Work with multimedia for learning

Latest revision: 2022-01-25

Knowledge can be expressed in different ways, like facts, comprehension, skill or familiarity. To concretize, explain, shape or show your comprehension can sometimes work better with videos, images or sounds than with text only. That does not mean we should remove all text, but that e.g. images can be an important part in the meaning-making ability.  

Multimedia as communicative resource

 

A picture says more than a thousand words it is sometimes said. Pictures, sound and videos can in many courses be a very good resource for reflection and reasoning about parts of the course content. With the help of multimedia, something else can be lifted into the education compared to if we would only use linguistic resources. 

Examples

Explain: A picture or video can be used in a Canvas page as part of an explanation of a subject to clarify something from the course content or course litteratur or to explain how parts of a course are connected.

Create a discussion: A picture or video can be used as an entrance to a reflective moment in the course, e.g. in a discussion forum or as a preparation for a seminar, the so-called flipped classroom. 

Share experiences: A picture or video can be used to embrace the practice that the education touches. It can for instance be difficult situations in the classroom in the teacher education programme.

Multimodal reading: Replace or complement an instruction text with an instruction movie, or an instruction picture for an assignment in Canvas. 

Analysis of film: Use a custom made film, documentary or popular film for analysis and reflection in a home assignment.

Multimedia to present

 

It is not only with linguistic communication that we can share knowledge. Other ways of expression with image, sound and video can also be used and sometimes give a better knowledge presentation where e.g. facial expressions, gestures and movements, colours and contrasts can be part of a presentation. 

Example

Reflections during work placement: Instead of writing a diary with reflections, a simple recording with a mobile camera can give both more natural reflections and the possibility to show something from the workplace. 

A starting point for understanding: Use a video or picture as a starting point in an examining moment, for example as part of a home exam or a digital written invigilated exam. To interpret the picture or what is happening in the video can give other teachers the opportunity to see the student's understanding. 

Presentation of a process: Let students arrange pictures of a step of a process or how different parts relate to each other. 

Oral presentation with video:  Let students hand in a recorded oral presentation or oral exam and grade it afterwards. It can for instance be a video call  where a group talk or an individual student who records themself with their phone.