Over the course of the past few weeks, I have really come to understand the importance of infusing multi-media into my instruction in a more deliberate way. Reading the research about online readers and the F-pattern, I have noticed that I, too, have become an inattentive, impatient online reader. I find myself scanning text and looking for headings, graphics, and visual aids to support my understanding. If I'm reading like that, surely, the digital natives sitting in my classroom are reading like that. This makes me reconsider how I write and communicate with students and parents.
Avoid those full-page paragraphs and include multimedia to enhance comprehension, communication, and collaboration in the digital age in the following ways:
Audio Recording and Podcasting
- Increasing Fluency - record reading to improve fluency
- Reflecting on Learning - use audio to reflect on work produced
- Engaging Students in Content - use audio recordings to draw students into a lesson
- Conducting Research - listen to audio interviews as primary source research
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| First-grader engaged in an asynchronous math talk with a student from another town. |
- Creating Book Trailers - share the love of books by creating book reviews using amazing apps like iMovie and Clips
- Recording Student Voice - promote student voice and collaboration using Flipgrid videos
- Documenting Learning - showcase student learning through videos posted on digital portfolios such as Seesaw
Graphic Design
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| Learning through Graphic Design |
- Adding Color, Font, and Formatting - enhance how students process information
- Learning through Infographics - deliver information and showcase learning in a new and inviting format
Digital News
- Sharing Digitally - create newsletters using Clips or Seesaw video message
- Engaging Parents - post digital challenges for families to complete together
Screencasting
- Cloning yourself - be in two places at once to teach, reteach, give directions for a game or center activity
- Teaching Parents - provide information to parents about content, events, and utilizing technology at home
- Showcasing Student Learning - record screencast videos to document learning
Computer Generated Simulations
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| Students running a simulated business using Osmo |
- Collaborating with Others - Breakout EDU or, even better, Digital Breakout EDU
- Visiting the World - visit otherwise inaccessible field trip locations using virtual reality
- Real-Life Learning - run a business using Osmo Pizza Company
Connecting with Educators
- Tweeting - post what's happening in your classroom, find instructional nuggets to try in your own classroom, or connect with a network of educators
- Collaborating Across Schools - use tools like Seesaw, blogs, or Flipgrid so students can reach out to others across town or across the world to share ideas with an authentic audience
Integrating multimedia into my instructional toolbox has enhanced student learning and increased student engagement.
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