Week 4: Multimedia and Education

(Stop Motion Studio App, 2022)

Multimedia incorporates presenting a combination of different forms of communication to relay information through various means (Mayer, 2020). Stop Motion Studio is an application that allows users to create animation through photography, that when played back in sequence creates an illusion of motion (Stop Motion Studio, 2023).

Figure 1: Parts of the human brain and their function (Mayer, 2020)

Stop Motion Studio incorporates features of text, pictures and sounds. When these are used simultaneously, it allows students to make further connections to concepts without overloading their working memory as visual and auditory information is processed in different lobes of the brain (Mayer, 2020), apparent in Figure 1. Multimodal literacy is essential for students learning in a digital age as it has key meaning-making potential (Djonov, Tseng & Lim, 2021). Further allowing students to be creative as it encourages

experimentation with the different features, enhancing their learning of concepts being taught whilst increasing digital literacy skills (Lindner, Barenthien & Köller, 2021).

Stop Motion Studio has a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for beginners to operate. With this technology, users can easily create and edit their creations by adding frames, adjusting playback speed and attaching music or sound effects (Stop Motion Studio, 2023). The application is free to download, promoting accessibility. Therefore increasing the perceived benefit for students learning compared to other stop-motion applications like iStopMotion.

(Lights, Camera and Lego, 2021)

Using Stop Motion Studio in the EDUC3620 tutorial (Source: Zoe Lennon)

Using Stop Motion Studio in the classroom links to the constructivist theory as it allows students to actively construct knowledge through multiple modes (Hernandez-Ramos & De La Paz, 2021). Stop Motion Studio can foster creativity in the classroom in a variety of ways. In specifics, students in Stage 2 can foster creativity by producing a narrative and creating a stop motion based on the narrative. Students can use the voiceover feature in Stop Motion Studio to narrate the animation. This embeds the use of multimedia within the classroom whilst also empowering students' imagination and expression of learning in new and creative ways and integrating syllabus outcome EN2-10C from the English syllabus (NESA, 2012).

However Stop Motion Studio may have limited learning opportunities compared with other multimodal technologies like iMovie as students may not learn as much about camera angles, lighting or sound design which are all imperative aspects of multimedia. Stop Motion Studio is also a very time-consuming process that may not make it feasible to complete a project within the given time frame. Therefore, can affect engagement levels of students resulting in the quality and creativity of students being affected (Vallee, 2017).

(Source: Zoe Lennon)

References

Djonov, E., Tseng, C. I., & Lim, F. V. (2021). Children’s experiences with a transmedia narrative: Insights for promoting critical multimodal literacy in the digital age. Discourse, Context & Media.

Hernández-Ramos, P., & De La Paz, S. (2009). Learning history in middle school by designing multimedia in a project-based learning experience. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 42(2), 151-173.

Lights, Camera and Lego. (2021). How to use the best free stop motion app: Stop motion studio tutorial. Youtube. https://youtu.be/G_OnX9nVjfM

Lindner, E. A., Barenthien, J., & Köller, O. (2021). An integrative study on learning and testing with multimedia: Effects on students’ performance and metacognition. Learning and Instruction.

Mayer, R. E. (2020). Designing multimedia instruction in anatomy: An evidence‐based approach. Clinical Anatomy, 33(1), 2-11.

NSW Education Standards Authority [NESA]. (2012). English K-10 syllabus: Outcomes. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/english-year-10/english-k-10/outcomes

Stop Motion Studio. (2023). Stop motion studio. https://www.stopmotionstudio.com/

Stop Motion Studio App. (2022). Stop motion studio promo trailer: Let's make a movie. Youtube. https://youtu.be/pv63dS82Csw

Vallee, M. (2017). Student engagement and inclusive education: Reframing student engagement. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 21(9), 920–937.