Assignment 3

by
Jade Gillis
Chris MacKinnon
Elisabeth Yorke


A report submitted to
Dr. Diane Janes
in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for
EDUC 5104 Application of Learning Theory in Education Multimedia Design


Faculty of Education
Cape Breton University





June 2014



Sydney, Nova Scotia
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Assignment 3 - Multimedia Project


URL: http://activecom.weebly.com/

Student Names and Email Addresses

Group 3

Jade Gillis: jadegillis@staff.ednet.ns.ca and jadegillis@nspes.ca
Christopher MacKinnon: christmac@nspes.ca and cbu11ncr@cbu.ca
Elisabeth Yorke: eyorke@staff.ednet.ns.ca and cbu13dwk@cbu.ca

Assignment Name/Number

Multimedia Project - Assignment 3


Constructivist Theory and Principles

The dominant traditional style of teaching and learning places priority on teachers who
are content knowledgeable and skillful at transmitting knowledge. Traditional styles of teaching
adhere to fixed, prescriptive curricula. The goal of the traditional teaching approaches has been
toward conformity. The teacher was viewed as the knowledge authority and so in effect is the
one who controls student product output in this traditional style.
The teacher transmission approach is less conducive to opening classrooms to
opportunities for students to encounter their own creativity and meaning making.
Zhao (2012) contends that we all are "born with the desire and potential to create and innovate,
to dream and imagine, and to challenge and improve the status quo" (p. 9). He further contends
that students are born to be social, to communicate, and to collaborate with each other. Zhao
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suggests that teachers should reflect on the philosophy that all students have potential for
creativity and that creativity can be suppressed or amplified by experience.
Constructivism as a learning theory places at the center, interaction of student learners
with teachers and peers (Vygotsky, 1994). Creativity meets context and how the learning
environment is designed is key for engaging the learner. Language and relationships are the
connecting links for students to acquire and construct knowledge. Constructivism views
education as the development of every individual student as thinking, active, and creative
individuals. Constructivist teaching promotes student learning by allowing students to enjoy
applying their knowledge, becoming intrinsically motivated, and thinking critically to construct
new knowledge. In this way, teachers allow students to take more of the lead in developing
thought and acquiring knowledge while exercising personal creativity (Vygotsky, 1994).
Group 3 realizes and promotes teaching strategies that use constructivism principles that
involve students in processes and which allow analyzing, interpreting, and building knowledge
from diverse sources. This type of constructivism is best suited for self-selected learning tools
(i.e., technology). Our group believes that teachers must allow for relationship exchanges that
may encourage cycling of information to facilitate deeper understanding (Celik, 2012).
The module developed in this lesson plan uses multimedia to assist students to represent
what it is they know and engage them in critical thinking about subject area topics and themes.
They will use multi-media for accessing information, interpreting and organizing their personal
knowledge, and for making individual and/or group presentations to their class.
The use of multi-media will be to support student construction of new understandings and
to strive in the production and not reproduction of knowledge. Students may serve as designers
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using multimedia options including but not limited to their personal selection within the array of
technology mind tools like Weebly.
Students will be involved with creative tools produced by our Group that include
YouTube videos, interactive "mastery" quizzes, and online production, sharing and discourse
related to uniquely designed videos and other documentation. For instance, there are forums
available for students to post their answers to teacher provided questions. Students are also
required to respond to at least two other student posts. This encourages debate and discourse,
further enriching the constructivist-learning environment for students as they may deconstruct
and reconstruct their knowledge with information and perspectives gained from others.

Creativity

Our groups Weebly lesson plan includes a variety of examples of creative exercises with
individual as well as group work sections. Students are able to create concept maps together at
the beginning of the lesson plan as well as at the end. This allows students to simulate real life
cooperative group projects. Students, through their group work and classroom exercises, have
ample opportunity for interaction while gaining a wide view and perspective as they construct
their knowledge. When they are exposed to these learning activities they are able to practice the
skill of coming to a consensus, a life skill valuable in many contexts.
The lesson allows for student learning that would include multiple intelligences. The
variety of platforms in this lesson for student learning and product development include a
PowerPoint, video, and other products that are developed. Students have ample opportunities to
create original graphical images as they navigate through the multimedia functions. The variety
of options will allow students to excel in areas in which they feel most comfortable, creatively.
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Another creative aspect of this lesson plan is through the use of interesting tools such as
in the use of an avatar within the multimedia portion of this lesson plan. The avatar is used to
guide students through each section of the website by cueing their attention to the task at hand.
Fedder (2010) suggests that teachers should grab student interest by presenting information in a
way that links new information to what is of interest to them. Students in many cases are
familiar with the use of avatars through their gaming experience. Fedder further suggests that,
like with the example of avatars, student information when interesting becomes lodged in the
students memory.
In addition, PowerPoint presentations and videos are used to present facts and ideas in a
clear visual representation. The videos provide options for students to experience examples of
active communication while at the same time providing a model for the culminating activity. The
information gained through these multimedia options is necessary for successfully achieving the
outcomes in the mastery activity. The discussion forums that follow allow students to interact
with the media on the site while at the same time allowing them to represent their knowledge in
an authentic way.
Finally, Group 3 believe that the production and posting of a short video allows a group
of students to be creative in representing their knowledge in ways that are unique and would be
different from other groups presentations. Their unique representations of the knowledge that
they have developed are shared, further extending the knowledge construction throughout the
class.

Graphical Representation of Website (Weebly)

Please see attached Appendix A.
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Copyright and Other Issues

Young learners carefully instructed in research methods and on the ethics and dangers of
plagiarizing are more likely to follow proper practices (Library and Archives Canada, 2014, p.
1). Group 3 acknowledges that where necessary students should seek permission to use others
work, and/or clearly cite any work referenced that is not their own. This includes text, videos,
images, and websites.
Students should be made aware of access to material that may be inappropriate for their
age level and how they could make choices in selecting appropriate material. If they have a
question on the material they should feel open to asking their teacher for guidance. Teachers
should be vigilant in keeping track of where students access information for any products that are
researched and developed within the lesson plan.
Teachers should share with students that they should avoid websites that have a large
amount of advertising that they would feel is not appropriate for student viewing. Teachers can
prepare students with tools and skills for being keen analysts of the information that they
consume online.

Lesson Plan

1. Subject(s): ELA, Health and Technology Education (cross curricular)

2. Learning Level: Grade 9

3. Author(s): Jade Gillis, Christopher MacKinnon, and Elisabeth Yorke

4. Purpose/Thesis:

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The purpose of the lesson is to teach problem solving using active listening skills to student
groups as they prepare for Project Gazebo.
5. Credit for Lesson Idea:

Chetana Hazarimal Somani College (2014).
http://www.slideshare.net/effectivecommunication/cs-final-ppt-11938630

Learning Outcomes Framework, English Language Arts, Grades 7-9 (2004).
http://www.ednet.ns.ca/pdfdocs/outcomes/by_subject/english_language_arts_7-
9.pdf

Learning Outcomes Framework, Grade 7-9 (2004).
http://www.ednet.ns.ca/pdfdocs/outcomes/by_grade/grades_7-9.pdf

Learning Outcomes Framework, Grade 7-9 (2012).
http://srhs.ednet.ns.ca/Dept%20docs/psp.pdf

University of New South Wales, Australia (2014). https://teaching.unsw.edu.au/develop-
students-group-work-skills


6. Outcomes/Objectives:

ELA 9 Outcome 2.1: contribute to small-group and whole-class discussions using a
variety of strategies for effective talk
ELA 9 Outcome 3.1: demonstrate active listening (eye contact, rephrasing, clarifying,
extending, refining, summarizing)
ELA 9 Outcome 3.2: show respect and sensitivity toward others and their differences
when giving personal opinions
HEALTH 9 Outcome D3.3: demonstrate the ability to communicate and work effectively
in a group
7. Background to lesson:
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Before the lesson begins teachers will research the composition of the class
through examination of the specific academic levels, dynamics, and interaction history of
the students in that particular class. Using the information gained the teacher can then
create groups using MindMeister.
Once groups are determined the teacher should provide a pre-lesson that illustrates
to students the traits or characteristics that students should display in becoming effective
communicators. After students view videos and complete role-play activities teachers
would present activities such as producing a concept map using MindMeister.

8. Tasks:

Pre Learning
o Brainstorm topics covered in Traits/Characteristics of Good Communicators
Video
o Concept map development
View - Effective Communication PowerPoint

Complete - Effective Active Communication Strategies Quiz (multiple choice)

View - Active Communication Video

Participate in Discussion Forums
1. Active Listening (blocks and tips) Forum
2. Video Response Forum - students work with group members to create and upload a
short video where they demonstrate one of the tips for active listening and then post a
response to other groups' videos.
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Students provide feedback to the website developers if they wish

Post Learning
o Brainstorm topics covered in lesson
o Concept map development
o Compare the pre concept map to the post concept map (What have you learned?
What changed? What stayed the same?)
9. Interaction:
It is assumed that students will work in groups for the brainstorm and concept
map production sections of the lesson plan. As well, groups of students will create and
upload the short video that will demonstrate one of the tips for active listening that they
have learned.
In groups students will discuss the questions related to the pre and post concept
maps. Individually students will view the Effective Communication PowerPoint and the
Active Communication Video. They then will individually complete the Effective Active
Communication Strategies Quiz. Each student will individually post responses to other
groups' videos.

10. Assessment or Evaluation:

Teachers will observe/monitor results of student work and each student can self-
assess through the analysis of the results of the interactive "mastery" quiz. Teachers can
gain knowledge of the ability of each individual student in terms of the number and types
of questions that the student had difficulty with. Students will become self aware of the
topics which they had trouble with for further practice. Teachers will be able to use test
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score results to determine if specific groups of students within their class require
instructional pieces to accommodate learning gaps.
The true and false/multiple choice mastery activity focuses on knowledge level
questions to assess student understanding of the concepts. Students are asked to apply
what theyve learned from both the video and the PowerPoint by responding to several
discussion forum questions. A higher order assessment level results from the production
of the group video. This activity requires students to demonstrate further constructed
knowledge from what theyve learned from the earlier website information. Finally, the
teacher evaluation culminates in the analysis of student comments on the other groups
work that has been added in the discussion forums. This is an important peer assessment
activity providing teachers with information to determine the extent of knowledge
acquisition by students.
Group work will be assessed using tools such as the Group Participation and
Group Work Peer Evaluation Rubrics found in the Reference Section of this paper
(Franker, 2007).
11. Tools:
Students will be required to have secure user logins and passwords. Networked
workstations or iPads with wifi capability are also necessary.
In addition, students will be required to have access to video production technology (i.e.,
cameras as well as software such as Movie Maker or iMovie) for producing the group
short video for demonstrating one of the tips for active listening.
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Students could use the video software on their phones or mobile devices to create
the video and upload to YouTube. Teachers may require access to an LCD projector
connected to their workstation.

12. Technology Integrated:

Technology is integrated throughout the Lesson Plan. Students prepare concept
maps using technology tools such as MindMeister, Lucidchart, Inspiration or other
concept map applications or programs. The multimedia component takes advantage of
website development tools of Weebly, PowerPoint and YouTube. Students will be using
video development tools such as cameras and Movie Maker or other such options. In
addition, the multimedia website has a mobile version which can be displayed on phones
and tablets.

13. Student Expectations:

Students will use a website for pre and post concept map development. Students
will use another website to learn about effective communication and then work in groups
to demonstrate their knowledge.
Students are expected to:

brainstorm topics covered in traits/characteristics of good communicators video and
develop a concept map together
view the Effective Communication PowerPoint and gather information to be used in their
Project Gazebo group project
complete the Effective Active Communication Strategies Quiz
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view the Active Communication Video and continue to gather information to be used in
their Gazebo Project
participate in Discussion Forums on Weebly
work with group members to create a video where they demonstrate one of the tips for
active listening
post a response to other groups' videos
provide feedback to the website developers if they so wish
brain-storm topics covered in the lesson and create a concept map




























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References

Fedder, J. (2010). 7 strategies to gain and hold student interest. http://voices.yahoo.com/7-
strategies-gain-hold-student-interest-6759796.html

Celik, S. (2012). Development of usability criteria for E-learning. Turkish Online
Journal of Distant Education, 2 (13), 336-345.

Franker, K. (2007). Collaboration rubric.
https://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/rubrics/secondaryteamworkrubric.html

Library and Archives Canada (2014). http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/education/008-1020-
e.html#b

Vygotsky, L. S. (1994). Imagination and creativity of the adolescent. In R. Van der Veer & J.
Valsiner (Eds.), The Vygotsky Reader (pp. 266-288). Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

Weaver, A. (2013). Active Listening Student Production.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7gHLSK6zcY

Zhao, Y. (2012). World class learners: Educating creative entrepreneurial students. London,
UK: Corwin.






















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APPENDIX A

http://www.lucidchart.com/invitations/accept/d521fd00-01ea-46f1-80b5-58067b4a953a