1st screencast- forms

This week I created a screencast of myself exploring through using forms on microsoft. I have honestly never use microsoft for anything other than word really, so this was a cool experience for me to realize the multitude of benefits that exist merely at my fingertips simply within microsoft.

I also realized the benefits of being able to do something as simple as screencast. In a day such as today where the expectations are huge on not only teachers, but also students, it is imperative to be able to streamline learning and make it not only engaging but also coherent for all students. By being able to prepare lessons with screen casting it allows for educators to place a personal touch on their lessons, which can be a helpful factor in terms of increasing student engagement. As well, it is also important to be aware of students various levels of cognitive load, and in creating learning environments where multimedia is used it allows for different parts of the brain to be activated and used. Which helps prevent an overload of a particular input of information for students. In more simple terms: when you present information to learners in a variety of ways it not only helps them better understand the concept, but it also will not overload their brain by only looking at a bunch of symbols. This is because maybe they will look at 1-2 symbols, and then see the same idea represented as a picture, then in words, then maybe the students will be asked to create their own connection. This is an important tool in not only learning, but also is imperative for instructional designers to consider.

There are many examples of where multimedia learning principles were not followed by me in the past. However, it is largely due to the fact that I am not completely comfortable with many aspects of technology and due to certain limitations of technology (such as accessibility) that exist. Nevertheless, I do see the benefits of having technology boost a lesson, and I also think that this course is pushing me to see the very many benefits that exist with using technology to learning. And as is explained by the TPACK model which was introduced in 2006 by Mishra et.al of Michigan State University it is important for educators to be balanced in terms of their content knowledge, pedagogy and technology use.

Now I will continue to push myself to look a little beyond my comfort zone in term of technology assisting me in the classroom. I am hopeful that this will not only benefit my students, but that it will also help me to streamline the work I need to do in class. Which in turn will allow me to be more present with my students are the classroom learning, as opposed to always needing to be present in terms of what is required next.