happening in the course. The tools that teachers use are
partly to blame. 1. Primarily, however, students are being 2.
presented with an active learning environment yet they are expected
to remain passive learning is happening to them rather than
something they are doing.
10. The Video concerns To summarize, Dr. Murphy sees three key
challenges for on-line learning environments: It is more
challenging to establish a classroom 1. community. Many of the
tools used in web-based courses 2. create teacher-centered
environments. Students in such passive learning situations are 3.
easily distracted. All of this creates students who are distracted
and disconnected.
11. suggested solutions and their The Video relation to the
theories and principles that we have covered in our studies The
teacher in an on-line course should be a moderator rather than the
leader. This incorporates aspects of the Guided 1. Discovery
principle. Although learners need to find their own path to 2.
knowledge, it does help if several paths are started for them.
12. suggested solutions and their The Video relation to the
theories and principles that we have covered in our studies A sense
of community is just as important in an on-line course as it is in
a class that meets. The idea that a sense of community is important
1. is supported by the Collaboration and Self Explanation
principles. Students need to trust each other in order to 2.
successfully work together. A strong community of learners
encourages 3. dialogue and discourse. One must have reflected on
the learning in order to participate.
13. suggested solutions and their The Video relation to the
theories and principles that we have covered in our studies Provide
opportunities (assignments) that allow students to explore the web
for other sources of information regarding the content. Allowing
students to explore the content that the 1. course covers at their
own pace is a form of the Segmenting principle.
14. suggested solutions and their The Video relation to the
theories and principles that we have covered in our studies As a
continuation of the previous recommendation, Dr. Murphy states that
the democratic nature of the web allows learners to create their
own path to knowledge and allows learners to make more
interdisciplinary connections. Not only does this recommendation
relate to the 1. Segmenting and Self Explanation principles, it
also involves accessing prior knowledge, which is a key aspect of
the multimedia theories.
15. suggested solutions and their The Video relation to the
theories and principles that we have covered in our studies The
teacher needs to build in opportunities for the students to engage
in reflective. Reflective thinking is a powerful tool because it
requires the students to look at the body of knowledge that they
have already established through previous experience and to
integrate the new ideas they are discovering. Reflective thinking
involves the Self Explanation 1. principle as well as accessing
prior knowledge, which is a key tenet of the multimedia
theories.
16. suggested solutions and their The Video relation to the
theories and principles that we have covered in our studies As
instructors, we need to think about why students are instant
messaging each other during class. Without doubt, some discussions
would bear no relevance to the content, but what about the ones
that do? Allowing, and even encouraging, students to 1. share ideas
and questions in this format again support both the Collaboration
and Self Explanation principles.
17. suggested solutions and their The Video relation to the
theories and principles that we have covered in our studies Dr.
Murphys key contention is that courses need to be more student
centered: We should use tools that students are comfortable with
rather than ones that the instructors are most comfortable with.
Courses should be structured in a way that emphasizes the strengths
of the learners. Having students be active participants in the
course work increases their engagement.
18. suggested solutions and their The Video relation to the
theories and principles that we have covered in our studies While
none of the previous recommendations are specifically stated in any
of the 4 key multimedia theories, they all do relate: All 4
theories all mention the limitations of working memory as a hurdle
to learning. Dr. Murphy advocates increasing student interest and
involvement in on-line courses. Interested and involved students
are more likely to make the mental connections necessary to build
the long-term schema known as learning.
19. The Video summary Dr. Murphy proposes that on-line classes
need to be made more student-centered. The 4 multimedia theories
that we studied all do acknowledge (some only by inference) that
engaged students are going to be more successful then unengaged
peers. Although Dr. Murphy does not implicitly discuss them, many
of her recommendations reflect the principles of multimedia
learning that we have studied.