Lesson 18

         

                 The EDUCATIONAL MEDIA CENTER

An Educational Media Center is more than a collection of instructional materials because it incorporates a systematic plan or program in the proper use and delivery of effective instruction. Thus it is a product of a collaborative plan and effort of the teachers and the school administrators. It is therefore considered an integral part of the curriculum.

Resources Found in the Educational Media Center

A. Human Resources

1. EMC Director, who is the overall in charge of maintaining and delivering the services offered by the center,

2. The technician, who is adept in manipulating, using and who can troubleshoot simple problems that may arise in using the different equipment.

3. The librarian who is in charge of filing or arranging systematically the different instructional media for easier loaning out to students and teachers.

4. The artist who assists the teachers and students in producing unavailable instructional materials.

5. The Computer instructor.

B. Technological Resources refers to the scientific and specialized knowledge on the use and application of educational media to teaching and learning. Specifically, there should be contained brochures, flyers, information sheets, bulletins and others to guide and inform teachers, students and the community of the services the EMC can offer. These may include upgraded research, investigation and exploration on the use of media materials not only to education but to other facets of life for the benefit of the community as well.

INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY CENTER (ITC)

C. Material Resources include the lo-tech instructional materials which are arranged systematically for easy access. These are realia, contrived experiences, pictorial media, visuals, audio media, OHP, computer units, production and viewing space.

Importance of EMC

      Provides teachers and students easy access for information search.

      Maintains a pool of instructional material ready for use as need arises.

      Serves as a venue for multi-media learning for more positive results

      Provides for individualized instruction, and independent learning, hence it promote self confidence

      Allows the students and teachers the opportunity to avail the expertise of the media technologists and specialists.

      Promotes closer linkage between administrators, teachers and students because they will work together in the maintenance of the center.

      Teachers and students can update and improve their capabilities and performances.

Characteristics of a
Functional EMC

      The EMC has an institutional media program supported by the administration. There is an existing policy on the use of the center.

      There is a regular budget for the procurement of additional units for the maintenance of the existing ones.

      The center in manned by qualified staff that can assist teachers and students to avail of the maximum benefits derived from using the media materials.

      Teachers and students are encouraged to use the educational media.

      There is an adequate pool of educational materials ranging from the lo-tech to the hi-tech ones.

      There is a systematic way of arranging specific materials for easy borrowing and retrieving system. (example-subject color coding- red for math, yellow for languages, green for science etc.)

      There is an adequate space for storing, filing, loaning and producing of instructional materials.

      The EMC is well lighted and well ventilated with provisions for darkening the room when needed in case of viewing multi-media presentations or motion pictures.

Lesson 17

Assessment in a Constructionist, Technology-Supported Learning

It says that some students memorize very much for the test fit their style of test preparation to the kind of test and study only for passing score and a passing grade.
                 Authentic assessment is most appropriate for the constructivist classroom. Authentic assessment measures collective abilities, written and oral expression skills, analytical skills, manipulative skills like computer skills integration, creativity and ability to work collaboratively.

                                      

               Students learned based on the teaching methods that teachers had/have presented nor taught. Students study and learn based on the way they are tested. Assessment should had to influence how and what they learn. They learnes from and with technology in atechnology-supported classroom. Technology serves as a source of information where the students learn from in the same way that the teacher are a source of information.

              In a constructivist classroom, learning transcends memorization of facts. These facts should be put together, form concepts and make meaning out of them. Facts and Concepts interconnect each other to daily life.

             Nowadays,people need to be computer literate and fluent or else we get lost or become helpless.

             By using transparencies and OHP to demonstate the assigned topic/title or by the use of a powerpoint presentation. therefore, learning is active, constructive, intentional, authentic, realistic, reliable, concise and cooperative process. To assess students manipulative skill, conduct a direct assessment with the help of a SCORING RUBRIC.

Lesson 16

Using the project based learning Multi-media as a teaching- learning strategy

Project based learning enables classrooms to emphasize this under valued part of the "Invisible curriculum" what author Daniel Goleman has called "Emotional Intelligence". 

       

Using project - based learning multimedia as a strategy in teaching is effective in increasing students motivation by engaging them in their own learning, in improving student problem-solving and higher order thinking skills. Teaching with the project-based method enables students to work cooperatively with peer and mentors in a student-centered environment where learners are encouraged to explore various topics of interest. It also provides opportunities for interdisciplinary learning by engaging students in applying the content of different subject areas.  

Goals and Objectives are always the starting points of planing. When we plan a multi-media learning project as a teaching strategy, we begin by clarifying our goals and objective. Another important thing is to determine the resources available- from library materials, community resources both material and human, internet, new media- since this project calls for Multi-Media. To trim down time devoted to a multi-media project, Simkins et al (2002) suggested the following:

• use technology students already know 
• use time outside of class whenever possible
• assign skills practice as homework
• use special classes (like art or music) as extra time
• let students compose texts and select and prepare graphics and sounds as they plan

 

Before the project starts:

1. Create project description and milestones 

2. Work with real world connections

3. Prepare resources

4. Prepare software and peripherals such as microphones

5. Organize computer files

6. Prepare the classroom

Introducing the project ( one or two days )

1. Review project documents

2. Perform pre-assessment

3. Perform relevant activities

4. Group students- here are some grouping strategies:

• by topic interest
• by student talent and expertise
• by student choice
• randomly

Learning the technology (one to three days) - Give a chance for the students to work with whatever software and technology they will be using.

Preliminary research and planing (three days to three weeks, depending on project size) -  At this stage, students should immerse themselves in the content of subject matter they need to understand to create their presentation. 

Concept design and Storyboarding (three to five days)- A story board is a paper- and- pencil sketch of the entire presentation, screen by screen or in the case of videos, shot by shot, requiring a story board provides a natural check-in point for you and gives your students an opportunity to plan ahead.

Here are a few design tips to keep in mind throughout storyboarding and production:

• Use scanned , handmade artwork to make a project look personal and to manage scarce technology resources
• Keep navigation 
• Organize information similarly throughout so users can find what they are looking for
• Care for collaboration 
• Organize manageable steps
• Check and asses often 

Assessing, testing and finalizing presentations (one to three weeks)- There are two kinds of testing to think about

Functional Testing- Trying all the buttons, taking all possible paths thru the presentation, checking for errors, missing images and the like

User- Testing- Showing the presentation to members of the target audience and finding out if they can successfully navigate it and understand it.

* Assessment means critical evaluation of your presentation. 

Concluding activities (one to three days)- Allow time for students to present and show off their hard work.Often there is an obvious, authentic concluding activity related to your real- world connection.Remember to take time to review the ups and downs of the project with students and anyone else who participated.

Lesson 15

Project based multimedia Learning

   

Project based multimedia learning can build the students creativity. It is were the students independently done their research and organized what the teacher has given them to be accomplish.The students will be engage in hands-on activity that helps them engage more knowledge. Each students have their own task to do so they have to participate, and teachers will just observe and give comments to what their doing if is it right towards their goal. Project based multimedia learning is a teaching method where it can help the students acquire new knowledge and skills in the course of designing, planing, and producing multimedia project. 

           

Lesson 14

Maximizing the use of the overhead projector and the chalk board

“Indeed, in no…country have I ever seen a good school without a black board or a successful teacher who did not use it frequently” –Horace Mann, noted American Educator.

               

Among all instructional equipment, the chalk board is the most available. The overhead projector is versatile equipment that is quite common today. By learning how to use them properly and in an inexpensive way we are able to realize our instructional objectives. There are techniques of using the chalk board and OHP proven to be effective by practitioners. Adopting them in our teaching spells visual and lasting learning for our students.

Chalkboard techniques:

a. Sharpen your chalk to get good line quality.

b. Stand with your elbow high, move along as you write.

c. Use dots as “Aiming points” this keeps writing level.

d. Make all writing or printing between 2 and 4 inches high for legibility.

e. When using colored chalk, use soft chalk so that it can be erased easily.

The Overhead Projector (OHP) Techniques

Among the outstanding attributes of overhead projection are the many techniques that can be used to present information and control the sequence of a presentation. Keep in mind these features of overhead projection.

You can show pictures and diagrams using a pointer to direct attention to a detail.

You can use felt pen or waxed based pencil to add details. It can easily be removed by a soft cloth.

You can control the rate of presenting information by covering with an opaque material and exposing the data as you discuss. This is known as the progressive disclosure technique.

You can super impose additional transparency cheats as over lace on a based transparency so as to separate processes and complex ideas into elements and present them in step by step order.

You can show 3 dimensional objects from the stage of the projector.

You can move over lace back and forth across the base in order to rearrange elements of diagrams or problems

You can simulate motion on parts of a transparency by using the effects of polarized light

Lesson 13

 Teaching with visual symbols.

                                   

“Visual symbols will be made meangful if we can use them as summaries of our own direct experiences or our own rich indirect experiences... A little can stand a lot”

      

Like a picture a graph and all other visual symbols, are worth a thousand words,  The proper use of visual symbols will contribute to optimum learning. 

Visual symbols come in many forms – drawings, cartoons, strip drawing (comic strip) diagram, map, chart and graph. For these visual symbols to be at your finger tips, you ought to be skilled at making them.

The collection, preparation and use of these various visual symbols depends to a great extent on your own resourcefulness and creativity. They may be used in different ways and in different phases of the lesson depending on your purpose. If you use them skillfully, your classroom may turn into a beehive of busy students.

a. drawings

            a drawing may not be the real thing but better to have a concrete visual aid than nothing. To avoid confusion, it is good that our drawing correctly represents the real thing.

b. cartoons

            A fist rate cartoon tells its story metaphorically. The perfect cartoon needs no caption. The less the artist depends on words, the more effective the symbolism. The symbolism conveys the message.

C. Strip drawings

            These are commonly called comics or comic strips.

D. Diagrams

            It is

“ any line drawing that shows arrangement and relations as of parts to the whole, relative values, origins and development, chronological fluctuations, distribution, etc.”

Types of Diagrams

1. Affinity diagram – used to cluster complex apparently unrelated data into natural and meaningful groups.

2. Tree diagram – used to chart out, I increasing detail, the various tasks that must be accomplished to complete a project or achieve a specific  objective.

3. Fishbone Diagram – It is also called cause and effect diagram.

It is a structured form of brainstorming that graphically shows the relationship of possible causes and sub causes directly related to an identified effect / problem. It is most commonly used to analyze work – related problems.

E. Charts

            Is a diagrammatic representation of relationships among individuals within an organization. We can have different types of chart:

1. time chart – is a tabular time chart that presents data in ordinal sequence.

2. tree or stream chart – Depicts development, growth and change by beginning with a single course ( the trunk ) which spreads out to many branches or by beginning with the many tributaries which then converge into a single channel.

3. flow chart – Is a visual way of charting or showing a process from beginning to end. It is a means of analyzing a process. By outlining every step in a process, you can begin to find inefficiencies or problems.  

4. organizational chart – shows how one part of the organizational relates to other parts of the organization.

5. comparison and contrast chart – Used to show similarities and differences between two or three things.

6. pareto  chart – Is a type of bar chart, prioritized in descending order of magnitude or importance from left to right. It shows at a glance which factors are occurring most.

7. gaant chart – Is an activity time chart.

F. Graphs

            - There are several types of graphs. They are:

-          Circle or pie graph

o       Recommended for showing parts of whole.

-          Bar graph

o       Used in comparing the magnitude of similar items at different ties or seeing relative sizes of the parts of a whole.

-          Pictorial graph

o       Makes use of picture symbols.

-          Line graph

·        Graphic Organizer – an informal organizer

G. Maps

            Is a “ representation of the surface of the earth or some part of it.”

Kinds of Map

1. Physical map – Combines in a single projection data like altitude, temperature, rainfall, precipitation, vegetation and soil.

2. relief map – Has three dimensional representations and show contours of the physical data of the earth or part of the earth.

3. Commercial or economic map – Also called product or industrial map since they show land areas in relation to the economy.

4. Political map – gives detailed information about country, provinces, cities and towns, roads and highways. Oceans, rivers and lakes are the main features of most political maps.

Map language :

      1. Scale -  Shows how much of the actual earth’s surface is represented by a given            measurement on a map

     -  On some maps, scale is shown graphically while some is expressed in words and figures.

2. Symbols – Usually a map has a legend that explains what each symbol means. (ex: railroads, mountains, lakes and plains)

3. Color – The different colors of the map are part of the map language.

4. Geographic grids – The entire system of these grid lines are called grid lines. These grid lines are called meridians and parallel.

            - A meridian is a north to south pole line

            - Parallels are lines drawn around a globe with all points along each line with an equal distance from the pole.

            - Longitude is the distance in degrees of any place east or west of the prime meridian.

            - Latitude is the distance in degrees of any place north or south of the equator.