Communication standard
def. Communicate clearly to achieve professional goals using visual and verbal modes to explain and persuade.
Artifacts from 561: Adv. Web-Based Multimedia Development
Encyclopedia of Educational Technology Podcasting Article -solo
Reflection
Course: 651 Advanced Multimedia Web Development
Purpose: Develop an article on podcasting for the Encyclopedia of Educational Technology database utilizing animated multimedia elements in conjunction with a webpage.
Situation: The process of instructional design and implementation for this project was quite comprehensive. The initial audience and content analysis consisted of paring the detailed and highly technical aspects of podcasting to the level of the intended audience. After the material and scope of the article was determined a storyboard and web site plan was developed before a prototype was created. The prototype was tested; the article was refined and tested once again. The completed article was uploaded and now resides at the Encyclopedia of Educational Technology (EET) website.What problem(s) or opportunities arose as you were developing this artifact?
The biggest problem I had was paring down complex information into a manageable chunk of information without losing clarity of communication. Even though I happen to love the low level discussion of how the technical exchange of information occurs, I had to consider the intended audience which this project allowed me explore.What did you learn from engaging that problem or opportunity, and how do you hope to apply in the future the experience you gained?
Most of the people accessing articles in the EET are not looking for highly technical “how to” articles but more theoretical and higher level overviews. Rather than delve into the networking level technical aspects of RSS, aggregators and podcast creation technology I had to determine what information was valuable and necessary without creating an overly simplistic and abstracted explanation. This was not easy.At the time podcasting was still relatively unknown to most people and while in my undergrad work I had studied some of the preliminary protocols needed for podcasting such as XML, soap and aggregation methods I doubted most people had exposure to this material. By prototyping the article and supporting animations multiple with other students I was able to refine the final piece without over or under explaining the material.
What does this work demonstrate about you and your capabilities?
The seeming simplicity of the article and supporting animations do not reflect the amount of time and effort I put into this project. I found that knowing too much about a topic can be a hindrance. The final product demonstrates my ability to use a simple series of animations to communicate the process and benefits of podcasting. In addition to these animations, the written article also reflects my ability to determine the essential elements of the concept and express it in a limited amount of words.What did completing this work teach you about yourself within the field of educational technology?
I learned several things about myself and the process of developing instructional material. First, I’ve learned that a learner centered approach, while seemingly obvious in retrospect, is key when developing any instruction. Second, although I may know a significant amount about a topic it can be difficult to condense that information. Through user testing I realized the value of having someone who doesn’t know much about the topic review your material. This truly helped focus my writing and helped to weed out the extraneous information. And finally, simplicity is often harder to achieve than complexity. My normal communication style tends towards wordiness and a tendency to throw in everything (including the kitchen sink). Brevity and pithy communication are challenging for me. I see the value in this communication style and will continue to seek ways to condense the information I need to present. Projects throughout this program have forced me to be pithy. While not there yet, the journey towards brevity is one I look forward to.