Topic 3 – Technology Affordances and Multimedia Learning Effects

Comment posted on 7th of September on Yvette Copley’s Blog

Hi Yvette,

Thank you for sharing your post on using multimedia effects in PowerPoint presentations.

It is excellent that you narrate the images using the teaching notes that have been developed by the Queensland Department of Education which is a reputable source I am sure. To ensure that students are not cognitively overloaded, I think it is interesting that you take care to only have the explorers name and the colours of the explorer and previous explorer’s journey.

In having the visual and your voice, you are considering the modality effect which means that you are not overloading their visual working memory and you are accessing their auditory working memory which hopefully will result in better learning. (Bower, 2017, p. 79) In reading your post, I have been reflecting that at times I might overload students’ visual working memory by writing notes as students watch science documentaries. This can mean that students are looking at my notes on the board and are writing down these notes which then means they are potentially missing rich visual information on the screen. When your students watch videos or movies, do you have any strategies to maintain their focus other than writing notes on the board? This would be my main reason to ensure that students are staying engaged and focused, but I am now aware that this may lead to overload.

Thanks,

Julia

Bower, M. (2017). Design of technology-enhanced learning – Integrating research and practice. London, UK: Emerald Publishing.