Image retrieved from Canva
The last eight weeks have been a journey of learning and creativity for me. Even though I do not typically think of myself as a "creative" person, this course showed me that with the right tools and resources, anyone can create engaging content that can improve learning. The multimedia tools we can access today allow us to create high-quality presentations and materials that connect with an audience. For me, this project was about pushing boundaries and learning new ways to communicate important information.
For my final project, I created a presentation on "How to Start a Small Business," which aligns perfectly with my role as a business advisor. I wanted to create something valuable for my clients, and this topic is central to the work I do every day. As I thought more about it, I also realized that creating the same presentation in Spanish would be beneficial, helping me reach even more people. The goal of the Small Business Development Center is to support all entrepreneurs, and making this presentation accessible to Spanish speakers will allow us to serve the community better.
Creating My Final Project
One of the most difficult decisions in this process was figuring out the format. I initially thought about creating a video, but I realized it would not have the level of engagement I wanted. I then explored ThinkLink, but since it was a new tool, I did not achieve the result I had in mind. I considered Canva another option, but in the end, I felt I needed to challenge myself even more. That is when I turned to Genially. Florida Gulf Coast University explained in its digital learning blog, “Genially is a user-friendly content creation tool that you can use to create interactive presentations and educational resources. With the free subscription, you can access various templates and quickly create engaging presentations, infographics, escape rooms, quizzes, interactive images, and more with no digital design expertise required!” (n.d). Using Genially allowed me to integrate audio, images, text, and links in one presentation. I loved how it turned out; this tool gave me the flexibility and creativity to bring everything together. My final project presents information in a way that’s easy for viewers to understand, emphasizing interactivity. I feel like this approach made the project more engaging and improved the experience for the intended audience. I was able to use all the multimedia components I envisioned except for background music. I initially wanted to include it, but as I was working on the project, I found it did not add to the presentation's overall flow, so I chose to leave it out. Everything else, from the visuals to the interactive elements, worked out as I hoped, making the presentation more dynamic and engaging.
Throughout the design process, Mayer's Principles of Multimedia were helpful. They guided me in ensuring the presentation was visually appealing and educationally effective. The principles I focused on include:
Redundancy Principle: I combined spoken words and graphics to create a balanced presentation that helps viewers learn more effectively.
Spatial Contiguity Principle: I ensured that text and visuals were close to the screen to help viewers connect the information
easily
Temporal Contiguity Principle: I presented words and pictures simultaneously, allowing viewers to understand both in context rather than showing them one after the other.
Segmenting Principle: I broke the presentation into manageable chunks, allowing viewers to process the information at their own pace and avoid feeling overwhelmed.
Pre-training Principle: I introduced essential terms and concepts early on so that when viewers encountered them later in the presentation, they were already familiar with the basics.
Voice Principle: I used a conversational tone, keeping the presentation friendly and engaging. People respond better to a natural human voice.
Digital Learning Institute. (n.d.)
These principles made the presentation more straightforward and engaging, ensuring the audience could easily follow along and understand the information. Mayer's 12 multimedia learning principles are essential for instructional design or eLearning. By following these principles, we can create materials that improve learner engagement, increase comprehension, and lead to better information retention.
Image retrieved from Canva
Final thoughts
Looking back on this journey, I learned so much from this course. It was about mastering new tools and understanding how to communicate effectively and engage an audience. I genuinely love everything I discovered. This final project was more than just an assignment; it was an excellent opportunity to challenge myself, apply my new skills, and think about connecting with others. This course has been a rewarding challenge that pushed me to grow creatively and professionally. I have learned to use new tools to build effective, interactive presentations and apply design principles to future projects. I have learned the value of applying key design principles, which I now see as essential in ensuring that any multimedia project is visually appealing and improves learning and comprehension. Multimedia is an essential resource for instructional designers and eLearning developers. Whether you are working in education or organizational training, multimedia can be a powerful tool for creating impactful materials.
I look forward to continuing this creative journey and using what I have learned to serve my clients better and create more meaningful content in the future.
Final Result
References
Florida Gulf Coast University. (n.d.). Create engaging content with genially! Digital Learning Blog. https://www.fgcu.edu/digitallearning/digital-learning-blog/2023-10-20-create-content-with-genially
Mayer’s 12 Principles of Multimedia Learning: DLI. Digital Learning Institute. (n.d.). https://www.digitallearninginstitute.com/blog/mayers-principles-multimedia-learning
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