Lesson 16: Using the Project-Based Learning Multimedia as a Teaching-Learning Strategy

• A project based learning method is a comprehensive approach to instruction. 
• Project-based multimedia learning is a method of teaching in which students acquire new knowledge and skills in the course of designing, planning, and producing a multimedia product.

The effective use of multimedia learning project requires:

• Clarifying goals and objectives
• Determining how much time is needed
• Extent of students’ involvement in decision making
• Setting up forms of collaboration
• Identifying and determining what resources are needed

Another important thing is to determine the resources available from:

• Library Materials

• Community Resources both material and human

• Internet

• News Media

To trim down time devoted to a multi-media project, Simkins et al (2002) suggest the following:

• Use technology students already know.
• Use time outside of class wherever possible.
• Assign skills, practice, as homework.
• Use “special” classes as extra time. 
• Let students compose text and

Various Phases of the Project

• Before the Project Starts 

1. Create project description and milestone.

• Describe your project in forty (40) words or less. 
• Include instructional goals and objectives.
• Include the project components students will be responsible for and their due date.

      2. Work with the real - world connection.

• If you have people outside the classroom involved as clients or assessors (evaluators) work with them to make an appropriate schedule and include their ideas for activities.

     3. Prepare Resources.

• Seek the assistance of your librarian or school media specialist.

      4. Prepare software and peripherals such as microphones 

• Ask the help of technical people.

      5. Organize Computer Files 

• Finding files eats most of your time if you are not organized. 
• Naming files and folders after their file type and section title helps to keep things organized and makes it easier to merge elements later on.

      6. Prepare the Classroom. 

• Organize books, printer papers and any other resources so students can access them independently. 
• Make room on the bulletin boards for hanging printouts of student work, schedules, and organizational charts.

• Introducing The Project (One or Two Days)

     Help the students develop a “big picture” to understand the work ahead. Make sure what they will be making, who their audience will be and what you expect them to learn and demonstrate in terms of the K to 12 Standards and Competencies.

1. Review project documents. You can ask students to work with the project documents you have produced. Encourage your students to ask questions about the project to clarify what you have written.

2. Perform Pre-Assessments. Your students can write pre-assessment questions based on your learning goals to further clarify expectations.

3. Perform Relevant Activities. You can show students anything you can find that is similar to what they  will be producing such as a Web site or your own mini project you did to learn the technology. You can also brainstorm for topics, organizational ideas and design ideas.

4. Group Students. Form small student groups from three to five students per group. Here are some grouping strategies:

• By topic interest
• By student talent and expertise - This works for a balance of talents and skills in the groups.
• By student choice
• Randomly - This is fine to enable them to develop the skills to work with others.

5. Organize Materials. Give each group a folder that stays in the classroom. All their group work such as storyboards, group journals, and research notes goes in that folder.

Learning The Technology (One to Three Days)

• Give a chance for the students to work with whatever software and technology they will be using. If some students are already familiar with the tools and processes, ask them to help you train the others. If students are new to multimedia, then begin with lessons that involve using the different media types. Remember, you and your students are colearners and you both learn as you go.

Preliminary Research and Planning (Three Days to Three Weeks, depending on Project Size)

• At this stage, students should immerse themselves in the content or subject matter they need to understand to create their presentations.
• Students can tag and collect information they think might be valuable for their presentations: compelling photographs, quotes, sounds and other media they encounter in their research.

Concept Design and Story boarding 

• Process of organizing a presentation that is useful to the audience. Storyboard: is a paper-and-pencil sketch of the entire presentation, screen by screen, or in the case of video, shot by shot.

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

• Use scanned, handmade artwork to make a project look personal and to manage scary technology resources. Students artwork is unmatched as a way to assure a project has heart. Keep clip art or stamps to a minimum - they make a presentation look canned. 

• Keep navigation - the way users of your presentation will get from one screen to the next - consistent throughout the whole presentation.

• Organize information similarity throughout so users can find what they are looking for. 

• Care for collaboration. Check in with groups to make sure they are collaborating successfully and that conflict is not derailing their productivity.

• Organize manageable steps. Break down the project's steps into manageable daily components considering that the project requires comparatively more time to succeed.

• Check and assess often. This is to ensure that mistakes are seen early enough and therefore can be corrected before the final product is produced.

Assessing, Testing, and Finalizing Presentations (One to Three Weeks)

Two kinds of testing: 

1. Functional Testing - means trying all the buttons, taking all possible paths through the presentation, checking for errors, missing images and the like.

2. User testing Assessment - means 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 

• Way of presenting the project to the audiences. You will present to your target audience and celebrate your accomplishment.