Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Best Practices

References

Chickering, A., & Gamson, Z.(1999). Development and adaptations of the seven
     principles for good practice in education.  New Directions for Teaching and Learning, 80(3), 75-        81.

DiPietro, M, Ferdig, R., Black, E. & Preston, M. (2014).  Best practices in teaching K-12 online:
     Lessons learned from Michigan Virtual School teachers.  Journal of Interactive Online Learning,        7(1), 10-35.

Russell, G. (2004). Virtual schools: A critical view. In C. Cavanaugh (Ed.), Development and
     management of virtual schools: Issues and trends.  Hershey, PA: Idea Group

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Webibliography

Chapter 5 of the Clark & Mayer (2011) text deals with applying the contiguity principle. The spatial contiguity principle reveals, and  has been  proven, that people learn more deeply when related words and pictures are presented near one another, rather than far from one another, on the page or screen in an integrated presentation .  This principle can also be applied when audio narration is presented, before or after graphics, resulting in time separation between the two (Johnson & Mayer, 2012; Clark & Mayer, 2011).
There are 2 contiguity principles; (1) making sure printed words are near corresponding graphics, and (2) making sure spoken words and corresponding graphics are synchronized . When complying with principle 1, it is important to remember that when there is too much text to fit on the screen, it can be put into a pop-up message that can magically appear when the mouse is scrolled over it, a technique known as mouse-over or rollover.   Violations of principle one to avoid include:
·         separating text and graphics on a scrolling screen
·         separating feedback from questions and/or responses
·          separating lessons screens with linked windows
·          separating exercises/activities from their directions
·          putting captions at the bottom of the screen
·         indicating parts of a graphic with a legend(Clark & Mayer, 2011).
When complying with principle 2, it is important to remember that narration, or spoken words, should describe what is happening with graphics/animation simultaneously, or contiguously.  Violations of principle two to avoid include:
·         Separating links to narration and graphics
·         Separating graphics and narration in an on-going presentation
Johnson & Mayer (2009) reveal that research has proven when the contiguity principle is followed and adhered to, students achieve deeper learning.  This is due in part to the encouragement of more integrative and corresponding transitions provided by the contiguity principle.   Although much research has been conducted on the contiguity principle, there are still things that are unknown and could be the topic of future research studies.   Some of the issues include:
·         How much detail should be included in graphics and spoken words
·         Which format is better to use in different situations
·         How to conversational style words and voice inflections affect learning (Clark & Mayer, 2011)
References
Clark, R. & Mayer, R. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rded.). San Francisco, CA: Wiley & Sons. 

Johnson, C.  & Mayer, R.  (2012). An eye movement analysis of the spatial contiguity effect in multimedia learning. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 18(2), 178-191.