Week 14 Reflection

Changing Perspectives

This week, we finally got to throw everything we've created thus far into a single web page utilizing every method of media we've learned about.  It was great picking and choosing the parts of the previous assignments that I wanted to use for the site.  

I've learned a great deal about designing instruction during my journey in CECS 5110.  Some of the most interesting things I've learned are the actual design principles- choosing appropriate color, balancing items on the page, following my gut on what does and doesn't look good.  I really want to follow this class up by reading some books on design to enhance my skills.  Of course, the technology I've learned to use has been amazing as well.  Using the different tools that the Adobe Creative Cloud suite has offered me has opened my eyes to what is possible within instructional design and has inspired me to try even more new ideas.

The main difference between where I'm at now and where I was when I started this class is the new perspective I bring to the table.  Now that I know what technology is out there and available to be utilized, I look at new instructional design challenges and see more solutions than before.  Designing instruction is not just a matter of developing a needs analysis and working through developing and implementing the training... it is also about considering what forms of delivery work best, what types of media are the most appropriate in each situation, and at the most basic level, what we need to make the final package look best.

But there are always some truths about instruction, regardless of the forms we use to deliver it, that remain the same.  Technology is great, and it makes several aspects of designing our material much easier than I would have imagined.  But at the end of the day, the technology is just a tool.  Without the proper instructional design principles behind them, I am just as likely to create something that will confuse the learner or hinder their development.  It is more important to understand fundamental instructional design principles and cognitive theory than it is to learn how to use a tool, no matter how easy or pretty it makes things out to be.

Week 13 Reflection

Reflecting On My CECS 5110 Journey

As my journey in the Multimedia in Technology Applications course comes to an end, I feel grateful for all that I’ve learned. I’ve gained so many useful skills, many of which I’ve been able to directly apply to my work.  Gaining skill using the Adobe Creative Suite, in particular, has been an excellent addition to my skillset.  I’m already using Photoshop and Premiere Pro to create new projects in my office, and my boss and coworkers have been impressed with the new contributions I bring to the table.  We’re starting a new podcast project next year that I never would have attempted had I not taken this class and learned about some of the audio editing software available.  Creating the video, while extremely stressful due to my slow computer, was probably the most fun activity I did.  I was able to throw together everything I’ve done over the semester and see a final product that I could be proud of.  I fully intend to work with our multimedia specialist to see if I can recreate something like that in the future!

If there was something I still would like to learn, it would be Adobe Illustrator.  I know that it isn’t essential for developing instructional material, but I’d enjoy tooling around with the program anyway.  Perhaps I’ll watch some videos on my own later.

There are a few things that I still feel hazy on.  For one, I’m not as comfortable with building a website as I’d like to be.  I’ll begin playing with Dreamweaver this week, so that may change, but I get the feeling that this might be a struggle for me.  The technology aspect of this profession is one of the things I find the most exciting, so I hope that I can get a better handle on this technology in time for my advanced web design class next semester!  Moving forward, I’d also like to get better at InDesign.  I definitely see the advantages of using this program, and I’d love to begin creating our instructional guides using this software at work.  That being said, my experience with the program has been frustrating at times.  I feel as though the problem can be overcome with practice and training, so I fully intend to watch more videos to become even more comfortable on this program.  It looks like I’ll be doing a lot of additional exploration this Christmas holiday!

Week 12 Reflection

Lights, Camera, Action!!!

This week we created our lesson using video.  I originally thought that this was going to be one of the easier assignments (just hit record, right?), but I was sadly mistaken.  I really wanted to make a good video, so I borrowed a camera from work and used my cell phone for alternate angles.  I edited in some music and used my mp3 recordings from a few weeks ago.  It was a very long process, but it allowed me to flex my creative muscles so it was an entertaining time.  The end product, while not as glorious as I had imagined in my mind, looks good and gave me valuable experience that I hope to be able to apply to the next video that I make.

Designing instruction from video is beneficial because it allows for the most opportunity to reach the learner. Some learners learn better by viewing, others by hearing instruction, but the video allows us to reach both kinds of learners.  It provides the learner with something that they can look at regularly to learn the material.  The difficulties come from putting this instruction together.  It's much harder to film a video that it may seem by looking at YouTube!  Lighting has to be right, angles are important, and sometimes you only have one shot so you have to make sure you get it right.  In my mash-up video the week before, my normally well behaved daughter decided to turn into a diva and I wasn't able to record what I wanted.  That's another difficulty with video- the actors!  Finally, the editing process, even though I had a great time doing it, is a long and tedious affair.  

The whole process changed my thinking about teaching via video.  I always thought that it was something I should do more often, but now I know that I need a little more practice and a great deal of time.  Looking at the finished product, I also feel as though it was worth it.  A video is a much better medium than a single-media-only instruction because it covers all of the basis in regards to learners and their unique learning styles.

Week 10 Reflection

Combining Audio and Images

This week we created our instructional document using InDesign, throwing together everything we’ve learned so far about interactive buttons, text, images, and audio.  It was fun grabbing images and audio files that I had already created and rearranging them into a new recipe format. 

Developing instruction with both images and audio combined is different because it frees me from having to write detailed text on every page.  A good image with clear audio instructions allows the students to focus on the images without having to slog through text.  I think this method is much more efficient- I’m a firm believer in using audio and visual tools to teach (such as video, lectures with visual aids, etc.) instead of just text to instruct.  In the office, I’m constantly thinking of ways to remove extraneous text from our presenters’ PowerPoint presentations.  As instructors, we want to connect with our students on every possible channel and using audio and images are a great way to do so. 

This method of teaching makes me consider how I instruct- I admit that at times, I use text alone to get my message across.  It’s not the best method, but it’s quicker to put together.  The main limitation with using audio and visual combined instruction is the time you have to spend to put everything together.  You’ve got to find the pictures and record the audio- and you still have to work with InDesign, which doesn’t always like to cooperate with me!  But the benefits of using this method are compelling- I end up with a better looking, much more interesting, entertaining, and novel instructional document that will aid my students in absorbing the material.

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!