Multimedia in the classroom

In this week's session, we looked into multimedia and how effective it can be when used in the classroom environment.

What is multimedia?

As BBC Bite size states, a multimedia product uses a combination of images, words and sounds. This can be used as a way of presenting information. 
Multimedia programmes enable the user to select from a great variety of media including speech, sounds, animation, video clips and more (Potter and Darbyshire, 2005).

How can multimedia be used in classrooms?

1. Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations

To begin with, we looked at Microsoft PowerPoint. We discussed whether we have had much experience with it. Some people had not, but I personally feel confident in using this program. PowerPoint is very useful in schools, it is quite and simple to use and I believe that most people would be happy to use it in the classroom. You can add animation, text, pictures, videos, hyperlinks, word art, shapes and more. Here are some examples of what you can do using PowerPoint:

Inserting a shape

Adding animation

Adding word art

There are many ways that you can use PowerPoint in the classroom, check them out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtDovMwpIYY

Pros:

Easy and simple to use

Can be re-arranged

Animation

Child-friendly

Versatile

Organised and neat

Can attach multiple medias
Appropriate for all ages
Appealing

Cons:

Backups may be needed if there is a technical difficulty

Can be confusing

A lot to learn

Overwhelming
Have to pay for it

2. Prezi: Presentation Software

Next, we looked at the presentation software - Prezi. I had never used Prezi before. I found it very easy and simple to use and felt that I had the hang of it pretty early on. In the classroom, it would be good for children to make their own to express themselves. Here are some examples of what you can do using Prezi:

Designing and creating Prezi

Adding animation, text, topics and more

Clicking on a topic to add/read information

To make your own Prezi, click here.

To check out more ways to use Prezi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCkvy4Gvqw8

Pros:
Not a typical slide based tool
It's free!
You can link text and images to movement
Appropriate for all ages
Easy to use
Simple and clear
Appealing 

Cons:
Can be limited
A lot to learn
Web-based
Could have internet issues

Overall, I feel that Powerpoint has many more benefits than Prezi, one of them being that you can alternate so much when using Powerpoint as it has a huge variety of choices. I would be much more confident in using Powerpoint in a classroom, but.. I'd suggest giving them both a go! They're both fantastic in their own ways.

Reference list

BBC Bitesize (2014) Investigating multimedia products. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/dida/multimedia/productsrev1.shtml (Accessed: February 3rd 2018).

Potter, F. and Darbyshire, C. (2005) Understanding and teaching the ICT curriculum. London: David Fulton publishers.