Lesson 18 Roles and Functions of an Education Media Center

                          Importance of an educational media center ? The importance of Educational Media Center is to provides teacher and students easy access for information search.    The Educational Media Center functions as a vital instrument as well as a basic requirement for quality education by enriching all parts of the schools educational process. And it is designed for the housing and utilization of all educational media with in the school.
•                          The centers specific function A media program has the following elements assigned to it: Consultant service to improve instruction, learning and use of educational media resources and facilities;Upgrade instructional standards through the use of educational media resources; Information on new educational development.Creation/production of instructional materials to suit the special needs of teacher and student Upgraded research through media support to individual investigation and exploration; Multi-media facilities with areas made available to students, teachers and the media staff. Educational media equipment made available for classroom use to student and teachers.Consultant service The center media specialist act as resource persons for teacher in designing media for instruction. These specialist may also work directly with students in selecting and evaluating materials they need for presentation and learning purposes Upgrade Instruction via media An educational media center is made by a professional staff compose by media specialists, technicians and media aids. the staff function to serve media users through a program of services which make educational media available for instruction , learning and research purpose.
•                  Information on Educational Development The center provides information about innovations and recent development in specific subject areas and in the general field of education. It also keeps teacher posted on available in-service workshops and courses, conference and professional activities which they may find advantage for their professional growth.Production of Instructional Materials. The media center staff assists the various academic department and their teacher in the creative conceptualization and production of materials and devices for improve instruction.

Lesson 17 Assessment in a Constructivist, Technology-Supported Learning

              ASSESSMENT IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST TECHNOLOGY- SUPPORTED LEARNING

              From the word to assess, it means to support or guide learner's understanding in order for it to enhance. Constructivists suggest that learning is more effective when a student is actively engaged in the learning process rather than attempting to receive knowledge passively. Constructivism and technology work together in order to produce a productive learning.
Therefore, in order to have an effective learning,the teacher should assess the students to understand the lesson actively and attentively with a collaboration of a technology that suits to the lesson and would also help to enhance the knowledge of the learners to become an active participant in the class discussion. 

The teacher should also use objectives and motivation that will suits to the learner's needs and interests because everything will be useless if the students would not understand everything that a teacher discuss in front. The teacher should consider that one of the important element in the teaching process is the learner.
         Similarities and Differences Between Constructivist and Traditional Assessment

Similarities

• ·         Both types of assessment can take on a variety of formats: paper and pencil, physical hands on experience, or some type of exchange.
• ·         The phrasing and use of critical thinking terminology in questioning can also be similar.
• ·         Instructors in traditional classroom also use assessments in order to plan lessons and develop activities.

Differences

• ·         Responses to traditional questions will also require more than a 'yes' or 'no' answer. However, the idea that interactive feedback occurs between evaluators and learners as well as the concept of judging the active construction of thinking as well as the outcome are greater priorities to the constructivist assessor than a traditional method of evaluation.
• ·         Another difference lies in the support of standardized testing. Traditional learning environments support standardized testing and make many educational decisions off of those scores. Constructivists have a very negative view of this particular testing vehicle. Constructivists prefer that assessments have more of a 'real-life' application. The types of assessment preferred by constructivists would be: authentic, performance, or portfolio assessment. These types of assessment, according to Reeves & Okey, require more genuine thought from the learner and provide a more stimulating form of evaluation than traditional classroom testing.

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

Project-based multimedia learning is one instructional strategy that we can use and may also include non-technical projects, lecture  and note-talking, writing and artistic or creative project-based multimedia learning strategy in teaching English process through distance education:

1. It is a powerful motivator students engaged in the creating in multimedia projects.

2. It makes teachers look for and apply the methods that optimize learning effect.

3. It makes teachers structure's the form of material.

Distance education is a multimedia education that uses for educational purposes e-mail textbooks, video conferences, a computerized slide show, Web site and taking part in discussion in focus groups.

In this sense, one of the subjects which has been more extensively used in distance language teaching is focus groups.

Focus groups are organized discussion with a selected group of people with objective of gaining information about their views and experiences on a topic (Gibbs, 1998).

While focus groups have been used mostly in the fields of marketing our business specialties  over the past few decades they have come to be used as the methods of data gathering in qualitative studies.

         

        The effective use of of Project-base multimedia   learning requires through planning 

                 Initial Planning  involves:

                    1) Clarifying  goals and objectives.

                2) Determining how much time is needed and extent of students                             involvement in the making.

                3) Setting up forms of collaboration.

                4) Identifying and determining what resources are needed 

                5) Deciding on the mode to measure what students learn.

                This are the various phases of the project included:

                   1) Before the project starts.

           2) Introduction of the project

           3) Learning the technology

           4) Preliminary research and planning

           5) Concept design and story boarding

           6) First draft production

           7) assessing, testing and finalizing presentations,

           8) Concluding activities.

Lesson 15 Project_based Learning and Multimedia

                 Project-based multimedia learning is most of all anchored on the core curriculum. This means that project-based multimedia learning addresses the basic knowledge and skills all students are expected to acquire as laid down in the minimum competencies of the basic education curriculum. When using project-based multimedia learning, teachers face additional assessment challenges because multimedia products by themselves do not represents a full picture of student learning. In multimedia projects, students do not learn by using multimedia produced by others; they learn by creating it themselves. Project-based multimedia learning is value added to your teaching. It is a powerful motivation. Avoid the tendency to lose track of your lesson objectives because the technology aspect has gotten the limelight. Project-based multimedia learning does not only involve use of multimedia for learning. The students end up with a multimedia product to show what they learned. So they are not only learners of academic content, they are at the same time authors of multimedia product at the end of the learning process. The goals and objectives of a project are based on the core curriculum as laid down in the curricular standards and are made crystal clear to students at the beginning of the project.
           
 1.    What is project-based multimedia learning?

          

             Project-based multimedia learning is a teaching method in which students "acquire new knowledge  and skills in the course of designing, planning, and producing multimedia product". 

2. Why use project-based multimedia learning?

            Because it is "value added" to your teaching.It is ppowerful motivator as proven in the class. It actively engages ages students in the learning task. Students are likewise engaged in theproduction of multimedia presentation.

3. What are the disadvantages of the use of project-based learning and multimedia project?

             You need time to orient the students on what are expected of them, guideline of them, guidelines, goals and objectives of the project,and more , so for your students to gather and organize their data, work on their presentations and the like.If the basic computer courses did not teach them these skills demanded by this strategy, there will be a problem.The tendency to lose track of the goals and objectives of your lesson because the technology aspect has gotten the limelight.

4.     What are the elements of project-based multimedia learning?

            The elements of project-based multimedia learning are:
       *core curriculum

     *real-world connection

     *extended time frame

     *student decision making

     *collaboration

     *assessment

     *multimedia

Lesson 14 Maximizing the Use of the Overhead Projector and the Chalkboard

Transparent Projector

• You can show pictures and diagrams, using a pointer on the transparency to direct attention to a detail. 
• You can use a felt pen or wax-based pencil to add details or to make points on the transparency during projection.
• You can control  the rate of presenting information by covering a transparency with a sheet of paper or cardboard and then exposing data as you are ready to discuss each point.
• You can superimpose additional transparency sheets as overlays on a base transparency so as to separate  processes and complex ideas into elements and present them in step-by-step order.
• You can show three-dimensional objects from the stage of the projector .
• You can move overlays back and forth across the base in order to rearrange elements of diagrams or problems.                                        
   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.

Lesson 13 Teaching with Visual Symbols

      

        Visual symbols includes drawings, diagrams, formulas, chart, graphs, maps or globe.

               With the help of these materials, it would easy for the teacher to explain briefly the lesson. Students would have a hard time to understand the lesson if the teacher would only talks something which is invisible, let say for an example. The lesson is about the parts of the tree, how would the students understand and see the parts if the teacher would simply talk in front, it's better to use drawings for the students to understand and determine the parts. If the subject is about economics, the teacher should use graphs for her to be able to explain the standing or the result of 5 companies competing when it comes to the income. With the use of graphs, students would be able to understand the lesson and would have an idea on what is happening in the economy. In mathematics, students cannot solve a problem if there's no formulas on how to solve it, so it is very important to use formulas especially in mathematics. If the teacher would talk about continents without the use of maps and globes, the tendency would be the students will find the subject very boring, but with the use of maps, it would be interesting to listen because students would see how big the continent is and be able to wider their imagination on that place.

             Chapter 13 is just the same as saying " It's hard to trust,to love and appreciate the person you did not see"
It's hard to understand, to love and appreciate the lesson if it is hanging, hanging in the sense that the teacher doesn't use any teaching visual symbols which is necessary in a classroom discussion.

Lesson 12

Lesson 12- The Power of Film, Video and TV in the Classroom

On average, children watch over twenty-five hours of television per week. This alarming statistic is not surprising, especially to educators who often compete with television for the students' time and attention. Granted, Christian educators must battle the negative effects of this medium. However, they should also recognize its positive effects and enlist videos as an imposing ally in the cause of Christian education.

Films are powerful communicators because a person remembers five times more of what he hears and sees (as opposed to what he only hears). The visual element gives the motion picture its special impact; and the bigger the image, the greater the impact. Yet the visual element is often neglected when people show videos. The VHS video format provides a convenient and economical means for distribution, but the effectiveness of video depends greatly on how it is used. Each viewer must be able to hear and see the video in order for it to communicate.

 Limitations:

But as with any tools, they must be used skillfully. Too often, instructors fail to explore the full potential of video and film. They show movies to avoid an onerous lecture or to fill up time when a faculty member must miss class. The tendency is to turn off the lights and turn on a video—so-called teaching, but without a challenging lesson plan to engage students in active analysis and interpretation. Such "video babysitting" is the reason why the use of film and video in the classroom is often rightfully criticized.

Students' reaction to the use of film and video can also be an obstacle. Today's students have been trained since infancy to sit passively in front of the television set, causing them to tend to take in entertainment movies, instructional videos, and documentaries alike without contemplation or questioning of the images and ideas being presented. Such conditioning, combined with the reputation of video babysitting, can cause students to assume that courses that extensively use visual media are intended to be easy. This reaction can make for a self-fulfilling prophesy, with students collectively inferring that because little effort is expected, then little effort is what they put out.

Benefits:

Film and video have long been advocated as powerful adjuncts to classroom instruction.  The combination of moving images and multiple sound tracks offers instructional designers a powerful medium for crafting mutually reinforcing explications of concepts while providing learners with content that engages multiple senses.  Video has been particularly important in distance education with more than half of all distance education programs in 1995 using some form of video content (National Center for Education Statistics, 1999).  Digital video adds possibilities for making learning interactive and this interaction has been powerfully leveraged for more than a decade in videodisc-based projects such as the Jasper series that actively ‘anchored’ learners in adventures that give rise to ‘authentic’ problem solving situations (Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, 1997). The Internet offers significant new possibilities for delivering video even more broadly and easily in both traditional and distance education venues.  Thus, educators at all levels have yet another opportunity to incorporate audiovisual and interactive materials in their classrooms.

Using good videos in this way will not only turn the students' TV viewing toward achieving productive goals, but it will also teach them to apply the "Replacement Principle." Beyond simply removing negative viewing habits, students are learning to replace them with positive alternatives. Just as an appreciation for good music or literature must be developed, the skills to select good videos must also be taught.

RULES TO FOLLOW

When showing videos authorized for public performance to a group:

·         Determine the image size needed for your audience with this "Rule of Thumb": the number of viewers should not exceed the diagonal inches of the screen. For example, a 25" monitor can be comfortably viewed by up to 25 people.

·         Additional monitors can be connected together to accommodate larger groups.

·         If an LCD video projector is used, the room will need to be darkened and the sound should be set up to come from the front near the screen.

Encouraging Student Analysis and Interpretation

How can faculty members get students to interact with the film or video they are showing?

·         Have students make notes on the film while they are watching it and then turn them in to make sure they are engaging with the film to some extent.

·         Other instructors suggest giving a quiz immediately after the film or assigning an in-class writing exercise that asks what the main point of the video was. How well and through what narrative or visual aspects did the filmmakers demonstrate their themes?

·         Instructors can focus class discussion and analysis on specific scenes, or on structure of the narrative rather than having students construct an overly generalized film review.

How can a teacher make available videos that provide a positive alternative?

·         He can develop a list of recommended videos or establish a lending library of videos that have been previewed.

·         Schools and churches can make videos a part of their regular libraries, providing both an educational resource and an outreach ministry to families. This ministry leads to yet another benefit from incorporating home videos into your teaching: helping students who come from families that may have special spiritual needs or even unsaved loved ones. 

Lesson 11

 "Making the Most of Community Resources and Field Trips"

Field trips are the most exciting part of a lesson or class, or even the school year. The whole class takes a trip to a certain place to learn more about their lesson. As a teacher, so much preparations have to be made before conducting a field trip.

Planning should be done to avoid failure in the learning process. Contact people in charge of the locations to visit and make arrangements with them. The time and date should be given precisely as this will help them prepare the location. Transportation is also essential. You should make sure that it is safe to travel in such vehicle.School principals should be informed about the trip and the arrangements made. Parents should also sign permission slips before the students are allowed to take the trip.
The route of the field trip should also be prepared. You can discuss this with the class for coordination.
You can also ask other teachers whether the schedule of the trip is fine with them. They might have scheduled a test prior to the planning of the trip.
A list of questions to be answered after the trip and information materials about the places to be visited will be helpful to the students.
Set objectives for the trip and write them down with the class.
Set rules to keep the students safe. Use the "buddy system" wherein students go in pairs so that they could look after each other.
Ask the students to take their own pictures or videos and notes to document the trip. A journal can also be made for each place visited.

Knowing the route means knowing what's to be seen on the way to the site and back. You can list down certain objects that can be seen along the way so the students won't just sit back and sleep in the bus. Give their eyes and interests something to feast on.It is important that you inquire about dress codes in certain locations. Some places may have a "no shorts, no slippers" dress code. But nevertheless, ask the students to wear whatever is comfortable for them for walking and to bring extra clothes or shoes for special locations with strict dress codes.

Lesson 10

                " Demonstration in Teaching"

      The use of Demonstration or doing method to teach skills. Demonstration, step by step the procedures in a job task, using the exact physical procedures if possible. While demonstrating, explain the reason for the significance of each step. To be effective, plan the demonstration so that you will be sure to show the steps in the proper sequence and to include the all steps.

       If you must give the demonstration before a large group or if the trainees might have trouble seeing because of the size of the equipment involved, use enlarge devices or training aids. When practical, allow students to repeat the procedures in a hands on practice session to reinforce the learning process. The direct demonstration approach is a very effective of method of instruction, especially when trainees have the opportunity to repeat the procedures.

       Demonstrations are an effective way to teach skills. Here are some guidelines to follow when making a demonstration.

• Make sure you all have all necessary equipment and materials available.
• Explain the purpose of the demonstration.
• Be certain that all students have a clear view of the demonstration.
• Focus students' attention on each step of the demonstration.
• Explain the importance of each step.
• Ask students questions at various points during the demonstration.
• Keep the demonstration as short as possible to maintain attention.

Lesson 9

" Teaching with Dramatized Experience"

   Dramatic is something that is stirring or affecting or moving. It holds the audience attention and we can feel emotion. So, if our teaching is dramatized the learners can relate, get attracted and interested. They can easily understand. Dramatized experience can range from the formal plays, pageants to less formal tableau, pantomime, puppets, and role playing.

   In plays depict life, they offer excellent opportunities to portray vividly important ideas about life.Pageants are usually community dreams that are based on local history, it presented by local actors. Pantomime and tableau are less demanding in terms of labor, time, and preparations. These are purely visual experience.So, when we say pantomime it is the art of conveying a story through bodily movements only while tableau is a picture like scene composed of people against a background. Puppets is use as an instructional device, the show can involves the entire group of students. and another dramatized experience is role playing. this is an unrehearsed, unprepared and spontaneous dramatization of a "let's pretend" situation where assigned participants are absorbed by their own roles in the situation described by the teacher.

  This lesson reminds me with my experience during my high school. Our teacher give us a task to make a story and we will present it by dramatizing. And I remember that my role in that drama is a mother and became crazy because of many problems. After we show I was awarded as a beast actress because of my role that fit me. Another example is during my Humanities,before we start discussing our lesson, our teacher Ma'am Fortech let us to show our individual talent. My talent is acting, I assumed that my mother died and I was really crying with a tears.

   So, through that dramatized experience I can relate, I can understand and it is interested to look and listen. Dramatized experience cater to students multiple intelligence.

Lesson 8

" Teaching with Contrived Experience "

I have learned that  contrived experiences are the edited version of direct experiences which are use to substitute  for the real thing when it is not practical or not possible to bring in the classroom.

The contrived experiences varied in different types:

• Model  -  reproduction of real thing in a small scale,or large scale,or exact size but made of synthetic materials
• Mock up - an arrangement of real device or associated devises displayed in such a way that representation of reality is created.
• Specimen- any individual or item considered of a group, class or whole
• Objects- may also include artifacts displayed in a museum or objects displayed in exhibits
• Simulation-  a representation of a manageable real event in which the learner is an active participant engaged in learning a behavior or in applying previous skills or knowledge.

Contrived experience is use to overcome limitations of space and time,to edit reality to focus on parts or a process of a system that intent to study, to overcome difficulties of size, to understand the inaccessible and help the learners understand abstraction. The teacher use simulations and games to make their class interactive and to develop the decision-making skills and knowledge construction skills of their  students.

Lesson 7

" Direct, Purposeful Experience and Beyond "

             I have learned that direct, purposeful experiences are the concrete experiences that make up the foundation of our learning.  These are the rich experiences that our senses bring from which we construct ideas, concepts, and generalization give meaning and order to our lives. They are sensory experiences.These direct experiences described  to be purposeful because these are not purely mechanical , not a matter of going through the motion  and merely sensory excitation, rather, they are experiences that are internalized in the sense that these experiences involve asking of question that have significance in the life of the person undergoing the direct experience.Direct purposeful experiences and beyond implies that  these direct experiences must not be end. That we must be brought to a higher plane or level of generalization and abstraction. I have learned that in the teaching -learning process,the teacher should give their students opportunities to learn by doing, let the students make use of real thing as instruction materials. The teacher should guide the students so that they can draw meaning from their firsthand experiences  and elevate their 

level of thinking.

As a student, I can apply my learning by exploring and experiencing everything by myself to heightened my  sensitivity to the world.

Lesson 6

"USING and EVALUATING INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS"

                   This lesson is more on how to use and evaluating the instructional materials. It is important to make an education work as a teacher teaching. If you do not know where you are going, you cannot properly choose a way to get that strategy. After being with different instructional materials through Edgar Dale's Cone of Experience, we must learn how to select and use these materials. So, in getting the instructional, let us read and study first on what we have using to preparing the discussion. It is one thing to select a good instructional material, it is another thing to use it well.
                 To ensure effective use of instructional material, Hayden Smith and Thomas Nagel, this people are the authors on Instructional media, advise us to abide by the acronym PPPF .
P-Prepare yourself
P-Prepare your student
P-Present the material
F-Follow up