Week 9 Reflection

Do You See What I'm Saying?

This week we learned about creating interactive documents through InDesign.  Working on eLearning modules through Adobe Captivate, it was a pretty intuitive process for me.  That being said, I still had some issues with the program that I had to work through. 

Through the process of creating the last few projects, I definitely see the benefits of using multiple channels of media versus only one type of media.  Using multiple types of media allows us to reach different kinds of learners in a way that best suits their learning style.  It also allows us to maximize the learner’s comprehension by providing instruction through multiple channels- thereby reducing the cognitive load and improving memory.  Our reading this week, Defining Audio/Video Redundancy From a Limited- Capacity Information Processing Perspective by Annie Lang, discussed just that notion- that used properly, multiple-channel redundant presentations are better than single-channel presentations.  The key is not confusing the learner by providing audio that just reads what’s on the screen or by using contradictory images.   This knowledge has already impacted my learning by guiding the eLearning modules I’m creating.  I’m now very conscious of the impact my images and audio (if I use any) will have on my learners when I design new modules.

Week 8 Reflection

Music To My Ears

This week we changed the design of our instruction to audio-only.  I used Audacity to create my audio and I separated the different steps of my recipe into tracks.  I created a PDF file that listed the steps with playable audio next to each step.  There’s definitely a difference using only audio versus using images or text.  The primary difference, for me at least, was the loss of control.  When using images or text for my instructional design, I’m in full control of what words or pictures I use to get my message across.  With audio, I can control what I say, but I have very limited control over the quality of the audio- things like the background noise, the quality of my equipment, and my voice.  I know that mastery of the audio software and better equipment will help me combat a lot of these hurdles, but they’re definitely going to be problems for someone operating on a limited manpower/cash budget. 

Developing the instruction using audio felt efficient because I had my script written out and it was simply a matter of recording myself and making minor edits here and there.  The hardest part was writing the script, so once that was done, everything else fell into place.  I could use audio to instruct someone in a few different ways.  If I teach a class and record it, then giving students that recording afterward is an efficient way for them to catch up without having to repeat the lesson.  If my class has a lot of people that can’t sit still for a live session, providing it via podcast will allow them to listen to it in the car or on the subway. 

The big limitation with using only audio is that my message has to be crystal clear and I have to break the audio into chunks or tracks, otherwise I may overwhelm my learners.  The benefit to using audio is that once it’s recorded, the session becomes extremely mobile, and my learners can access it anywhere they have a music player.  

Week 7 Reflection

A Pep Talk From Captain America

This week we got to play around with audio editing software.  I was given a choice between Garage Band, Adobe Sound Booth, and Audacity for my audio software.  I have a Mac and an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, but in the end I chose Audacity because it was platform agnostic.  I have to say, creating this audio file opened up a new world for me!

The audio file itself was a mashup of an old Captain America speech I loved where he quoted Mark Twain while giving an inspirational pep-talk to Spider-Man.  I've always been a comic geek, and as an Army veteran, Captain America has always been one of the purest examples of a superhero to me. I had some military-style drumbeats playing in the background as I read his speech.  It was a blast to throw together.

It was pure coincidence, but I was recently forwarded a TED Talks podcast and listened to it on the way to work a few days earlier this week.  I was amazed at how the presentation jumped from the interviewer talking to the guest, to the actual live presentation of the speaker, to the music and sound effects used whenever the presenter told a story.  It was so different from the normal geeky technology podcasts I listen to every morning!  That immediately got me thinking.

Audio-only instruction can be a great benefit for teaching and learning.  In my line of work, it's very hard to get advisors who are always on the road working with their clients to set an hour aside to attend a class.  This is the kind of just-in-time learning that makes it possible to reach a large section of learners regardless of their individual schedules.  If the audio is presented in an engaging and entertaining manner, the material will be easier to absorb.  Potential issues with the use of audio can include equipment and time limitations.  The equipment limitations apply to both educator and learner.  The educator needs mics and a room to record in, as well as a computer with the software he/she needs to build the audio with.  The learner needs to be able to play the audio.  That means they need to have an mp3 or dvd player to listen to the recording.  The time limitation refers to the additional amount of time needed to build the recording.  In addition to sitting with the speakers in a room for an hour, I'll now need to spend another hour or two throwing everything together, and this doesn't even include the time I'll spend setting up the equipment.  

The most helpful aspect of using audio-only instruction is that it's accessible almost anywhere.  If you have a smartphone, you probably have access to the podcast.  You can stream a podcast live or you can download it for listening later, and because it's a recording, you can listen any time you're free.  The big difference between using audio versus using images or text in my instruction, as I've done the last couple of weeks, is that it's extra important to make the audio engaging, since there are no other elements to catch the listener's attention.  That means breaking the audio up into manageable chunks and pacing it appropriately.

Despite these potential issues, however, I really think I've got a great idea on my hands.  Just this Friday I had my 2016 training calendar brainstorming session with my boss and I pitched the idea of using podcasts to reach out to our advisors on the road.  We could pre-record the classes, many in an interview/discussion type of format, use music to separate different sections, and maybe even have an "advertisement" or two inviting the listener to view our LMS for more available classes.  He loved it!  We're going to pilot the idea with one of our business lines, but if it works, we'll start presenting it to our other teams.  Very exciting!

Week 6 Reflection

Recipe Booklet

This week, our assignment was to create our instructional document using a mix of images and text.  To accomplish this, we used InDesign, another program in the Adobe creative suite.  I can see a lot of cool possibilities opening up with using this software, but unfortunately this program gave me a bit of difficulty.  I'm going to have to go back and practice a bit more and get better at it!

Using both images and text combined made the process a lot simpler.  Whereas two weeks ago, I had to keep things simple and be creative when choosing my images, this week I was able to use text on areas that might otherwise seem confusing.  In terms of efficiency, the combination of images and text are definitely better than using only one of the elements.  

I think that a visual/text document, at least the way I designed mine, would cause me to teach differently.  For one thing, the combination of the images and the text give very clear instructions to students using my recipe booklet.  There would be very little that I would have to do other than standing back and facilitating their own self-guided learning.  If I had a document with only text or only images, it would be a little more necessary that I be nearby to direct the students.  Limitations for the combined text/image document focuses mainly around the images themselves and time.  Because I'm forced to find images online and then use Photoshop to edit them, I'm limited to only the pictures I can either locate or create myself.  And that added difficulty of finding images to supplement my text adds additional time to the design of my lesson.  Time is something that I may not always have when creating new material.

The benefits of using this combined visual/text document are obvious... for one, the material is much easier for them to understand.  I mentioned in last week's reflection how the mind is able to absorb more information when both audio and visual elements are in play.  The visual element adds an additional element that will help the student recall the information later.  Finally, if the images are sufficient to teach the material, it can potentially be taught to a speaker in any language.  

It's been very interesting exploring the different options available to me using different types of technology.  I'm looking forward to playing around with some of our audio options next week!