Multimedia is the use of multiple media types, stretching beyond basic words and pictures, to create a new idea and presentation. Students using multimedia in their design and creative process gain transferable skills across a variety of technologies, and a wider understanding of how technology works together and against each other.
There are some characteristics used of Multimedia, both in the classroom and everyday life. Websites and their designs are one of them. To captivate and audience and pull them into a website, involves critical consideration of audience, topic areas and how to draw in attention, which often comes in the form of exciting images, examples of work or products, videos, colourful and dynamic backgrounds and much more. (Satish et al. 2019)
One way for students to utilise these tools, and display their creative ideas, is through Google’s Workspace, more commonly referred to as Google Sites. This provides a simple, free and accessible platform for students to start exploring the multiple facets of website design and interactions. They can create something as simple as a List on a Website, or as complicated as an online shop or game. The service provides a code-free platform to foster their creativity without the limits of programming knowledge or understanding, just by providing the elements to drag and drop, and then to fill in.
Exemplar Website on Colours of the Rainbow | Beate Mannes
When thinking about the pedagogies involved in digital learning experiences, it should be focused on what it promotes and fosters, which an expanding database of technical, transferable skills in each student, and familiarity with our ever-increasing digital world. It is explored and shown, that wen students have to availabilities and support to explore, organise and guide their own learning through technology and subject areas, information and learning becomes more meaningful and remembered. (Hernández-Ramos & De La Paz, 2009).
Multimedia is such a diverse area of programs and skills, that it is both easy and difficult to encapsulate them all in one activity or exploration. With its multi-faceted nature, though not only websites, but video and photo editing, presentations and other forms, it can be a beautiful place for students to define how they want to learn and show their learning. Fostering creativity through allowing students to explore, uninhibited.
References
Hernández-Ramos & De La Paz. (2009) Learning History in Middle School by Designing Multimedia in a Project-Based Learning Experience, Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(2), 151-173, DOI: 10.1080/15391523.2009.10782545
Satish, S., M.F., J.M., & Trust, T. (2019). Multimedia Design. In T. Trust, Web Design Basics for Educators. EdTech Books. Retrieved from https://edtechbooks.org/webdesign/multimediadesign
Hi Beate,
Your insights discussed about the multimedia tool, Google Sites is agreeable and well-thought of.
I agree to your discussion about students' creating a website that captivates an audience. I'd like to add that it's important for students to not overload their website with visuals as I think text should be balanced out with the visuals.
As you've mentioned student's start to explore Google Sites simply through creating lists. Then, once they have a grasp of how Google Sites work, they can adventure out into creating a shop or game (as you've mentioned). I see how this would work as a teaching strategy in getting students' familiar with multimedia features. I would've like to see further work examples of…