Using Mayer’s principles in web based learning

Using Mayer’s principles in web based learning

1. Multimedia Principle: Students learn better from words and pictures than from words alone.

 The web module was designed with relevant illustrations wherever needed to further explain concepts in the module.

2. Spatial Contiguity Principle: Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented near rather than far from each other on the page or screen.

 Graphics and text were presented in an integrated manner so as to provide proper combination of the information with both media types.

3. Temporal Contiguity Principle: Students learn better when corresponding words and pictures are presented simultaneously rather than successively.

Textual information presented together with illustrations were presented simultaneously in order to provide students with strong visual support for the textual information on the screen.

 4. Coherence Principle: Students learn better when extraneous words, pictures and sounds are excluded rather than included. Images with conceptual relevance, and not merely topical relevance, were included.

Sound effects were not added to ALL buttons as they would distract students from the content and students could chose to have background music playing.

5. Modality Principle: Students learn better from animation and narration than from animation and on-screen text.

Wherever possible, content was presented visually (with still or moving images) or aurally (with narration), and not merely onscreen text.

6. Redundancy Principle: Students learn better from animation and narration than from animation, narration, and on-screen text.

Content was presented with narration and animation/visual images, instead of animation and text, so that students can listen to the narration while looking at the animation/visual images and not be distracted by identical textual information.

7. Individual Differences Principle: Design effects are stronger for low-knowledge learners than for high-knowledge learners and for high-spatial learners rather than for low-spatial learners.

The students were undergraduates in their first trimester of classes in University. Therefore, they did not have much prior knowledge on the subject matter and the multimedia web environment. Therefore, this web module is considered a new way of learning to them.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Web 2.0 tools

 A List of favourite WEB 2.0 tools used around the world for learning and teaching

(Source: http://www.edudemic.com)

• Glogster
  Great way to share posters and images you’ve made with friends
• EdmodoSocial learning environment and one of the best ways to teach with tech
• Bubbl.us 
  Free application to brainstorm online
• Twitter
  The micro blogging service that many love or hate.
• WordPress
  Content publishing system. It’s gone way beyond just blogging.
• Prezi 
  Innovative way to share presentations without PowerPoint
• Wallwisher
  An online notice board maker (or bulletin board if you choose)
• Animoto
  Make beautiful videos from images in a snap
• Blabberize
  Make your images talk…that’s right.
• Weebly
  Create your own website or blog, very easy to use
• Flickr
  Popular photo-sharing site now lets you print
• Slideshare
  Don’t waste your presentation after it’s over, share it with millions!
• Audioboo
  Easily record and share audio
• VoiceThread
• GoogleDocs
  The top real-time document creating and editing cloud-based system
• Diigo
  Popular social bookmarking site
• Wordle
  Create a beautiful aggregation of any amount of text
• Wikis
  Crowdsourcing at its finest. Like Wikipedia, Wikispaces is very helpful
• Wix
  Easily make your own flash-based website
• Ning
  Despite a new cost-based membership program, Ning allows you to have your own social network
• Primarypad
  Web-based word processor
• Spicy Nodes
  Innovative way to organize your web visits
• Delicious
  One of the top social bookmarking sites on the web
• Myebook
  Virtually publish your book and sell it
• Voki
  Get your own avatar and even have it talk with your voice
• DoInk
  Create animations using this simple website
• Scratch
  Create and share stories, games, art, etc.
• Kerpoof
  Cool way to make a movie, card, picture, and share it all
• Tagxedo
  Like Wordle but a step farther as text can be used to build bigger images
• SmartKiddies
  Creative math and other educational problems to help everyone learn
• Bitstrips
  Make and share your own comic strips with thousands of others

• Popplet
  An easy way to share visual ideas
• Storyjumper
  Easy way to create your own stories for kids and bring them to life
• TimeToast
  Fantastic timeline visualization tool to understand history
• GoAnimate for schools
  State of the art animation tools for schools
• PBWorks
  Thousands of educational wikis and workspaces (build your own!)
• Schoology
  Learning management, online education tools, and much more
• Google Timeline
  A unique way to view the news
• Online-Convert
  Convert anything to anything (audio, video, text, etc.)
• ReadWriteThink
  Tons of classroom resources and PD goodies
• Storybird
  Build your own stories (with images) and share them with others
• Word Magnets
  Phonics reinforcement and sentence building exercise
• Museum Box
  Innovative way to understand history
• Atmosphir
  A build-your-own video game
• Empressr
  Rich media presentation tool
• Zoho
  A great alternative to Google Apps
• EasyBib
  The free automatic bibliography and citation maker
• ToonDooSpaces
  Easily publish custom comic strips
• Crocodoc
  Annotate and edit PDFs

Their Advantages and Disadvantages:

Advantages

Interaction, communication and collaboration

It helps build a sense of community, increases interaction and communication among the instructor, students, and other people, and promotes collaboration and resource sharing. 

Knowledge creation

It enable students to “become creators of knowledge.” Web 2.0 technologies give students “the opportunity to create content themselves instead of just listening to lectures,” and this supports active and student-centered learning in which students take responsibility for their learning. Web 2.0 technologies create an environment where a teacher becomes a facilitator of learning rather than a distributor of knowledge.

Ease of use and flexibility

Web 2.0 tools are easy-to-use and flexible, explaining that using Web 2.0 tools does not require high-level technical skills. Web 2.0 tools remove time constraints by providing a more flexible learning environment that is not inhibited by classroom walls.

Writing and technology skills

Web 2.0 technologies help students become more proficient in writing and in the application of technology.

Students Become Part of the Lesson

When Web 2.0 technologies are used in a class, students become part of the lesson. They have the opportunity (or requirement) to be an active part of the class. Active participation means they add to the wiki or blog, create a presence on a social network, or become a participant in a virtual world. All of these Web 2.0 technologies can engage the students and allow them to contribute to the lesson in an active manner, thus becoming a part of the lesson.

The World Becomes the Classroom

The best way to learn is to become active. Web 2.0 technologies expand the classroom to the virtual world and allow the world to become the classroom. Because of easy access to the virtual world, the lesson can be open to anyone; it is not confined to a single classroom or a single set of students. This allows students to easily work across boundaries with others who may have different cultures, values, and interests. It is imperative that today's students have a more global perspective and Web 2.0 technologies can help to this.

 The Classroom is Available 24/7

All of the Web 2.0 technologies are Internet based. This means they are available to students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A student simply needs an Internet connection and he/she can be in the classroom. As a result, students can interact in a classroom environment when they are best prepared

Disadvantages:

Uneasiness with openness

Open nature of Web 2.0 technologies is still new to many students. Some students are very uncomfortable with the openness and are reluctant to participate in class activities that utilize Web 2.0.

Web Resources Can Be Vandalized or Sabotaged: Online access is wonderful, but it can be like leaving your valuables on a table in your front yard. Anyone can see your work. If non class members have access to the wiki or virtual world, they can disrupt the class or cause damage (sabotage) to the environment. 

Technical problems

Students who have older computers often have technical issues when using Web 2.0 tools. It was also noted that some Web 2.0 tools are “still a little primitive,” having technical glitches and might not work well with current course management systems. 

Time

While Web 2.0 tools are relatively easy-to-use, it still takes time to learn and manage new technologies.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is very easy in the online world; just copy the paragraph or sentence from the source and paste it to the blog or wiki. This can be a quick response to a question or assignment that results in plagiarism.