Incorporating multimedia in a learning environment (Essay Sample)

Incorporating multimedia in a learning environment
Name
Institution
Introduction
In the modern society, teachers are finding a number of ways of creating room for different learning styles that are representative of their students. The incorporation of multimedia in this case is a presentation of an opportunity that is likely to address the different learning styles in an interactive and fun way. Using multimedia in addressing the learning provisions of the students is necessary for complimenting verbal instruction, which creates a well-developed learning environment for the students and teachers as well. This consideration entices and engages the students to participate in some of the discussions in the classroom. This is because the multimedia learning tools, such as podcasts, webcasts, and videos assist in the illustration of complex ideas in a manner that is easy for the students to understand. For this reason, the students will be in a better position to understand and retain what they have learned, and they can be able to recite the same with ease. This paper looks into the aspect of multimedia learning, thereby providing some of the benefits attached to the use of technology in teaching.
Multimedia learning
Richard E. Mayer (2008) argues that the main accomplishment in psychology has been the advancement of the science of learning, whose aim is to provide an understanding of the manner in which people learn. Particularly, he indicates that learning is an altercation of the learner’s knowledge, which is creditable to experience, and depends on an individual’s cognitive processing while learning. This is influenced by the selection of the materials to aid in the learning process and the organization of this material in a logical manner. The learner then integrates the incoming material with the existing memory from some of his or her previous learning experiences. This is an overall description of the learning process of an individual.
Conversely, multimedia learning involves using words and pictures as the new materials that are vital in enhancing the learning process. The words in this case either are in the form of spoken words or printed texts, whereas the pictures could be in static form, and they might be inclusive of charts, photographs, or even diagrams. The pictures might also be in a dynamic form such as videos or animations. These tools enhance multimedia learning, and in this case, the student could either watch the video or read the different texts in order to obtain knowledge. The consideration of using the multimedia tools is vital since different learners have different ways of conceptualizing information.
With the notion that human beings possess distinctive processing channels for the processing of verbal and visual material, there is a possibility of determining that the incorporation of the different materials in the classroom environment will take care of the needs of every individual. The multimedia material also works in a limited capacity. This means that each of the different channels used in the learning can process only little amounts of material in a single instance. This prerequisite enables the learners to process the new information actively, which also depends on the cognitive processing capabilities of the learners during this period. The cognitive capabilities are essential for the selection and organization of words and images, which involves attending to the words or images and developing logical cognitive structures for each material (Mayer, 2008). Subsequently, the learner will be in a better position to build on some of the appropriate connections between the pictorial and verbal representations, which are relevant consideration in the development of long-term memory.
Teacher-directed technological use
Technological developments over the past few years have been instrumental in transforming modern history. The developments have also had an effect on educational provisions in the modern classrooms. However, this depends on the capability of the teachers to adopt the different technologies in the provision of learning material to their students. This consideration follows the teacher agency perspective, wherein teachers determine the extent of adopting technological applications in providing instructional content and material to their students (Mayer, 2008). This prerequisite is vital for determining the best policies or plans that the government could put in place to ensure that the teachers use appropriate multimedia tools as they provide instructions to their students. On the other hand, following the teacher agency perspective is essential since teachers are vital participants that could create, implement and evaluate curricula used in teaching.
From a number of studies, it is possible to substantiate that in the educational front, teachers contribute to the incorporation and use of information technology developments in their classrooms. This consideration relates to their confidence, educational philosophy, their beliefs and experiences with technology. Miranda and Russell (2012) posit that a teacher’s belief in technology influences whether they would adopt it in the provision of instructional material to their students. In this case, a teacher that values or believes that technology is beneficial for learning is more likely to use technology more frequently than those who do not believe that technology is valuable. On the other hand, some of the possible predictors of technology use in providing instructional material include the comfort and experience that the teachers have in using technological applications.
As aforementioned, the main accomplishment in psychology has been the advancement of the science of learning. However, it has been challenging for individuals in the field of psychology to develop instructional science, whose aim is to understand the manner in which people learn. In this case, the understanding of instruction refers to some of the manipulations that an instructor subjects the learners to, as they are in the environment that advances changes in the knowledge acquisition by the learner. The main concern is the manner in which the instructor presents the learning materials, which should be in ways that influence the cognitive processing of information by the learners. Since learning is an altercation in the learner’s knowledge that is based on experience, the first consideration by the instructors would be to provide a description of the intended change in the knowledge acquisition of the learners.
The main issue in the provision of instructional material is how to assist students in learning. This involves the selection and organization of the relevant instructional material that primes the cognitive processing of the learner, after which the teacher should be able t integrate the learning material in a manner that is representative of other relevant knowledge (Mayer, 2008). However, the major challenge that originates fro...