Glashow Multi-Genre Blog 1

 

   Review of an effective Study Tool

An Analysis of Study.com

Background

With the plethora of content learning sites readily available on the internet, it can be difficult to decide to determine which will be most effective for your purposes.

Free sites such as Youtube.com may be useful for smaller topics. Trying to learn an entire course of study may be difficult because of inconsistent teaching methods, difficult interface, information gaps, or merely the whims of the instructor

Deliver Method

 In thinking of effective ways to learn, utilizing multiple methods to emphasize and disseminate facts, while clearly articulating, repeating and summarizing content, provides transfer of knowledge, and the opportunity for students to really learn and absorb the topic.

Especially with dry content, where long lectures might be hard to follow, and where attention can wane, a multi-faceted delivery method seems to be more effective. 

In utilizing study.com to learn about certain historical topics, I was impressed with the way they deliver content. Each video is presented in a clear and concise manner, avoiding pretentious and obtuse language. The content I as reviewing is geared towards the entry level college course. The intent is to teach facts, basic concepts, or cause and effect. The lessons do not include complex ideas. The delivery method practiced on this site was very effective. 

   

Each concept is clearly titled. The main delivery method is a video with a voice track. The video uses a variety of methods, with animated action, arrows, illustrative pictures and progressive charts, graphs and timelines.
  

 

Each video is narrated by an individual with professional experience in the topic. Their credentials are listed in a “bio” link. Additionally there is normally a content editor, whose bio is also listed. Though they are reading from a pre-written script, their experience gives some authenticity to the content.  

Below the video is the transcript with section headings. If one were to miss a date or fact, instead of trying to find it in the video, it can be quickly read. The content has an introduction to the topic, the main body, and then a review of the main points. Finally, after the conclusion, the is a short quiz to further emphasize the main concept. 

Quizzes and Knowledge Review

Finally, there is normally a short quiz at the end at the end of each video, and a longer quiz at the end of each unit. Below each answer are links to the reading describing the answer, or to the video content describing the idea or fact. This saves time searching for the answer in the content. 

Analysis

This method of content delivery really dovetails with my padlet submission, where I describe what methods are most effective for my own learning, based on my experience as a student and a professional. I reiterate what I said last week: Those that taught in a dry, rote memorization manner I learned very little from. I take that to heart when I attempt to explain things to others. I like to draw diagrams, provide background information, and generally explain the why and how, not just the what. 

Much of our learning used to be done by copying the teacher's lecture or writing from the board. That is not to say there were not discussions, nor time to work on the subject matter. Certainly working on science labs comes to mind. Nonetheless, the options in 2021 to provide an interactive learning experience, integrating so many different sources simultaneously, seem to me to be much more effective, and one that I will work to employ in my classrooms. 

I  believe these options come from multiple areas of educational advancement. One that integrates seamlessly is the implementation of technical resources- the internet, educational applications, and many other tools for learning. Secondly, I see the advancement of learning methods, based on scientific data and experimentation on memory, retention of information, and other facets of learning. 

My utilization of the learning site Study.com was instructional in my thinking about effective ways to teach. Though my interactions with it are somewhat observational, it did get me to think about learning methods and ways that I may want to teach, and the type of teacher I want to be. 

For this blog I utilized category 2: a piece which conveys research information.  

References:

Teaching with Multiple Modalities, NCTE Read Write Think, http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-multiple-modalities-30101.html

35 Multimodal Learning Strategies and Examples, Laney Kennedy, Prodigygame.com, May 3, 2019, https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/blog/multimodal-learning