Personal Finance in the Classroom: Multimedia and Hypermedia

Multimedia, “a combination of media” (Roblyer& Doering, 2013), and hypermedia, “linked or interactive media” (Roblyer& Doering, 2013) are tools which can greatly enhance the classroom experience. Three advantages that hypermedia brings to the classroom are increased student engagement, improved efficiency, and the ability to simultaneously engage different types of learners.

Engaging students is a day to day challenge for teachers. As a student, I struggled to be engaged in classes where I felt the instructor seemed unprepared, which made time spent in class seem like a waste. Research has shown that instructors who utilize hypermedia such as PowerPoint are reported to be “more effective, informed and prepared then instructors in other sections.” (Roblyer& Doering, 2013)

Hypermedia reference tools such as Investopedia Dictionary (http://www.investopedia.com/dictionary/) can help students by “making searching for information…both easy and efficient.” (Roblyer& Doering, 2013) Even though key terms should be defined in your lecture or textbook, student may encounter unfamiliar terms while reading or researching at home. With hypermedia reference tools, understanding new terminology is only a mouse click away.

Audio and video production software such as Adobe Flash provides a platform for classroom instructors to engage a larger portion of students in a class. One integration strategy is to use “audio and video examples as a way to spark discussion or to help students analyze their own behavior.” (Roblyer& Doering, 2013) Individual students learn in “different ways and have different levels of reading comprehension.” (Roblyer& Doering, 2013) For this reason, it is vital to connect with them in as many ways as is possible. Some students are auditory learners, while others are more visual. Hypermedia that combine multiple resources such as images, audio recording, and text (Roblyer& Doering, 2013) simultaneously can more effectively engage a more diverse group of learners than tradition lectures. Other platforms such as YouTube offer an opportunity to share videos with students and other teachers, as well as find pre-produced content that fits into your content area.  Embedded below is video which demonstrates this concept.
 

 



                                                          References
Roblyer , M. D.,& Doering, A. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (6th ed.,pp.179-196). Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson Education, Inc.

atlantageorgias's channel. (2013). How to get out of debt and save money [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l7HfVPI7wM