In this Prezi, Pappas (2011) has designed a presentation that prompts the viewer to think about the reflective culture of a school. Coupled with the content in Pappas' (2010, January) blog series, "A Taxonomy of Reflection: Critical Thinking for Students, Teachers and Principals," a learner-centered orientation to the process and importance of reflection in schools and learning is achieved. Embedded in the presentation itself are prompts to gain viewers' attention and provide opportunities to consider questions relevant to the content. As noted by Mayer (Laureate Education, 2010), the effectiveness of a technology is based on its application, guided by instructional method. While Prezi is receiving a lot of enthusiasm as an alternative to Power Point, effective use of this tool still relies on the designers' ability to create content that will effectively promote learning. References: Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Technology-centered vs. learner-centered instruction. [DVD]. Pappas, P. (2010, January 04). A taxonomy of reflection: Critical thinking for students, teachers and principals [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.peterpappas.com/2010/01/taxonomy-reflection-critical-thinking-students-teachers-principals-.html Pappas, P. (2011). The reflective school: A taxonomy of reflection. (Prezi Presentation). Retrieved from http://prezi.com/z-iozettlllo/the-reflective-school-by-peter-pappas/

Dr. Barrett's (n.d.) webpage presents an introduction to the types of ePortfolios in a learner-centered approach. The website requires cognitive activity and capitalizes on the use of multimedia to present the essential content; and it does so following instructional design principles as recommended by Mayer (2009). Beginning with an anticipatory set to activate the learner's prior knowledge, the lesson page begins by asking learners to think about their own personal use of portfolios. Immediately following, the essential material elements are presented in a cartoon image, capitalizing on the benefits of dual coding (Id.), using both images and key words to help learners pay attention and select appropriate information. The image also relies on spatial contiguity (Id.) in its presentation format. This webpage itself would fit into Mayer's (Id.) use of multimedia as "information acquisition." However, coupled with a reflective activity, learners would be able to make more integrated sense of the types of portfolios available and which types would be most suited for their particular needs. References: Barrett, H. (n.d.). ePortfolios and Google Apps. [Webpage]. Retrieved from http://sites.google.com/site/eportfolioapps/overview/blog-entry-eportfolios-and-googleapps Mayer, R. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

SpicyNodes is a website that allows users to create node-maps (similar to mind maps) through an interactive, multimedia platform. Creating a node-map requires users to engage in highly complex cognitive tasks as users must create a hierarchal order for the information they want to present. As a teaching tool, each node can be designed to include both pictures or videos and text to highlight content, consistent with Mayer's (2009) dual channel processing principle. Designed effectively, a node-map can be an effective learner-centered approach for presenting information as the concise format of a node naturally aligns with the "limited capacity" of working memory (Id.). As a learning tool, learners can use node-maps to organize their thinking and developing understanding of complex subjects. Creating a node-map requires the user to carefully consider the relationship and interconnectedness of information and to organize that information in a meaningful manner. Reference: Mayer, R. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd Ed.). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.