Reflection 2 - Growth Mindset

After reading the assigned chapters and the articles about multi-media and various concepts and theories, my knowledge and insight improved tremendously. I had prior knowledge of multi-media concepts due to years in web development and working with various media vendors to create graphic designs and content for websites. I have always kept a growth and open mindset when learning about new things. One section that surprised me was how computers are the most adaptable or versatile to offer media options (Clark & Mayer, 2016, p. 14). The computer has many software application offerings and peripheral devices supporting the different media types. It provides a way for a person to be engaged in IoT, 3D gaming, immersive virtual reality, or augmented reality and participate in simulations (Clark & Mayer, 2016, p. 14). It also connects educators, learners and others from around the globe via Web 2.0 for a worldwide learning environment (Clark & Mayer, 2016, p. 14). I never looked at computers that way, but for programming or using an application to complete some tasks for ministry or work.

Another light bulb moment was learning about the various graphic types. I worked with graphics and multi-media objects but have never taken deeper dives into the different types of graphics and when to use them in the multi-media elements to support learning. In my experience of my early years of building websites or online schools, the stakeholders were more concerned about how it looked, colors, and eye-catching, ensuring we were capturing users’ emails for the e-blasts. We should use an excellent graphical appearance relevant to the instructional goal and how the graphic type usage would promote active learning (Clark & Mayer, 2016, p. 71-75).

We have started thinking more innovative and creatively to bring technology infused with the pedagogies of helping others learn. We must understand what multi-media interventions will enhance or improve the instructional content and whether effectiveness will help meet the learning outcomes. The other point is how we implement the technology with the instructional content or whether poorly executed. If learners have many challenges with technology, they will get discouraged and not be motivated to use it. The focus would diminish from the learner and cause them not to want to participate because they are frustrated or disengaged because the multi-media technology is not correctly functioning.

After reading a few more chapters and articles, this thought arose. Do we understand the gaps and know how to frame the problems that our 21st-century digital-age learners face? A section in Mayer’s (2016) book discussed various ways learners process visual/pictorial and auditory/verbal and how there are separate channels. Also, each learner has capacity constraints and engages in cognitive processing. Cognitive processing is critical for many online, blending and e-Lesson instructional formats (Clark & Mayer, 2016; Ögren et al., 2016). The Ögren et al. (2016) study presented insight into how to view text-picture integrations and how it can generate different results based on how the learner processes it or put forth their mental effort, and it may not always yield effective results (Ögren et al., 2016).

When we think about cognitive processing, I believe this is true when we overload the brain; the learner cannot adequately process or acquire knowledge because working memory is overloaded. For example, I remember the first time I attended one of my undergraduate courses in computer science. There was so much information on the first class day on learning the ADA programming language. I was initially excited, but at the end of the course, with tons of information, assignments, and lab homework, it was challenging to digest the desired knowledge. Therefore, the goal was to complete the lab and make the program work by any means necessary. I felt defeated and discouraged and was trying to get through the course. I learned a lot about myself that semester. It was not that I could not keep up or did not understand. It takes me a while to process it for comprehension, but I have confidence in my capability once I know it.

References

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). E-Learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

Ögren, M., Nyström, M., & Jarodzka, H. (2016). There’s more to the multimedia effect than meets the eye: Is seeing pictures believing? Instructional Science, 45(2), 263-287.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11251-016-9397-6