Using multimedia in the classroom helps the teacher engage the students and helps the student be more involved and retain more information from the lesson. Students today are constantly bombarded with technology and are accustomed to receiving knowledge and information immediately in our fast-paced society.
Millions of students are using multimedia technology to complete assignments, collaborate with others around the world, research new possibilities and generate hypotheses. As a classroom teacher, you must be prepared to educate and ignite these students in a way that they know how to learn. Earning an M.Ed. in Educational Technology Leadership is one way teachers can prepare for technology in the classroom.
What Are the Benefits?
Video can take students on a field trip around the world, show science or lab experiments and help explain abstract or new ideas. Multimedia instruction can accommodate many varieties of learning styles, encouraging hard to-reach students in the classroom. Students not only demonstrate mastery and knowledge of a subject to their teacher, but they can broadcast and demonstrate that information around the world.
Not only can they share their own work, but they can view so many other resources and gather data from around the world as well. Every resource, tip or tool is right at a student’s fingertips and only limited by their own imagination. Using multimedia in the classroom allows the teacher the chance to personalize lessons more for each student.
What Tools?
Teachers can use a variety of multimedia and technology tools in their classrooms to appeal to each and every learning style. Texting, video instruction, online games, and podcasts are just some examples of the wonderful and influential technology available to educators. The advent of technology and multimedia has also made education more portable and accessible in or out of the classroom.
Teachers should ask themselves a few questions when integrating video technology and multimedia in the classroom. What is the end goal or result they want? What information will they want students to learn from this lesson? How advanced are their students now in regards to technology integration? How will this aid in knowledge retention for the students? Once a teacher answers these questions, they are well on their way to smoothly integrating multimedia into their classroom and adjusting to the modern learner.
Teaching with video technology and multimedia not only helps the student and teacher, but it has become an essential and integral part of the learning process for the modern learner.
Learn more about the Lamar University online M.Ed. in Educational Technology Leadership program.
Sources:
https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/technology-in-the-classroom
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/ntti/resources/video1.html
http://edtechreview.in/trends-insights/insights/746-new-ways-of-using-multimedia-in-classroom
