How to design multimedia lessons that stick

This week I explored two important resources that I want to share with you.  

 Teaching That Sticks is an article written by Chip Heath and Dan Heath that I highly recommend.  There research and approach is clear and concrete.  They include examples and how it would work in the classroom.  They recommend the following six traits to make ideas stick:

1. Simple

2. Unexpected

3. Concrete

4. Credible

5. Emotional

6. Story

I focused on the story aspect and combined it with a great new website Zaption. Zaption allows for you to take a video and add interactive elements such as short response questions and multiple choice.  This week I took a video from Ted Ed about commas and added some interactive elements. The video Commas:Conjunctions and Subordinates is a great way to flip the classroom or use in the classroom, but add extra engagement and focus for the students.

Here is my vlog where I discuss these ideas:

Multimedia Tips: Integrate and Don't Overload

Tip #1: Integrate Text and Images

It makes sense to place words and text next to each other, but now there is research to show how important it really is for learning. When there is text and images apart the learner processes them separately.  However, when the text and images are integrated the learning was enhanced because the brain processed the images together.

Key concept: Integrate text and images together to benefit learning.

Tip #2: Don't Overload the Brain

How much information can our brains truly process? Well research is showing that too much information in the way of text, narration, and images can overload the learners ability to process and learning is lost.  One simple fix is to use images and graphs with limited text when using narration.  In one study by Carole L. Yue, Elizabeth Ligon Bjork, and Robert A. Bjork of University of California, Los Angeles titled "Reducing Verbal Redundancy in Multimedia Learning: An Undesired Desirable Difficulty?" found that learning improved when there was brief text with animation.

Key concept: When designing a lesson with slides or video, use brief labels, but avoid onscreen 
text.

Here is my weekly vlog describing what I am learning and the principles above:

Flip the Classroom: Tips for Success

1. Keep it short or Break it up
Students will be far more engaged if the content is short and to the point. Another option is to make each point or idea a different video and stream them together. Also you can break up a video and make it interactive. YouTube editor, Blendspace, and other online tools can help edit your video and make it more engaging for learning.

2. Perfection is overrated
Your goal is for the students to learn the content. We probably say "um" in the class so don't feel the "um" in the video is a reason to start over. Be natural, you are the content expert, just present your content on video or screencast. Time is precious if you aim for perfection you will not be able to produce the content needed to flip the classroom.

3. A little at a time
Don't try to flip your entire curriculum. Take it one step at a time. You didn't perfect your curriculum in one year. Why would you be able to put all your curriculum on video or online.  Be patient, it's a process.

4. Teach your student "How to Learn" with a flipped lesson and why it is valuable
Don't assume students know how to use media to learn your content. Yes, they watch videos on YouTube, but that is for entertainment. We must teach them to watch to learn, similarly to how we teach them to read to learn. Teaching students strategies are critical to success.

Below is a video where I discuss my tips, how I am flipping a lesson, and the article  "Nine Video Tips for a Better Flipped Classroom" by David Raths.

Multimedia Learning Tips: Make it personal and add an image

Below is my vlog describing two concepts from Richard Mayer's book, Multimedia Learning.

From Multi-Media Learning by Richard E. Mayer

Personalization Principle: People learn better from multimedia presentations when words are in conversational style rather than formal style.

Theoretical Rationale: When learners feel that the author is talking to them, they are more likely to see the author as a conversational partner and therefore will try harder to make sense of what the author is saying.

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

Theoretical Rationale: When words and pictures are both presented, learners have an opportunity to construct verbal and visual mental models and to build connections between them.