Websites for Creating Multimedia
Multimedia websites that are exceptionally effective for creating multimedia materials for pre-training activities:

1. Name of Site- Wordle
URL- http://www.wordle.net/
Description-
Wordle is an excellent tool which allows the user to input a paragraph and produce a cloud of words which makes the words most often used in the paragraph to stand out the most to the learner. Mayer (2009) posited that pre-training helps the learner, "manage essential processing by distributing it across two episodes- essential processing for building component models during pre-training, and essential processing for building mental models during the main lesson" (How Does Pre-training Work? para. 3). The idea is that, keeping in mind limited cognitive processing capacity, the learner does not have to use up cognitive capacity processing new terms and concepts if pre-training is made available. Mayer (2009) added that, "Students who have appropriate prior-knowledge already know the names and characteristics of the key components, so they can devote their cognitive resources to building a causal model- using essential and generative processing" (How Does Pre-training Work? para. 2).
Explanation of the Site's Usefulness-
I prefer this website as it is free and easy to use. The user can manipulate a passage and customize the font, size, layout, and color of the words on the screen. I have found this site to be a great tool for introducing vocabulary words in my foreign language classrooms.
2. Name of Site- Quizlet
URL- http://quizlet.com/
Description-
Quizlet allows the user to practice and familiarize oneself with new and difficult words. The website, which was created by a high school student, is available to members of the learning community and represents online flashcard technology. The site allows users to select already prepared vocabulary lists from a variety of disciplines or to create their own lists. The tool is an excellent pre-training tool as it helps to give the students the prior knowledge essential for making sense of new learning and essentially facilitating generative processing by giving the learner the means to focus cognitive processes on selecting, organizing, and integrating relevant content to enable meaningful learning (Mayer, 2009).
Explanation of the Site's Usefulness-
Quizlet is one of the best sites for presenting, learning, and practicing unfamiliar terms and concepts as it mimics the benefits of learning using flashcards. The site is free and available to students to learn to spell words correctly, learn their meaning, listen to the pronunciation, and test themselves via word games. The site is essential for building a vocabulary in any language.
Multimedia websites that are exceptionally effective for creating multimedia materials for graphic organizers:

1. Name of Site- FreeMind
URL- http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
Description-
FreeMind is mind mapping technology which allows the user to represent and organize thoughts, ideas, and relationships from the classroom to the boardroom. FreeMind is an excellent example of a graphic organizer which allows the learner to select relevant content, integrate learning, and make sense of new concepts by allowing the essential processing in working memory to produce essential learning and to be cognitively motivated and engaged to produce generative, meaningful learning.
Explanation of the Site's Usefulness-
This open source technology is free and easy to use. Perhaps what I like best about this site is the fun and clever icons which may be included on one's concept map to further customize nodes and represent concept relationships.
2. Name of Site- bubble.us
URL- https://bubbl.us/
Description-
This technology facilitates essential and generative learning by allowing the kind of sense-making activity which allows the user to identify, arrange, and label concepts and their relationships. The user can allot a bubble for each concept, expand on the idea, and link additional bubbles as the user continues the brainstorming activity.
Explanation of the Site's Usefulness-
This graphic organizer is one of my favorites to use since it is easily accessible online, it allows the user to make deeper connections with the content as it allows users to expand on topics and concepts, and my students enjoy using this tool. I can avoid using printables and my students can play while they learn.

Multimedia websites that are exceptionally effective for creating multimedia materials for my presentation.

1. Name of Site- Windows Movie Maker
URL- http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-vista/Getting-started-with-Windows-Movie-Maker
Description-
Windows Movie Maker facilitates the kind of multimedia presentation which generates essential learning by allowing the user to present material which feeds learning through dual channels, that is text and audio, or pictures and sound. Windows Movie Maker allows the user to present content in such a way as to help the learner to select, integrate, and link essential learning to prior knowledge in order to make sense of the learning and produce generative learning.
Explanation of the Site's Usefulness-
I like the flexibility of this technology as it enables users to create, edit, produce, and share multimedia presentations that contain video, audio, text, and manipulate these media in such a way to create effective and meaningful instruction. Multimedia film can then be uploaded to YouTube, TeacherTube, and SchoolTube for sharing with members of the corporate and/or learning community.
2. Name of Site- Microsoft PowerPoint
URL- http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/
Description-
PowerPoint technology is part of the Microsoft Office Suite and is very useful for enabling the preparation and presentation of information. Slides may be created, edited, customized, and published to suit the instructional needs of the presenter. PowerPoint is an effective tool for building the knowledge that is appropriate for both essential and generative learning.
Explanation of the Site's Usefulness-
Although this software may have some limitations in that one must add a sound file in the event that narration is to be included in the multimedia presentation. It is very handy and convenient in that it is part of the basic Windows operating software and already available for creating multimedia presentations on the computer and then projected for instruction, presenting material for workshops, social events, and corporate meetings.
Multimedia websites that are exceptionally effective for creating multimedia materials for an authentic assessment.

1. Name of Site- Wikispaces
URL- www.wikispaces.com
Description-
This technology enables users to, "communicate, collaborate, collect, create, and contribute" (Laureate, 2009), and as such is effective for creating essential learning as the final product is being developed, and generative learning as the final product is published.
Explanation of the Site's Usefulness-
I especially like wiki technology for the purpose of assessment as it allows me to monitor each student's contribution and effort, and it allows my students to work together to co-create knowledge. Students have no need to save their work on a particular hard drive or even on a flash drive. The data is saved online and students are able to work on the contents at any time from wherever they can obtain Internet access.
2. Name of Site- GoogleDocs
URL- http://docs.google.com
Description-
This software, with a Gmail address, allows users to create, edit, and share documents, and spreadsheets. Users can collaborate by editing documents simultaneously from different computer or mobile devices and even geographical locations. This open source technology enables users to collate the essential content to facilitate essential learning, and motivates learners to engage in the process of selecting, integrating, and make sense of essential learning to generate meaningful learning.
Explanation of the Site's Usefulness-
GoogleDocs is one of my favorite tools for assessment in the foreign language classroom. My students enjoy creating products online and it allows me to properly assess strengths and weaknesses when observing the contributions of various students to a final product.





















References
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Category 1: Text and graphics for multimedia learning. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (Kindle Edition).

Vida Martin's multimedia workshop featuring cloud computing technology.

http://www.infoworld.com/d/cloud-computing/what-cloud-computing-really-means-031?page=0,1
The website above explains cloud computing from a technology-centered approach.
http://www.microsoft.com/enterprise/viewpoints/cloud-services/default.aspx#fbid=_wYAKMlDhzL
The website above presents Microsoft's presentation of cloud computing. The website offers a learner-centered approach and engages the learner with hyperlinks and video.
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/cloud-computing/cloud-computing.htm
The website above offers a learner-centered approach to presenting information on the subject of cloud computing. The website offers words, graphics, and a podcast.