The student found that they have a strong preference for visual learning. They explored using podcasts, screencasts, and multimedia websites to learn. Podcasts helped them refresh their American Sign Language skills. Screencasts allowed them to learn software skills step-by-step in a visual format. Multimedia websites made concepts more intuitive through interactive elements. Going forward, the student plans to continue using screencasts and podcasts to enhance their learning in accordance with their visual and sequential preferences.

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2. Learning Preference:
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In the beginning of this class I found out my personal learning preferences. I
am mainly moderate in the aspects of active(1), intuitive(3) and global(1)
learning, but lean all the way to one side when it comes to visual(11) learning. I
am and for as long as I can remember, a very visually influenced person. Now
that It is the end of the semester, I’ve gotten some time to see these findings in
action and for the most part I can say that I agree. I have the most ease learning
with Visual cues, but I have found myself to be more of a sequential learner as
time goes on. It might be that understanding the parts of a situation really helps
me to get the big global picture. I had never really given much thought to
learning preferences before this class, but I believe that finding mine out was
worthwhile because it let me play to my strengths and really contributed to my
personal success.
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3. Learning Pathway:
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Because I like to get the most out of every bit of technology that I purchase, I
decided to be a learning warrior. I find it difficult to use many pieces of
technology for different tasks so trying to use each piece for many tasks is right
up my alley. Though I joined the mobile learning guild, I was still able to find
some social technologies that catered to my learning preference. I found that my
warrior tendencies led to me try to learn a lot about just a couple of technologies
with a high degree of detail, and this approach proved to be successful overall.
Through gaining deep understanding of the technologies that we covered in
class I was able to get a bevy of useful information and tips utilize in my
educational and future professional career.
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4. Activity Contribution:
From taking this course I learned a lot about the educational benefits of some of
the multimedia technologies that I have been using for years. The activities
about podcasts, Screencasts, and multimedia websites were successful in
opening my eyes to these benefits to gain a broader understanding of how to
use multimedia technology to make learning easier. These activities acted to
show me that these technologies aren’t just for entertainment and can be a big
help with academics. In accordance with my learning pathway, I decided to also
take time to learn these technologies to gain a deeper understanding of how they
could be useful to me. For example, the activity that introduced screencasts was
able to teach me the basics of how to use screencasts to share as well as learn,
giving me the tools and know-how to make presentations of my own. This activity
was the most effective in teaching me how to learn with others, since the
purpose of screencasts is to share with others.
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5. Multimedia Technologies Exploration:
Podcasts
Podcasts
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The first multimedia technology that I explored in my own learning was
Podcasts. Podcasts are a great tool for visual and audio learners alike, and the
combination of the two formats allows for a multimedia experience that caters to
almost anybody. I downloaded podcasts onto my Iphone to help me brush up on
my American Sign Language. I had first been introduced to American Sign
Language in high school, but got rusty after not practicing for a while. The visual
format of the podcasts allowed me to see how to do sign language signs that I
had forgotten. American sign language is a language for the Deaf so there was
no audio, but most podcasts aren’t limited by this constraint, and can be found
useful by auditory learners as well.
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6. Multimedia Technologies Exploration
Screencasts
Screencasts
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In the quest for screencasts I was able to learn almost everything I needed to
know to use this technology to learn nearly anything. After my introduction to this
technology I explored it to learn how to use computer programs more effectively.
Since I am a designer this became extremely helpful. Screencasts are an on-
screen tutorial essentially so I would say that they applied to my visual learning
preference. In the past I was forced to just look at still images to help me learn
new techniques in computer programs, but the video interface allowed for a lot
more ease with visual learning. Being able to be walked through a specific
process step-by step helped my sequential learning. I like to be able to get into a
topic to learn its parts, screencasts let the user get deep into the process to learn
a concept from the inside-out. The visuals on the screen and the audio from the
host gave me the feeling of a private tutorial which made learning with this quest
very effective.
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7. Multimedia Technologies Exploration:
Multimedia Websites
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Multimedia is a general term to describe multiple forms of media coming
together to represent a certain topic, since many forms of media are being used,
multimedia can be applicable to learners with any combination of learning
preferences. Multimedia applies to nearly all of the learning preferences, but for
me it worked the best for my visual and active/reflective preferences. Multimedia
websites with interactive charts and tables are useful to visual learners for their
simple presentation and ability to intuitively interact with onscreen data. I found
websites with interactive games to help illustrate specific processes and
concepts. A website that taught me how a gun works used a .gif image to show
how heat and energy escape from the barrel, shooting the projectile out in the
process. This is where multimedia shines, because a still image or audio file
alone couldn’t give me the same degree of understanding.
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8. Synthesis:
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Since the beginning I was interested in using multimedia technologies to explore
new frontiers in my learning. I began with podcasts since I already knew how to use
them, yet hadn’t used them for learning specifically. To my surprise, I realized how well
podcasts can work to help brush up on an old skill, or learn a completely new one. I
found that as I progressed in using podcasts to learn I was more comfortable using
them overall since they applied to my visual and active preferences. I was most
surprised by how well multimedia has integrated itself into the academic community. I
had mainly regarded multimedia as a new technology that was just coming about, yet,
through exploring multimedia websites I have learned that they are widely applicable to
students trying to find accurate representations of countless concepts. These
technologies are very effective in showing visual learners exactly what they are looking
for, which is important to visual learning in the first place. I believe multimedia has
almost no boundaries in what learning preferences it can apply to, since it is in fact, a
combination of any/all formats into one.
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9. Synthesis:
(cont’d)
(cont’d) giving multimedia technologies a try in my own learning I have
•
After
discovered some tools that play to my strengths in my learning preferences.
Screencasts have become an obvious choice for me when I need to learn how to
do something on Photoshop or Sketchup because the interface works so well
with how I learn. Visually I am given everything that I need to learn a specific
concept to complete my goal. The host puts all relevant information on screen
which means less work for the viewer. This is good for my visual learning
because having everything before my eyes without having to fuss around with
windows or pages makes the learning process more efficient. Though I am not
an auditory learner, the audio commentary on screencasts is really helpful in
guiding the on-screen action, and some videos wouldn’t be as helpful without
audio cues and information. What is probably most important about Screencasts
is their application to sequential learning. Watching a screencast allowed me to
see each process step-by-step to learn how to do what I wanted to do which is
what sequential learning is really all about.
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10. Looking Ahead:
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This course has introduced me to many valuable multimedia educational
tools, but none have been a better match to my learning preferences and
personal learning style than screencasts and podcasts. These technologies have
taught me new strategies to make learning easier. Podcasts offer a wide
assortment of ways to help consolidate and reinforce concepts in learning. I plan
to use podcasts after this class is over to help expand my learning and maintain
my American Sign Language skills. With screencasts I will be able to quickly and
effectively learn exactly what I aim to learn. Screencasts have introduced me to
a new strategy in multimedia learning. I can get online and learn from others
instead of having to rely on myself or in-person tutorial sessions. After this class I
plan to use these strategies over the summer to help brush up on my photoshop
and illustrator skills. In my future career as an industrial designer I will be able to
use this screencast strategy to help me discover new concepts to incorporate
into my designs.
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11. Looking Ahead:
(cont’d)
(cont’d)
•
I will continue to use screencasts, podcasts, and multimedia to enhance my
learning. I will use the technologies because they interest me and play to my
strengths in my personal learning preferences. These technologies have made
themselves useful in my academic life and they will also come in handy when I
get a job in industrial design. I will be able to use screencasts to improve my
skills in an ever changing industry. I can use podcasts to stay up to date on the
latest design news, or teach me how to say hello in a new language to impress
some potential clients. Multimedia will be applicable for my website and virtual
gallery where my designs could be displayed as an online portfolio for employers
to explore. Before this course I hadn’t used these technologies for strict
academic gain, but now that I have taken time to explore them in my own
learning, I know they will become popular avenues for educating myself.
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