Overview
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Welcome to EDDL 5131! This will be an opportunity for you to develop your skills in creating effective educational media and designing media projects for students. This week we will begin by creating an online learning community. You will start your WordPress blog, which will serve as your portfolio, and we will explore one timely topic in educational media.
Please view the instructor’s introduction to EDDL 5131 video.
This week is also your time to become familiar with the course structure. Take a look at the general layout of this learning environment, the learning outcomes and assignments, and the sequence of topics.
EDDL 5131 is more than a collection of resources and activities. To get the most from this course, communication is crucial. This means visiting, reading, and commenting on posts from other learners, asking questions when you aren’t sure about something, and sharing your knowledge and expertise when it will benefit others. The community is what makes this course an exceptional learning opportunity.
Learning Outcomes
When you have completed this week, you should be able to:
- Discuss educational media.
- Make basic configuration choices on a WordPress site.
- Write portfolio posts on the course site.
Activity 1: Introductions
Let’s start by getting to know each other. Share some information about yourself, including:
- Your name
- Where you teach or what educational role you are in
- Your prior experiences with educational media
If you are comfortable with it, share any of the following:
- Challenges you foresee in this course
- What you want to achieve in this course
- A link to a piece of media that inspires you (a video, image, podcast, etc.)
You have two options for sharing this with the rest of the participants. You can write a short portfolio post introducing yourself, or you can make a short video on the Flipgrid created for this activity (https://flipgrid.com/5d5d580d, password eddl5131 (you will need to create a profile or log in with Google or Microsoft). Of course, you can do both if you wish.
See Activity 2 for details about setting up your ePortfolio.
Activity 2: Set-up Your ePortfolio
Your main activity for this week is to set-up your student ePortfolio site, and configure it as you see fit. Your ePortfolio is essentially a WordPress blog contained within the course site.
You should have already received information about your personal WordPress blog site and how to log-in to it. If not, please contact your Open Learning Faculty Member.
By the end of this week, you should be able to write and publish a portfolio post, add a category to a post, comment on another learner’s post, and approve comments on your own site.
You can find tutorials on setting up your ePortfolio at the WordPress for EDDL wiki.
Activity 3: What’s New in Educational Media
This activity introduces a current or newsworthy topic in educational media along with one or two discussion questions.
In the third edition of Mayer and Fiorella’s definitive collection of research for multimedia learning, Feldon, Jeong and Clark present their updated list of “Common but Questionable” principles for multimedia learning. As we start a course on research-supported theory and practice in this field, it’s worth taking a look at our assumptions. Read this chapter and respond to the following questions in the ‘Week 1: Activity 3’ discussion thread.
Feldon, D.F. Jeong, S. & Clark, R.E. (2022). Fifteen Common but Questionable Principles of Multimedia Learning. In R.E. Mayer & L. Fiorella (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (pp. 82-99). Cambridge University Press.
- Which of these 15 principles discussed were a surprise for you, and why?
- What changes (if any) might you consider in your teaching practice after reading this chapter, and why?
Participation in course discussions will increase your learning and will be assessed in Assignment 5. Please review the assignment requirements and grading criteria to understand how your posts and interactions will be assessed.
Readings and Resources
Webster, K. (2023). Introduction to EDDL 5131 [Video].
Feldon, D.F. Jeong, S. & Clark, R.E. (2022). Fifteen Common but Questionable Principles of Multimedia Learning. In R.E. Mayer & L. Fiorella (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (pp. 82-99). Cambridge University Press.
https://www-cambridge-org.ezproxy.tru.ca/core/books/cambridge-handbook-of-multimedia-learning/fifteen-common-but-questionable-principles-of-multimedia-learning/09CA15BC1928C79A2CDDA787E1EFDAD9#
WordPress for EDDL. (2017, December 31). In Kumu wiki.
https://kumu.tru.ca/WordPress_for_EDDL
