Calloway EndofSemesterReflection

END OF SEMESTER REFLECTION
Ashley Calloway
April 27, 2018

MEDT 7468 – Instructional Multimedia Design and Development
Introduction
Reflection is a crucial part of an educator’s job. Teachers often reflect on how their
lessons impact their students. They ask themselves critical questions about each individual
student’s learning process, things that went well, and things that could be done better or
differently. However, it is just as important for students to reflect on their learning. Knowledge
gained from a course must be carefully considered before applying it to practice.
Course Goals
My primary course goal was to improve in my ability to select appropriate programs and
technology for my students. I believe that I am still in the process of achieving this goal, and
given the nature of technology and how quickly it develops and moves on to “the next great
thing” I may never fully master this goal. However, after this course I am better equipped to
consider programs and technology with a critical eye and ask the right kinds of questions. For
example, my knowledge of all the principles of multimedia helps me when selecting resources
for my students. I have gained understanding that more information does not equal more
learning. According to Clark and Meyer (2016), “the human cognitive system is limited and,
when it comes to instruction, less is often more” (p 18).
My second course goal was to learn how to create my own classroom resources for my
students, and to even teach my students how to create their own tools. I feel like I have achieved
the first part of this goal, but I am still working on the second part. This class has given me an
opportunity to work collaboratively and independently to create various resources for various
purposes. I greatly enjoyed these projects, and gained a lot of experience and confidence with
creating multimedia tools. Conducting the peer reviews was also very helpful. I was inspired by
many of the projects that my classmates created, and it helped me learn how to reflect on my
own creations. I still plan on working with my students and helping them learn to create their
own multimedia projects. I have attempted to do this, but I know that I can do even more. More
importantly, I know that my students can do even more. I feel that encouraging them to create
their own projects will allow them to more fully engage with the class. Ivers and Barron (2010)
suggest that “multimedia activities in the classroom can be exciting, effective, and motivating”
(p 127).
Learned Content
Clark and Meyer’s multimedia principles are so valuable to my instruction. Having a
deep understanding of multimedia principles is critical for my practice as a special education
teacher. The students I serve are the most vulnerable to poorly designed multimedia, and are
more susceptible to cognitive overload than their typical peers. I feel that the redundancy
principle is something that I’ve been careful to apply when creating my own projects. It is easy
to think that throwing out various ways of communicating information all at once (text, picture,
audio) helps to speak to all learners and that at least one of the methods will connect with each
student. However, I now know that streamlining the information is more beneficial than just
throwing everything on a presentation and hoping something sticks with the learner.
It is also important to consider the challenges involved with multimedia instruction. As I
learned about the different multimedia principles, I also discovered that each one has specific
drawbacks or limitations. For example, Clark and Meyer (2016) state that “research is needed to
determine the situations in which the redundancy principle does not hold” (p 144). This suggests
that there may be situations where applying the redundancy principle would be detrimental to
learning. Similar concerns are brought up about the coherence principle and other principles;
there may be times when they do not optimally support learning. However, the available
evidence shows that in most cases the principles are sound and helpful.
This class exposed me to some new tools and resources. Learning to use Hyper Studio
was a lot of fun for me, and I wish it was a tool that I could use in my classroom on a regular
basis. Unfortunately, we are not allowed to download the software on our district computers,
and the students would be unable to access the cards from the school chromebooks. However, I
plan to recreate some of the features of Hyper Studio with other resources. My district tends to
promote web-based resources rather than software that must be downloaded.
Implications
I plan on continuing to use knowledge gained in this class to improve my instruction. I
feel that I have gained important skills that will help me to critically evaluate materials that I use
in my class. I think that I have vastly improved in my ability to create my own resources. Prior
to this class I rarely tried to create my own material. I thought that it was too time-consuming or
that I would do something wrong. Although my creations are not perfect, having the ability to
cater something for the specific needs of my students is very satisfying. As I have stated before,
my next plan is to start teaching my students how to create multimedia projects. I believe these
skills will benefit them greatly.
Conclusion
Overall, my learning experience in this course was very positive. I enjoyed evaluating
my peers’ work, and I value the feedback that I received from them as well. The feedback from
the instructor was also thorough and very helpful. I got a lot out of collaborating with my
classmates through the discussion boards and also when working on specific projects. I feel
confident that I can use the knowledge gained from this class to improve my teaching practice.
References
Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011).E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines
for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Ivers, K. S., & Barron, A. E. (2010).Multimedia projects in education: Designing, producing,
and assessing. Santa Barbara, Cal.: Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO.

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END OF SEMESTER REFLECTION

April 27, 2018

gained from a course must be carefully considered before applying it to practice.

when it comes to instruction, less is often more” (p 18).

Clark and Meyer’s multimedia principles are so valuable to my instruction. Having a

deep understanding of multimedia principles is critical for my practice as a special education

It is also important to consider the challenges involved with multimedia instruction. As I

promote web-based resources rather than software that must be downloaded.

I plan on continuing to use knowledge gained in this class to improve my instruction. I

skills will benefit them greatly.

Ivers, K. S., & Barron, A. E. (2010).Multimedia projects in education: Designing, producing,

and assessing. Santa Barbara, Cal.: Libraries Unlimited, an imprint of ABC-CLIO.

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