What Makes Multimedia Projects Motivating for Middle Schoolers?

Project-Based Multimedia Learning

"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." (Simkin, Cole, Tavalin, & Means, 2002) For example, small groups of eighth graders in a language arts class make short videos showing the figurative and literal meanings of popular idioms. They are demonstrating their understanding of figurative language, exchanging ideas for their plan, writing scripts, organizing their shots on a storyboard, deciding on sets and props, and that's just the preproduction. Although stress levels can get high and time management gets put to the test, the students are actively learning.

What is Motivating About Multimedia?

• Students are active. They are out of their seats, using cameras, and using computers to edit music, design layouts, and create a product. "Active learning practices have a more significant impact on student performance than any other variable, including student background and prior achievement." (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008)
• Many projects are done collaboratively. This allows students to be social and learn from each other. Students learn more deeply when they apply what they have learned in a collaborative project. (Barron & Darling-Hammond, 2008)
• Students have an opportunity to be more creative. They also can experience new ways to be creative.
• Some students discover a “voice” with the tools of multimedia. When they see/hear what they created, it can validate their talents, ideas, and thinking.
• The novelty of creating a multimedia project adds to the element of fun. If students perceive an activity as fun, they tend to be more willing and engaged.

Students are Engaged 

While students are having fun, a lot is going on. They are engaged and actively discovering new ideas and capabilities. “Students engaged in the creation of multimedia projects spend more time on task, even to the point of devoting recess, lunch, and after-school time to the work. The work they do tends to be more complex. Sharing their final products with peers, parents, and others affords students and intense sense of pride and accomplishment that rarely accompanies the completion of a term paper or set of textbook exercises.” (Simkins, et al., 2002)

Edutopia features King Middle School

Links

Project Fun Way: When Project Learning and Technology Meet

http://www.edutopia.org/maine-project-learning-technology-integration

University of Chicago Laboratory Schools: Students » Student Projects

http://www.ucls.uchicago.edu/students/projects/index.aspx?view=revision#2008-2009

Edutopia 10 Top Tips For Teaching With New Media

http://www.slideshare.net/educacao/edutopia-10-top-tips-for-teaching-with-new-media-2559855

Project Based Learning - Building Motivation

http://pblchecklist.4teachers.org/more.shtml

What is project based learning, plus some PBL lesson samples.

http://imet.csus.edu/imet2/stanfillj/workshops/pbl/description.htm

"Students do not learn from what you do,

but from what you have them do." - Unknown

References

Barron, B. & Darling-Hammond, L. (2008). Powerful Learning: Studies Show Deep Understanding Derives from Collaborative Methods, Edutopia, Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/inquiry-project-learning-research

Simkins, M., Cole, K., Tavalin, F., & Means, B. (2002) Increasing Student Learning Through Multimedia Projects, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Retrieved by http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/102112/chapters/What_Is_Project-Based_Multimedia_Learning¢.aspx

Reiss, S., (2004) Multifaceted Nature of Intrinsic Motivation:The Theory of 16 Basic Desires, Review of General Psychology , Vol. 8, No. 3, 179–193