2004 Paper Presentations

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SITES, CAMERA, ACTION!: FIVE REASONS FOR MULTIMEDIA ASSIGNMENTS IN THE WEB-ENHANCED CLASSROOM

Marcy Bauman
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Introduction

Our students come to us with an enormous amount of multimedia exposure, and varying degrees of literacy with non-print media. Their experiences in this area provide instructors with vast opportunities for enriching the classroom, particularly at a distance. Yet many instructors, fearing their own unfamiliarity with media production, do not utilize multimedia to help their students learn.

In this presentation, I will describe the following five circumstances that lend themselves to the use of multimedia:

• Documenting change over time
• Talking globally, seeing locally
• Telling a story
• Explaining a concept
• Creating a sense of presence

and offer example assignments for each from a variety of disciplines.

What is Multimedia?

For the purposes of this presentation, I'm defining multimedia as non-print media. This definition includes images, audio clips, video clips, and animations done with programs such as Flash. Students might take pictures, they might record sounds, take movies, put together slideshows, or otherwise synchronize images and text, or images and sound. The emphasis here is on non-written "text," to which writing might later be added. My central tenet is that the production of multimedia involves understanding and using concepts that are not necessary for the production of print, but that are absolutely essential for being a literate person in a digital age.

The two fundamental concepts invoked by multimedia are layers and timelines. Layers allow for the idea that things can happen simultaneously; timelines allow for the idea that simultaneous things can be choreographed. Both these concepts are found on the web in many different contexts, not just in multimedia. These concepts are either absent or very de-emphasized in traditional, print-based written communication, and therefore are not present in traditional classroom assignments.

Layers, which appear in still image programs such as Photoshop, and also in motion-oriented software such as Flash and video editing packages, allow for things to be superimposed on other things. In their simplest incarnation, layers allow for words to be put over a picture; for example, in video editing, layers allow a soundtrack to be put over a video track.

Working with layers is important for students because it allows them to learn to "multitask" in order to produce something. The concept of composing traditional written text is very linear; you make one point, and then you make another. You can count on having the reader's complete focus as you make each point. Hypertext allows readers to sequence points in different and unexpected ways - but it is still digested one thought at a time. However, a simple layered image such as a picture with a caption allows for all sorts of coordination. The caption might support the image, or it might belie it. Irony can be achieved by the juxtaposition of unexpected elements.

Additionally, from a production standpoint, the notion that there is more depth than you may see to what is viewable on the screen, and that different layers can be manipulated without changing everything crops up in many different applications. This is the same concept that allows cascading style sheets to separate out a text and its presentation; changing one element in a stylesheet might, for example, change all headings from bold to italic, but it doesn't change the text itself. Similarly, changing the keywords for items in a database changes the way the items come up during searches, but it does not change the items themselves. In the print world, critical thinking involved the ability to "take apart" a written argument to see how and why the author used particular evidence, or sequenced his or her points in a particular way. In the digital world, critical thinking involves understanding what lies beneath the surface of what you see - or at least knowing that more is there. What you see isn't always what you get, and learning to manipulate layers allows students to develop ways to conceptualize information that take into account that the presentation of something is really only the surface of it.

Timelines are fundamental for video editing and also for animation programs. Asking students to think about how to structure images in time is very different than asking them to structure a written argument for a few reasons. First, written texts don't really involve the concept of duration; all readers go through a text at their own pace, for one thing, and for another, they can skip around more easily than it is possible to skip around in a video or audio clip. When people create multimedia involving timelines, they not only have to think of sequence, they have to consider duration, and they often have to synchronize several different "events" with each other. In a visuals + audio slideshow, at what point in the audio should the slide change? In a film clip, at what point should the action change? How long is "long enough to make a point" without being boring or redundant?

In animation programs, timelines and layers are used together to coordinate motion - to scroll text across the screen, or to make something happen when a button is clicked.

Timelines, then allow for the same kind of "simultaneity" that is found with layers, but they also impose a sequence that is far more rigid than the sequence of traditional print products.

Note: I am deliberately omitting Powerpoint from this discussion of multimedia. This is not because Powerpoint cannot be used to produce multimedia, or because I have some reason for not liking Powerpoint. I think that Powerpoint is essentially a written medium to which multimedia components can be added, and but my emphasis is on multimedia first and writing second.

Why should I include multimedia assignments?

Students are avid consumers of multimedia. But it is also important that they have opportunities to create multimedia in a critical, reflective environment. Many theorists now agree that learning to understand and manipulate multimedia is a literacy skill, and thus is analogous to other literacy skills - namely, reading, writing, speaking, and listening.

We have a fairly good understanding of how people acquire literacy skills.

• We know that such abilities are developmental - they unfold over time, and not all aspects can be explicitly taught, or even explicitly explained. In order to develop literacy skills, it is necessary for people to be engaged in using their literacy to communicate their own ideas. These tenets hold true whether the skill that is developing is reading, writing, speaking, or listening - in a first or subsequent language.

• We know that comprehension exceeds production -- most people can "read" better than they can "write," no matter what the medium. Most of us can enjoy a film by a talented director, say, but we cannot produce such films ourselves, even given the technological resources necessary to do so.

• We know that literacy skills are profoundly social -- people develop these abilities in particular social contexts, because they want to interact and be part of specific discourse communities. On the simplest levels, theorists like Kenneth Kaye explain the social processes whereby children learn to talk (Kenneth Kaye). In the context of the workplace, theorists like Aviva Freedman, Peter Medway, and Anthony Pare explain how neophytes learn to write in ways that are meaningful for a particular work environment.

• Finally, and most important, we know that in order for people to develop literacy skills, they have to practice them in contexts where they control the interaction, and where what they have to say is meaningful, that is, it may influence a particular outcome, or create a specific reaction (Polanyi, Vygotsky, Vipond and Hunt, Halliday).

For these reasons, it is not sufficient for instructors simply to engage students in evaluating others' production of multimedia, as is done in film courses, say, or in communications courses where students learn about advertising. Students need the opportunity to produce multimedia themselves in order to communicate a particular message, just as young children learning to talk need to try talking themselves. Fortunately, providing these opportunities isn't too difficult.

In an already-crowded syllabus, how can I include multimedia?

There's no doubt that everyone feels pressured to cover specified material, and the introduction of multimedia elements might at first seem like it's going to take a lot of time. Here are some hints to help you make the assignments manageable and still pedagogically useful.

• Keep it simple – do not require elaborate, complicated projects until and unless you feel ready to tackle the issues they involve. Just asking for multimedia as part of one assignment is enough. On the simplest end of the spectrum, you can require that students take pictures with a disposable camera, and then get a photo CD when they get the film processed.

• As you think about your assignment, also find out what equipment and software is available to students in public labs on campus. Particularly if multimedia is new to you, you may be pleasantly surprised to see what is available locally. Scanners may be available at public labs on campus, or at the local library. Campus computer labs might include software such as Photoshop or Flash; freeware versions of such programs exist for nearly every operating system now, and you may be able to download and install some of those. (see list in resources)

• Before you settle on the technical details of a multimedia assignment, survey your students to find out what kind of technology is readily available to them. You will undoubtedly discover a wide spectrum of technology, and the results might surprise you. Probably many students have digital cameras, for example, and those cameras might also include a video mode. Possibly students have access to CD burning software that will enable them to share their work with others.

• Before assigning anything, try the potential assignment yourself. This advice is often given, and seldom followed, but with multimedia, which is likely to be fairly new to you, it is essential. You will discover pitfalls that can be avoided with some tweaking of the assignment. You may discover that the assignment is not workable, or doesn't accomplish what you hope. You may discover that your initial idea was too simple, and can be made more elaborate and thus provide for greater learning without a lot of extra work on anyone's part.

• Include the cost of the assignment in the course syllabus. If you are going to require students to take pictures, for example, estimate the cost of a one-time use camera, the amount needed to develop the film, and additional charges for getting a photo CD. Depending on the equipment available to them, students may not incur all of these costs, but they will be far less likely to complain if their obligations are spelled out in advance.

• Think about how students will distribute their multimedia products. Will they be made available on a course website? Can you schedule a project day at the end of the semester when students can display their work? Will students give you CDs as part of a course portfolio? Usually, sharing of image files is not a problem since .gif and .jpg formats are universally recognized by browsers. However, sharing of video and audio files can prove difficult. Make sure that the computers used to display the work are equipped with the necessary media players. If you want to make audio and video files available over the web, you will probably have to consult the technical staff on your campus to find out if there is a streaming server available, and, if so, how you would go about uploading files to it.

Make sure that the method you choose is the easiest for you to manage, and still achieve your pedagogical aims. Investigate your options before you give the assignment.

Documenting Change over Time

There are many instances where it might be significant for students to document change over time. The chief advantage of using multimedia in this circumstance is that it focuses students' attention on specific visual aspects of the change. Creating a multimedia record also allows students to go back and re-observe earlier images in light of the later ones, and it enables students to compare their observations with others', leaving open the possibility that their peers will notice changes that they did not see.

Below is a small sampling of assignments where change matters.

In an astronomy class, students were asked to photograph the setting sun from the same location and at the same time every day for a period of two weeks. In the fall, students had a pictorial record showing that the sun was not only lower in the sky on each subsequent day, but they could see that the sun was also moving slightly farther south on each day.

• In a biology class, students were asked to videotape a stream right before and during a rainstorm. Students could watch the differences in the water patterns as the volume of water increased.

In a sociology class, students were asked to visit a public location (a mall, the student union, a ski hill) at different times on the same day, and to photograph a common area. They then wrote about the differences in the groups of people who frequent those areas at different times during the day, and to speculate about why those particular times appealed to those particular groups.

 

Talking Globally, Seeing Locally

Particularly in a distance education setting, it is very helpful to ask students to "illustrate" ideas that are covered in class. Such illustrations serve several purposes: They provide everyone in the class with a wide range of examples of a particular idea, and they allow the instructor to see how well students have grasped the ideas or concepts being presented. Additionally, the ability to share images of their local surroundings enables students to develop a sense of presence, and to learn more about their classmates.

Here are specific assignments where global concepts are illustrated locally.

• In a writing class, as part of an assignment that asks students to write literacy narratives, students are asked to describe their ideal writing environment - and then they are required to photograph the location where they usually write, and post the photographs to the class website. The class discusses how everyone's actual writing environment compares with their ideal one, and also comments on the strengths and weaknesses of the places that the class has photographed.

• In a biology class, students are given definitions of particular habitats in a stream - a riffle, an overhanging bank, a leaf pack, a quiet pool - and asked to photograph or video those habitats in their local area.

• In an introductory architecture class taught via distance education, students are asked to video or photograph the use of particular structural construction materials (steel, timber, and reinforced concrete) in buildings in their neighborhoods.

• In a Pharmacy Technician course, students are asked to video short interviews with practicing pharmacists, asking them their opinions on a pertinent issue (such as the reimportation of pharmaceuticals from Canada).

• In a real estate course, students are asked to photograph houses within a certain price range in their area.

Telling a Story

In this era of ubiquitous television and movies, stories may seem like the most familiar, intuitive use of video or images in the classroom. If we extend the notion of "story" to include genres like "persuasive documentary," the field becomes wide open indeed.

Yet stories are not so easy to construct using videos or images. Students will definitely learn to use storyboards - to think about the sequence of images they will use. They will also need to learn to match their visuals with an audio track or a narrative voiceover, in many cases. Stories take a long time to construct, and, unlike most of the other suggestions on this site, do not lend themselves to assignments early in the semester, or to short assignments. The creation of stories will take about a month, in most cases. It is very important to set a time limit for these stories - even a short video or slideshow (1-5 minutes) can take a long time to produce.

Here's a simple story about walking the dogs. The video was taken with a still camera - a Panasonic Lumix - and then edited with Adobe Premiere.

Here are sample storytelling assignments:

• In a political science class, students are asked to create short campaign videos for a candidate of their choice. The class views all the videos, and the producers discuss their choices, and the points they were trying to make.

• In an English class, students are asked to illustrate a short scene from a story or novel they have read.

• In a culinary arts class, students are asked to produce short commercials for a restaurant of their choice.

Explaining a Concept

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then surely there must be a thousand situations where a picture would be better than words. Asking students to produce images in those situations is a way to enhance their multimedia literacy.

On the literal level, students can produce "how-to" videos or series' of pictures. Increasingly, people are receiving videos that show them how to do things. For example, Volkswagen owners can visit this web site (click on "view installation instructions") to see how to install a roof rack onto their new car. Screen capture programs can be used to make instructional videos such as the ones on this page, which illustrate the use of Sitemaker, a web site creation product developed at the University of Michigan.

More theoretically, students can be asked to produce images or collections of images that illustrate abstract concepts, such as "fairness" or "friendship" or "truth."

Here are some specific assignment suggestions.

• In an elementary algebra class, students are asked to photograph something that illustrates the concept of "slope."

• In an introductory calculus class, students are asked to video something that illustrates the concept of "rate of change."

• In a physics course, students are asked to create videos or a series of photographs that illustrate one of Newton's laws of motion.

• For a political science course, students are asked to take photographs that symbolically represent democracy to them, and to explain their choices.

• As a pre-reading activity for a literature course that is about to read selections from The Grapes of Wrath, students are asked to take photos (not involving people) that illustrate the concept of poverty.

Creating a Sense of Presence

Particularly in a distance education classroom, multimedia can be used to help students and instructors create a sense of "presence" to appear to each other as more than just words on the screen. Paradoxically, in a face-to-face or hybrid classroom, multimedia can be used to allow people to reveal parts of themselves that would not ordinarily surface in a typical classroom.

View the presence video (you will need Real Player and a fast connection)
- or -
Read the slides on a web page (opens in new window)
- or -
Download and read the slides with Powerpoint or the PPT viewer (opens in new window)

Assignments that help to create a sense of presence include the following:

• At the beginning of the semester, students are asked to photograph a favorite object or pet, and to explain its significance to them.

• Students are asked to do short video interviews with a friend or family member.

• Students are asked to post a photograph of themselves as a young child, and explain how the photograph reflects the adult that they have become.

Resources

Video Editing

(Generally, for simple classroom use, students would need cameras that capture directly to digital formats, such as .AVI or Quicktime or MPEG. Most digital still cameras that offer a video mode will do this, and they will come with simple software to manipulate the videos. Such files can be transferred directly to a computer. Higher-end video devices such as Super 8 or mini-DV digital video cameras will require a video capture device to convert the taped video into digital files.)

Free video editing tools available online - a collection of tools for a variety of operating systems and media viewers

Tucows Movie Editor page

Audio Editing

Audacity - [ Windows version ][ Mac OSX version ][ Linux version ]

Image Editing

VicMan's Photo Editor - a nice-looking, easy-to-use image editing program for Windows.

Serif Photo Plus - another editor for Windows

Image Forge

Screen Capture

Tucows Screen Capture page - note that these are shareware programs, most of which have an expiration. The time frame may be long enough for short projects.

Camtasia Studio - not free, but worth the money.

Slideshow Software

MySlideshow - you can get a free version that is a stripped-down version of the product.

5-Star Shareware Slideshow Page - low-cost slideshow builders that have set expiration dates. The time frames (15 or 30 days) may be long enough for short class projects, or students may be willing to buy some of the cheaper products.

References

Halliday, M. A. K. Learning How to Mean: Explorations in the Development of Language. London: Elsevier North-Holland, 1975. Edward Arnold, 1981

Kaye, Kenneth. 1982. The Mental and Social Life of Babies: How Parents Make Persons. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Polanyi, Livia. 1979. "So What's the Point?" Semiotica 25: 3/4, 207-241.

Vipond, Douglas, and Russell A. Hunt. 1984. "Point-Driven Understanding: Pragmatic and Cognitive Dimensions of Literary Reading." Poetics 13 261-277.

Vygotsky, L. S. 1986. Thought and Language. Translation newly edited and revised by Alex Kozulin. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

 

 

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