Photo by Nghia Nguyen on Unsplash

WOW! Today was an eye opener for me. I really loved how we discussed specific tools we can use and how they can make an impact on our teaching and our learners.

I’ve been using PowerPoint since the dawn of time! I’ve made some pretty bad presentations. It was the tool of choice during my undergrad 25 years ago and I had no clue it was capable of creating the graphics and multimedia that was presented today. In class today, we had the opportunity to practice using a tool and creating images and I chose to practice in Powerpoint. Although I still have a lot of exploring and learning to do, I can see how it can be a great tool for both teachers and learners a like. I personally find it more user friendly and accessible than other tools such as Canva and I love that it’s an older tool that is being explore and utilized in different ways.

I found this 3D image on Powerpoint and tried multiple ways to get embed it with all its moving parts but I couldn’t figure it out. None the less, it’s a fun 3D image. I also managed to play with this text and place it on top of the image.

Another thought from today is the idea about how multimedia and graphics can be used to compliment my work. With the boom and technology, specifically AI and social media, I haven’t thought of technology in the best light. But after today, I can see more of a positive path with how technology can be incorporated into the classroom.

More specifically, today we learnt about the Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning and the Dual-Coding Theory (auditory and visual). I love the idea of leveraging together multiple ways of learning in an active process based on prior knowledge. The idea is that people can learn more deeply from multiple ways of processing the information. It’s a great reminder as a teacher candidate who is passionate about providing UDL in my classroom. Multimedia not only engages these multiple channels of learning but it also allows for imagination, creativity and interaction. More specifically for the teacher, it can create a sense of ownership, is an adaptable resource that can be updated, provides inspiration for your learners, is sharable and can be used over and over with simple edits.

In closing, what I think I took away from this more than anything is that by using interactive sessions using basic multimedia tools, interaction doesn’t need to be difficult. It can be low tech. It can bring the outside in, open the imagination and can lead to further conversations. It also helps with engagement of all learners. There is definitely a place for multimedia and graphic tools in the classroom for both teachers and learners. I’m excited to keep practicing and learning more.

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash