There are numerous benefits to using multimedia activities in the classroom. These activities encourage students to work collaboratively in groups, express their understanding in multiple ways, solve problems, communicate solutions, and check their own work. However, there are some challenges to using multimedia in the classroom, including access to resources and time to plan and work on these activities.
Though these activities are time consuming, teachers should incorporate more of these activities into a curriculum because students can benefit so greatly. This can be done many ways, including using videos as mini lessons, as a hook, to demonstrate a problem’s application to real life, etc. Another idea is to make multi-media the end result of a project. So instead of students writing an essay or making a poster, they would present their solution using a video.
One way for students to present their solution is through a “Prezi”, which is an online program that “opens up a new world between whiteboards and slides”. Prezi is very interactive and can be a great tool for both teachers and students to make mathematics exciting. The viewer gets to set the pace of the presentation, choosing autoplay, or advancing “slides” in their own time. Here’s a pretty cool one: http://prezi.com/vgj5kiy-3zsd/the-magical-theory-of-relativity/
Prezi is a great way to incorporate media in the classroom. In fact, I got the chance to see how great it really was during senior presentations last year. It was really cool to see all the different things that can be done with it and how user-friendly it appeared to be. I like how PowerPoint presentations can be used with Prezi since many students have to give PowerPoint presentations each year. Another thing that is great about Prezi is that it can be used on an iPads since Apple has an app for it.
This a great way to “spice up” powerpoint presentations. I like using powerpoint presentations for lessons that have visual requirements (such as the translation of the parabola) because it limits the number of time I have to draw the curve. This seems really easy to use and a lot more user friendly in terms of creating mathematical power points. I like Lisa’s suggestion of using it for Senior Presentations and will have to pass that onto our Leadership teachers!
Casey