Pre-training: Motivation Posters and Read the Words
1. Motivator: http://bighugelabs.com/motivator.php

On this site you can create your own motivational pictures. I picked this site because this is a simple way to get the big idea of your topic to your participants. It can be used as the visual that leads to more in-depth information on a topic. It includes a picture and text making it multimedia and with a catchy title will be something that participants can hold onto. I picked this over word clouds because it is less busy and the focus is more direct than haphazard. Looking at my research on coherence, this would be better for those that have a low knowledge on the topic whereas the word cloud may be better for those with more knowledge. This may be something to consider as my presentation is developed. I picked this because I felt that it met the needs of my presentation.

2. Read these words: http://www.readthewords.com/

Both of my picks here came from the Walden Video. I am super excited about this site. You type your text and it is read back by an avatar. Mayer suggests that Audio and text are best together. This is a way to have the "presenter" in front of the group without all the extra work. It would fit nicely into a multimedia presentation and adds engagement without crossing lines into cognitive load (or I would assume). I picked this because I will not be interacting with participants face to face during this part of the training and I feel that this program allows me to create a feeling of being present with my participants even though I will not be near them.


Graphic Organizers: Mindomo and iMindMap
1. Creaza: (Mindomo) http://www.creazaeducation.com/

Within Creaza is a program called Mindomo. You can create a mindmap using words, links, and illustrations. There is a great deal of flexibility in the way you can design the mindmap. This is a free site. The mind map is also interactive with hyperlinks. I think this mind map is better than others because you have a lot more control over your design. I also think that the interactive feature makes it very effective. Also, it is free.

2. iMindMap http://www.thinkbuzan.com/us

This program is the ultimate weapon in mind mapping especially if it is being used for presentations. In the ultimate package you are able to use a 3D view for your presentation. It does come with a free trial. You can also get the basic package for free. However, the best features come with a cost… This program allows you to have animations, notes, audio, interaction, you can drop and drag from word, it will turn your word document into a mind map, and it is compatible with word and outlook. It can accomplish amazing things. I picked this over other free programs like inspiration and DropMind because it is extremely versatile and moves into the next phase for more professional presentations. Imindmap also has an iphone app for only 3.99.


Presentation: Articulate Presenter and Camtasia
1. Articulate: http://www.articulate.com/products/presenter-features.php

I have spent two semesters looking for a presentation program that would meet my needs as I work toward my next KAM and onto my dissertation. I ended up buying both Articulate and Captivate 5. Articulate is integrated into Power Point which helps on the learning curve, but offers flash and advanced programing for beginners. It is interactive and when used with other programs like Engage and Quiz Maker, it meets most of the demands for creating E-learning content. I picked this for its ease of use (which still takes time) and its rave reviews on several forums. Since pretraining means that you will not be present to teach the content, an interactive, engaging presentation that can simplify content and meet the key points explained by Mayer is key. FYI: Both Articulate and Adobe Captivate offer extensive student discounts!! Articulate was half price and Adobe was about 66% off. They do offer a free trial.

2. Camtasia: http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/

The other program that I picked for pre-training was Camtasia. This is also a program that creates videos that can be published in several formats, but it also includes screen capture and can be utilized in Power Point. It is not as inclusive or as powerful as Articulate, but comes with a much cheaper price tag and does a pretty good job. I have utilized this for several projects including my Scholar of Change Video and it has had good results. It is fairly easy to learn and there is a lot of support for its use on YouTube. You can develop Movies, narration, screen capture, and have some flexibility in transitions to help make your presentation more professional.


Authentic Assessment: Survey Monkey
1. Survey Monkey: www.surveymonkey.com

Survey Monkey has been one of my favorites for years!! This program allows you up to 10 questions per survey for free. It is a great way to collect data on what participants learned and could still use some follow up training in. What makes it wonderful is that it collects and desegregates all of the collected data for you so that it is only one click away. I picked this site because of how easy it is to use and because it makes the data very relevant. It is simple to use, but provides a lot of information.

2. Google Docs: https://accounts.google.com/ServiceLogin?service=writely&passive=1209600&continue=http://docs.google.com/&followup=http://docs.google.com/&ltmpl=homepage

For my presentation, participants will use one of the sites presented during the workshop to create their own artifact. I would like all of the participants to add a link or upload their presentation to Google Docs. They will be discussing them in groups, but this will give me an opportunity to assess what was accomplished in the workshop. I picked this because it was free and simple to sign up for. This way all participants will have access to what others have created to get ideas, but also so that they can collaborate after the workshop.

http://helpkidswrite.com/MeetYourFriends/OliverOrganization/tabid/59/Default.aspx
This site is an approach to teaching the concepts of writing in a way that will use multiple areas of the brain to connect a concept of learning in a way that will hopefully transfer into student writing. It uses an animated picture along with a story to introduce concepts that are used in Six Trait Writing. This particular example is about Oliver Organization. It focuses on paragraphs and stories having a beginning, middle, and end. This activity will focus on the cognitive aspects since children are problem solving a solution as part of the process. It is also cognitive in nature because the information is being processed in several areas of the brain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE32EXmQ-iU
This is a YouTube video that looks at a program called Creaza. This is a free program that is a multimedia creating tool. You can create webcomics, movies, audio and mindmaps. It provides opportunities to create a whole multimedia process for free. The program has several features that Camtasia does. The limits, with free use include a small space to store data and you can only share what you create through links unless you buy the program. Again, the video itself falls more into behavioral activity. It is focused on presenting what the program has to offer and a little about how it works. However, the program itself would fall into cognitive activity. It provides a mind map area to organize your thoughts and to get your ideas together. You can add pictures and video to the mindmap so that all of your idea are in one place. It then allows a space for creativity which ties into human behavior which is a goal of cognitive learning within multimedia (Mayer, 2009).

Mayer, R. E. (2009). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press

For my project in Multimedia Technology to Facilitate Learning I will be looking at the Six Traits of writing and how technology can be infused into the stages of writing with a learner centered focus. This will be a way to show teachers how to pull technology into the classroom in a meaningful way that will support and build learning.

http://youtu.be/jwE25dx2CaU
This site is a how-to-video for using Zooburst, a pop-up story creating site. The neat thing about this free program is that kids can create 3D pop up books that have an augmented reality feature so they can "hold" their virtual book in the palm of their hands. They can download their own pictures or use the extensive photo library provided. The presentation itself is more focused on behavioral activity. It gives directions, but also wets the appetite to get started. The actual program itself involves a cognitive activity. This activity will help to stimulate writing, but will also stretch how children can present their thoughts to an audience.