Developing a Multimedia Writing Course

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Blended Multimedia Writing Course

This blended class consisted of three essential environments: a traditional face-to-face (F2F) classroom, a WordPress parent site that hosted several learning resources and access to real-life student blogs, and the CANVAS Learning Management System (LMS) that provided security where needed.

This modern approach to a 3 credit course in higher education proved to be wildly popular with university students who had only experienced the more traditional “objectivist” approach where they would sit at a desk and take lecture notes. It was also an incredible learning experience for me. I was able to observe – and rejoice in – the profound results of this approach: students from all over the world worked together in small groups on filmmaking and blogging projects where “more knowledgeable others” (MKOs) had opportunities to help their peers. For even more information, please check out my paper (From Objectivism to Constructivism) that documents this entire process.

For more information, select either the “Video Overview” or the “Paper Overview” button.

Video Overview
Paper Overview

Personal Reflection: From Broadcaster to New Literacy Advocate

While still in high school, I began volunteering as a radio announcer at a small military installation on Vancouver Island. Shortly after graduating, I worked for nearly 7 years at several radio stations in various roles, including announcer, music director, news reporter, and audio production person. As a result of this experience, I have had a deep appreciation for media and digital literacy for many years and, when given an opportunity to develop a multimedia writing course that focused on new literacies, this appreciation grew into a passion that ultimately resulted in engaging, collaborative, and transformational experiences for hundreds of students who had never before experienced social learning in higher education.