Answer To The Difficulty Debate - Part 2

Okay, this has been more frustrating than I thought. I created a simple Flash Application which I separated into Screens (I used the term because teachers would be familiar with it, from PowerPoints). Each screen (and there are 4) has it's own elements on it, one has text and an image, another has just text, another has text and a video and another has text and an animation. The idea being is that the teacher can duplicate the screen that they need, then pull it onto the stage where it can be adjusted to their own needs. That, in theory, is quite simple, in practice is very different.

I've had the notion that the teacher should already have some basic knowledge of flash, but should they have to? If the answer is no, I must create some sort of user guide for them to know how to change the various parts and get them to know how to move around the Flash Environment (risking countless confusion), if the answer is yes, then that severely limits the use of the template.

This has been quite a struggle.

I've now come to the conclusion that this template should be used by people with basic Flash knowledge but without the time to get in and create something from scratch, but for those with little or no experience of Flash, it would probably be best to use a software with a much higher "user-friendliness" than Flash, such as Adobe Captivate.

Answer To The Difficulty Debate - Part 1

Back from sunny Benidorm and into the cold, rainy, Welsh valleys once more, where I have had a slight (but nonetheless significant) epiphany.

The on-going argument about how difficult multimedia is to create and use has been a fruitful one, I had the wonderful idea of making a Flash Application that can be easily adapted and used amongst most subjects and topics. Now, this is no easy task, I have a few things to consider:

- How do I make the application so that each individual element can be edited
- How do I inform the user of what should be changed and what shouldn't be
- How do I make it all work and provide all the necessary elements for the teacher to adapt

You'll have to stay tuned to find out how I managed to do it.

Staggering The M-Conversion

We've already discussed that multimedia is a step worth taking, for the benefit of the teachers AND the students. However, it's now been brought to my attention that the hesitation in the conversion of multimedia, isn't the idea, its the practice. Multimedia can be difficult in some respects and time consuming in others, two things a teacher in Rhondda Cynon Taff are not interested in. So how can we spin this and make teachers in RCT want to use multimedia when there's no interest in taking the "large step for mankind" into this world.

The best way I can come up with, from the top of my head is to stress how easy some aspects of multimedia are, and I know what your thinking, it's all very well me saying this when I'm technically orientated anyway, but with the correct guidance it could be easy for everyone. Okay, learning certain multimedia programs can be like learning a new language altogether but where there's a difficult option, the world introduces a more user-friendly option and allows the same work to be carried out in a much easier way.

Take Flash for instance, to make a quiz in flash takes a huge amount of technical knowledge, to use ActionScript and components and it's all very complex, however, in Captivate, creating a quiz is as simple as choosing "insert quiz" from the menu and then typing the question and answers into the correct boxes.

What I'm really trying to say here is that, although conversion to multimedia is a huge push, it doesn't take a huge effort to do this. Especially with organisations such as our department at the University of Glamorgan (C.E.L.T) out there trying to cushion the fall for even the least technically minded teacher. We are here to help, we really are. I mean, we're not saying "everything should be Multimedia Now or Else", we're saying "we'll help you make the transition slowly and build the knowledge to advance on that transition in a smooth and easy way"

The Importance of Inter-School Communication and Resource Sharing

Teachers nowadays are constantly trying to develop new ways to teach, or they are constantly having new technology thrown at them to bring into their teaching methods. Thing is, if one teacher comes up with a revolutionary way of teaching a lesson, one that brings both joy and knowledge to the pupils, they wont tell a soul. Why?

Truth is, everyone is too concerned over inspection results and reaching farther up the teaching ladder. It's not about that.

I was told that having something unique on the inspection report would get you extra points when it comes to your schools grading and having a unique teaching method would get you more likely considered for a higher position.

However, what if you shared this "revolutionary" teaching method, and it was being used all over the country - wouldn't you get much higher acclaim for that?

And during inspections, if the inspectors had been all over the country to see this method and then you told them you were the developer, the creator of this revolutionary teaching method then wouldn't you get even more points for that, with inter-school communication and your unique way of teaching to consider. Actually, come to think of it inter-school communication probably ranks highly on their scale of points, after all, it's essential in some areas.

What we really need is to use the VLE to talk to other schools of the "consortium" or even all other schools, to share resources and teaching methods with other teachers.

Think about this, 1,000 Geography teachers all transcribing the same lesson - tedious? How about 1,000 Geography teachers using a full combined effort to transcribe the lesson. Less work per teacher, and better ideas with the result of more innovative teaching methods.

The VLE is a great help with communications, if it was used in the manner that it was intended life would be so much easier, and all the pupils all over the country would benefit from this.

The Very Essence Of Teaching & Multimedia

Teaching is a wonderfully versatile thing, almost an art form in itself, and most certainly a challenge for all involved. You see, teachers, this day and age don't have a lot of time for learning themselves, you could argue that the holiday periods present a very large time for learning but it's often overlooked as that is the time they create all the teaching materials (possible the most time consuming element of teaching).

So how is a teacher expected to implement multimedia into their teaching methods if they've not enough time to learn how; very frustrating indeed. Learning takes a lot of time, as I'm sure your aware, even the most intensive courses involve hours upon hours of "out of classroom" work.

The dilemma is this: "How do you get knowledge into the teacher's brains without impacting their time?" I came across this dilemma when I needed to teach some teachers how to use certain software programs, Flash in particular. The software in itself harbours some very broad concepts, so how do I teach them how to spice up their lessons with multimedia when all the time they have is a little hour here and there.

I have come up with a method, and maybe this method only applies to software and nothing else, but still, it's a starting point. What if you just taught them the very basics, how to put the pen onto the paper and just taught them enough so that they can have a play and have an experiment. I know one of the most effective ways of learning software is experimentation, testing all the "what ifs" to create something. If I gave the teachers an hour or so of hard training about the very basics and tried to make them feel as comfortable with using the software as possible then, when they have 5 minutes to spare they could have a play around, to see what they could come up with. This can then be done in whatever 5 or 10 can be spared, even possible in a lesson. Also, then provide them with a brief (and i mean brief) idiot's proof guide about everything you taught them and nothing more.

I'm still just testing this method and we'll see how it goes when I have a meeting with some of those involved on Friday but I think there's something there for development at least.

If I can create a multimedia application about these lessons, with voice overs and video examples and interactivity and quizzes, then maybe I'd not need to be there at all... it's worth a thought! After all, I've been saying all along that using multimedia is a very useful advantage! Why not teach teachers how to use multimedia with multimedia?

V-Learning: The Way Forward??????

Alot of interest has fallen on V-Learning or Video Learning. In my opinion, it has a very broad range of capabilities for learning and teaching.

Not just is the resultant file very interesting but it is also very simple to create; There are a very few number of procedures that need to be memorised in order to create a video. Imagine teaching Geography, where your teaching the students about Drainage Basins and Corrie Lakes etc. Wouldn't it be wonderful to show them real world footage of these particular formations and then get the students to bring in some footage of their own to show the class, is that more interesting that writing about them? Of Course it is.

However, V-Learning has it's disadvantages. For one, it isn't at all interactive, so additional methods would need to be employed in order for the child to feel a part of the lesson, secondly, it takes time to acquire the footage, and if your downloading have some copyright infringements to look out for.

Where I think the interest should currently lie is in interactivity. Software like Adobe Captivate and Flash are leading the way with interactivity. What if we take the Geography Example I mentioned above, wouldn't it be better for the students if the video automatically paused for a moment to allow them to annotate certain sections of the freeze-framed image, wouldn't it be better if a quiz magically appeared at the end of each section, testing what each of the students knew about each item? Yes, it would be better.

V-Learning is the way forward, but not directly straight forward, maybe of on a 45degree tangent to forward. It's useful don't get me wrong, but combining it with another type of Mutlimedia (interaction) can bring a whole new dimension to learning. I understand, also, that Interaction Multimedia can be quite difficult, and if showing teachers how to video edit first, at least gets their foot in the door of Multimedia. I am willing to support the notion of V-Learning and all it stands for, but maybe I'll introduce the interaction side of things slowly, as a transition not a jump, after all most of the teachers are taking one hell of a leap for mankind in including video. So anything I can do to support them, they have my full attention.

Who Am I? What Do I Stand For?

My name is Daniel Hanly.

I work for a company called C.E.L.T. (centre for excellence in learning and teaching) based in the University of Glamorgan, in South Wales. It is my job, no, my resposibility to ensure that every child in Rhondda Cynon Taff gets a fun and innovative education, as far from Blackboards and Exercise Books as possible.

I aim to bring Multimedia into all classrooms, to allow students to unlock their full potential (to make them WANT to unlock their full potential) and hopefully bring out the best in them.

It is my hope that this Blog will stimulate teachers and learners all over the country to incorporate Multimedia into their lessons and to bring their lessons alive (even the most boring topics).