APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH1

AProjectBasedInquiry
onMultimedia,MultigenreResearch
KristenOuten,JillianZappiaandWentingZhang
NorthCarolinaStateUniversity

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH2
Introduction
Itisimportantthatstudentsknowthatlearningstartswiththem,andthattheyareactive
participantsintheirownlearning.Infact,middlegradesstudentsaremorelikelytowork
diligentlyiftheyseethattheirvoicesarevaluedandincorporatedintowhathappensduringthe
schooldaybecausetheydonotfeelasifthingsarebeingdonetothemstudentsaremotivated
bychoiceandmoreengagedwhendirectingtheirlearning(Daniels,2011Casey,2009,p.289).
Knowingthatchoicemotivatesstudentswasadrivingfactorinthefollowinginquiryintostudent
learning.
OurInquiry
ThisProjectBasedInquiryprojectwasconductedwithaclassofsixthgradeEnglish
languageartsstudentswhowerestartingtheBelongingunit,thesecondthematicunitoftheyear.
TheWCPSSPacingGuidelaysoutstandardsforeachunit,providessomeresources,andallows
professionallearningteamsatindividualschoolstocreatelessonstailoredtomeettheneedsof
theirstudents.Amajorfocusoftheunitiswritingstandard6.9,whichrequiresstudentstodraw
evidencefromliteraryorinformationaltextstosupportanalysis,reflection,andresearch.
Additionally,studentsareaskedtocompareandcontrasttextsindifferentgenres(storiesand
poems,historicalnovels,andfantasystories,etc.)intermsoftheirapproachestosimilarthemes
andtopics.Startingwiththesestandards,anessentialquestionwasformed.
Willtheinclusionofchoiceinwhatstudentsarereading,whattheyareresearching,and
theuseofdigitallearningtoolsincreasestudentmotivationforthecompletionofwriting
assignments?
Howdoesthemultigenreresearchpaper,completedwiththeuseofdigitalmedia,impact
students'perceptionsofwriting?

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH3
Thisprojectwasinfluencedbyagraduatelevelcompositioncoursethatintroducedthe
conceptofmultigenreresearch.Themultigenreresearchpaperwasproposed,and,inorderto
integratenewliteracies,itwasadditionallyproposedthatstudentsutilizedigitaltoolstopresent
somepiecesoftheirwriting.ThegreaterproductwastobecompiledthroughWeebly.Thus,was
borntheMultimedia,MultigenreResearchProject.Inanefforttosimplifyexplanation,theproject
wasreferredtoasaMultigenreResearchProjectwithstudentsandisreferredtoasMGRP
throughouttheprojectexplanation.
WhyMultigenreResearch?
Amultigenreresearchpaperiscreatedonatopicofthelearnerschoiceusingtraditional
writingandresearchmethods.Itisdevelopedthroughawritingworkshop,communicatedthrough
avarietyofgenres,andpresentedthroughlearnerselectedforms.Romano(2000),authorof
BlendingGenre,AlteringStyle:WritingMultigenrePapers,makesastatementabouteducations
generalrejectionofnarrativeformswhilstsimultaneouslypromotingtheforminourculture.The
explorationofgenresencouragesthewritertoembracecreativewriting,suchaspoetryand
narrativeshowever,multigenrewritingcanstillinformexpositorywriting,asitrequiresstudents
todevelopathesisandtoworkaroundaconclusionthattheywantreaderstodraw.Allen(2001),
theauthorofTheMultigenreResearchPaper:Voice,Passion,andDiscoveryinGrades46,
definesthemultigenreresearchpaperasoneforwhicheachpieceinthepaperutilizesa
differentgenre,revealsonefacetofthetopic,andmakesitownpoint[]acollageofwriting
andartisticexpressionwithanoverarchingthemethatengulfsandinformsthereaderis,initself,
exciting(p.2).Themultigenreresearchpaperismultifacetedandincludesmanybenefitsforthe
student.
Amultigenreresearchpaperembodiesanumberofbestpracticemethods.Multigenre
writingencouragesstudentempowerment,ownership,pride,andgrowth(Allen,2001,p.1).The

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH4
multigenreresearchpapermakesroomforstudentchoice,andprovidesstudentswiththe
differentiationthatmostexpositoryassignmentsdonot.Thefactthateachstudentwho
participatesintheprocesshasdifferentexperiencesandlearnsdifferentthingsshouldbe
enoughofareasonforanyonetotestthewaters(p.8).TomNewkirk(2001)addsthatthe
conceptisincrediblyrichand,inapowerfulway,matchestheexperiencechildrentodayhave
withmedia(ascitedinAllen,p.15).Writinginstructionhasfoundawaytomeetthedigital
nativescreativeneeds!
DescriptionofProjectImplementation
Overthecourseofthreeweeks,agroupof30sixthgrade,Englishlanguageartsstudents
movedthroughthestepsdetailedbelowinordertocompleteaMGRP.Theobjectivewasfor
studentstoworkcollaborativelyingroupstodesignaWeeblywebpagethatincludedatotaloften
piecesofwritingspanningdifferentgenres.Thepieceswouldworktoansweravarietyof
essentialquestionsrelatedtoagreatertopic.Fiveofthepiecesofwritingweretobepresented
throughtheuseoffiveuniquedigitaltools.Resourcesandinstructionswerehousedonateacher
createdWeeblysitetitled,MultigenreResearchProject.Thepagewasreferencedthroughout
project.
StepOne:GettingStarted
Thegeneralconceptofmultigenreresearchwaspresentedtostudents.Avarietyoftopics
werepresented,eachofwhichrelatedtothemespresentinoneormoreofthebookclubbook
selectionsstudentswouldstudyafterengagingintheMGRP.Studentsenteredintoselfselected
groupsthatagreeduponthesameresearchtopic.Studentshadaccesstolaptopsandwere
giventimetoaccessfeaturesontheMultigenreResearchProjectpage,suchastherubricand
examples.StudentswerealsogivenaccesstoateachercreatedWeeblypagethatwasformatted
accordingtothegeneralstructurerequirementsoftheproject.Eachgroupmemberhadaccessto

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH5
apagethatwouldbeusedtohousetheirgroupsfinalproject.Oncestudentshadan
understandingofthegeneraltenetsoftheproject,theywereaskedtodelegatejobsaccordingto
theJobDescriptionssheet(seeAppendixA).Studentsweregivenfeedbackfromteachersas
theychosetheirjobs.
StepTwo:ResearchLesson
Studentswereprovidedwithinstructionontraditionalresearchpractices.Althoughthe
mediaspecialisthadplannedaphysicalvisittotheclassroom,illnesskeptherathome.Instead,
shevisitedtheclassroomvirtually.Asinformationandresearchskillswerepresentedto
students,theycircledaroundtheclassroomSmartBoardandtheteacherslaptopwebcamto
communicatewiththemediaspecialistviaaGoogleHangout.Studentslaterwatchedaflipped
videoinstructingthemontheprocessofwritinganessentialquestion,focusquestions,and
informationquestionstoguidetheirresearch.
StepThree:ConductResearch
Studentsreviewedacompilationofgenrepossibilities,ofwhichtheyhadfreerange,
beforetheybeganconductingresearch(seeAppendixB).Studentsusedmediacenterresources
likeNCWiseowl,EBSCOHost,andSweetsearchtoseekanswerstotheiressentialquestions.
Laptopswereusedamongstgroupsastheyworkedtogethertocompleteaminimumoftwenty
researchnotecardspergroup(seeAppendixC).Groupsmettodiscusstheirfindingsandshared
theirresearchnotecards.Analyzingtheirfindingshelpedthemformulateanswerstotheir
essentialquestions.Easybibwasofferedasaresourceasstudentsworkedtocompilealistof
sourcestofulfilltherequirementofaworkscitedpage.
StepFour:DigitalWorkshop
Priortothedigitalworkshop,studentswereaskedtobringtheirownmobiledevicesto
schoolforthedigitalworkshopday.Itwassuggestedthatstudentsreviewthedigitaltoolsposted

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH6
ontheMultigenreResearchProjectsiteanddownloadtheappsofinterest,ifapplicable,toa
personalmobiledevice.Additionally,studentschosetwoofsevenpossibleworkshop
presentationstoattendfortheday.Theteacherselectedtoolswerechosenduringtheproject
planningstagebaseduponcontent,pedagogy,andtechnologyconsiderationsresultingfrom
deepplay.Studentswereaskediftheywouldbeinterestedinpresentingadditionaltools.One
studentvolunteerpreparedtopresentduringtheworkshop.
Onthedigitaltoolworkshopday,inadditiontothestudentvolunteer,eachoftheproject
basedinquiryparticipantspresentedtwodigitaltoolsintwoseparatethirtyminutesessions.
Studentsrotatedbetweenthesepresentationsinsmallgroups.Asstudentsattendedthe
workshops,theyweregiventimetonavigateandmanipulatethetoolswithoutanyspecific
requirements,makingroomfordeepplay.
Withavarietyofgenresanddigitaltoolsinmind,studentsmetwiththeirgroupsto
completetheGenreandDigitalToolPlanningGuide(seeAppendixD).Eachstudentwas
requiredtowritetwopieces.Oneofthewrittenpieceswastothenbetranslated,orpresented,
throughadigitaltool.Studentswererequiredtousetendifferentgenresandfivedifferentdigital
toolsinthecreationoftheirproject.Studentswereencouragedtoconsiderdigitaltoolsoutsideof
theseventhatwerepresented.Theinstructormadesuretoexplaintheimportanceofchoosinga
toolbestsuitedtorepresentaparticulargenreandhowtobestconveytheindividual's
information.Onceeachgroupcompleteditsplanningguide,teachersreviewedtheguidesand
providedfeedback.
StepFive:Create
Withtheirresearchcompletedandtheirprojectplansinplace,studentsworked
independentlyinclasstoeachdrafttwowrittenpieces,referencingtheirresearchnotesasthey

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH7
wrote.Theythenusedcomputersand/ormobiledevicestotypetheirwritingandtotranslate
onepieceintoadigitalpresentation.Studentswereencouragedtocontinuethisprocessathome.
StepSix:FinalConference
Oncestudentsdraftedeachoftheirpiecesandhadpostedtheirtypinganddigital
creation(s)totheirgroupsWeeblypage,theymetwiththeirgroup.Duringthismeetingthey
conductedpeerrevisionsandedits.EachstudentcompletedaPeerRevisionandEditing
Guidessheetforoneothergroupmember(seeAppendixE).Theteacherrotatedtoprovide
feedback.Studentsalsoreviewedtheirjobdescriptionsduringthisstepandtooknecessary
measurestocompletetheirindividualresponsibilities.Studentswereencouragedtotake
revisionsandeditsintoconsiderationoverthenextseveraldaysastheyfinalizedtheirproducts
andpreparedtopresenttheirfindingstotheclass.
StepSeven:Present
Studentspresentedtheirfindingstotheclass.Instructionwasprovidedongeneral
presentationskills,suchasfacingtheaudienceandspeakingclearlypriortoandthroughout
presentations.Audiencememberparticipationwasalsoemphasized.Themodeofpresentation
wasviaalaptopprojectedontoaSmartBoard.Eachgroupmemberhadopportunitytopresent
hisorherowncreations.Whentechnologyissuesarose,problemsolvingskillswereencouraged
andimplemented.
StepEight:Reflect
Studentsweregivenampleopportunitytoreflectasagroupandasindividualsinboth
verbalandwrittenformats.Anelementoftherubricwastocompleteawrittenreflectionthat
demonstratedstudentunderstandingofmultigenreresearch(seeAppendixF).Italsoasked
studentstoprovidefeedbackontheprosandconsoftheoverallprojectandprocess.Students
wereaskedtopresenttobrieflysummarizethesereflectionsattheendoftheirpresentations.

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH8
Technology,PedagogyandContentKnowledge(TPACK)
Technology
TPACKisaframeworkthatrespondsdirectlytothequestion:HowdoIincorporate
meaningfultechnologyuseinmyclassroom?TPACKdemandsthatteachersnotonlyapply
contentknowledge,pedagogicalknowledge,andtechnologyknowledge,buttheycanskillfully
intertwinethethreetocreateaclassroomrichwithmeaningfultechnologyuse(Koehleretal.,
2011).Inordertomaintainafluidityandinterconnectednessamongsteachelementofthe
framework,teachersmustbecomecreativeorinnovativeintheirthinkingaboutusingtechnology
forpedagogicalpurposes(Koehleretal.,2011,p.149).Inordertoachievesaidcreativity,
Koehleretal.(2011)urgeseducatorstoengageinvoluntary,intrinsicallymotivating,engaging,
play,referredtoasdeepplay(p.153).Thismultimediaversionofamultigenreresearchgives
opportunityandreasonforbothteacherandstudenttoengageintheimportantandoften
overlookeddigitalliteracyskillofdeepplay.
Asidefromdeepplay,studentsaccessedandpracticeddigitalliteracyskillsasthey
conductedonlineresearch,typed,emailed,designedawebpage,uploadeddocuments,and
workedwithtechnologyduringtheirpresentations.Evenwithouttheincorporationoftechnology,
themultigenreresearchpapercombinedbestpracticeandmetanarrayofstandards.However,
theinclusionofdigitaltoolsasmodesofpresentationmadethisprojectarichdemonstrationof
thebenefitsofaligningthethreeentities.
Pedagogy
Blooms.Inorderforaneducatortofacilitatetheprojectoutlinedinthisstudy,heorshe
participatedindeepplaytolocatetoolstopresentforstudentuseintheproject.Duringthis
processateacherputdigitaltoolsthroughaRevisedBloomsTaxonomytest.Oncetheteacher
wasabletonavigateatool,itwasanalyzedforgeneralvalue,evaluatedforpedagogicaland

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH9
contentvalue,andthencreativelyincorporatedintolessons.Itwasduringthewillingexploration
oftechnologiesthatdigitaltoolswerecreativelyconsideredandthenadaptedtomeetthe
pedagogicalandcontentneedsofstudents.Studentsengagedsimilarlyindeepplayasthey
attendedworkshopstolearnaboutnewdigitaltools.Studentmustevaluatewhetherornoteach
tooltheyengagedwithwasthebestoptionforthepresentationoftheirparticularsetof
information.
UniversalDesignforLearning(UDL).AccordingtoCASTsUDLataGlance2010
report,Thewaypeoplelearnisasuniqueastheirfingerprints,yetmanyeducatorsavoidthe
challengeofteachingadiversegroupoflearnersbytryingtoteachtoasmallgroupoflearners
(UDLataGlance,January2010).UniversalDesignforLearningrequireseducatorstoconsider
theuniquewaysinwhichstudentslearnbestandtodifferentiatetomeettheneedsofall
learners.Ratherthanprovidingaccommodations,theteacherproactivelyvaluesdiversityby
designingacoursethatisaccessibletoall(Edyburn,2010).This,aboveall,isdependentona
teacherknowingherstudentsabilitylevels,currentmasteryofthestandards,andtheirpersonal
interests.Bydesign,theMGRPprovideddifferentavenuesthroughwhichstudentscouldexpress
theirunderstandingandofferedchoiceinmediaandmodethatchallengedandengagedall
students.
Throughoutthisproject,studentschosetheirowntopics,groups,essentialquestions,and
eventheirmodeofpresentation.Studentchoiceallowedlearnerstochoosetopicswithwhich
theyhavesomepriorexposureorinteresttheresultwasadeeperconnectionwithandan
intrinsicmotivationforwriting.Italsoallowedstudentstoworkwithintheirzoneofproximal
developmentwithscaffoldingsupportfromtheinstructor(Vygotsky,1978).Studentschosefroma
varietyofgenrestodeveloptheirwritinginordertocommunicateagreatertheme,thesis,or
conclusionabouttheirinitialinquiry.Whilealllearnersbenefitfromchoice,sixthgradestudents

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH10
embarkingonthejourneythroughEriksonspsychosocialdevelopmentalstageidentityversus
roleconfusion(Erikson,1964).Thisisthestageinwhichadolescentsareaskinganimportant
question:WhoamI?Providingchoiceallowedstudentstoexplorethisquestionwhilelearning,
whichmadetheMGRPespeciallyeffectivewithearlyadolescents.Thatmagicalingredient,
choice,sparkedstudentsmotivationandcreativity,andallowedthemtochallengethemselves,
successfullymeetingtheintentbehindthisprojectsdesign.
21stCenturySkills.Asthe21stcenturyandTheDigitalAgearesynonymous,mostskills
outlinedfor21stcenturylearnerscanbesupportedanddemonstratedthroughtechnology.
Throughthenavigation,analysis,andevaluationofdigitaltools,duringthisinquiry,students
strengthenedtheirdigitalliteracyskills.Astheymanipulateddigitaltools,studentsinevitably
encounteredsituationsthatrequiredflexibleproblemsolving.Engagementwithdigitaltoolsand
devicesforthepurposeofthisprojectledstudentstorecognizethepotentialofthetechnologies
andofferedideasforfutureuse.Finally,theproject,whencompletedingroups,taughtthe
allimportant21stcenturyskillofcollaboration(Framework,2014).
Constructivism.Studentsstilladheredtotraditionalresearchmethodsofgatheringand
synthesizinginformationformultigenreresearch.Conductingresearchandcommunicating
findingsisaconstructivistmodeoflearning.Thelearnerisactive,whiletheeducatorfacilitates
opportunitiesforknowledgeconstruction.Duringthisstage,theeducatorcanguidestudents
towardbestpracticeinresearch,provideadditionalresources,orassistinthenarrowingor
expansionofatopicorquestion.FortheMGRPlearnersdevelopedaquestionforinquiry.Each
gatheredsources,readthemanddeterminedtheirrelevance.Studentstooknotesandorganized
informationastheyworkedtoanswertheirinitialresearchquestions.
Itisinthecommunicationofknowledgelearnedthatthechangetakesplace.Learners
workedtocommunicateathesisorconclusionabouttheirtopicthroughtheirwriting,asisdonein

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH11
atraditionalresearchpaper.However,ratherthanincludeparagraphsofwritingbelowheadings
andsubheadings,thestudentsaimedtoincludemultilayered,multivoicedblendofgenres,each
revealinginformationabouthistopic,eachselfcontained,makingapointofitsown,unconnected
toothergenresbyconventionaltransitionaldevices(Romano,2000,p.5).Studentsorganized
theirpiecessothateachwasplacedtobestcontributetothecommunicationofideas,justasone
wouldorganizesentences,paragraphs,andsectionsinatraditionalresearchpaper.
Asstudentscompletedmultigenreresearchandwriting,participationinwritersworkshop
helpedthemmovethroughthewritingprocess.Discussionofwritingwithpeersandteachersled
studentstodiscovermeaning.Successfulmultigenreresearchprojectsshouldaccomplishthe
followingthroughtheworkshops:
Presentstudentswithbrief,focusedwritinglessonsthattheymayapplytotheirwork
Provideclear,consistent,andconstructivefeedbackfrompeerwritersandteachersonthe
effectivenessofcommunication
Guidestudentsthroughthefivestagesofthewritingprocess
Helpstudentsconstructanunderstandingofthemultigenrepaperbyviewingsamples
createdbypeers,previousstudents,teachers,andotherauthors.
Animportantaspectofmultigenreresearchisthepresentationoffindings.Studentshad
freedominthedesignoftheirfinalpresentation.Thisstudyaskedstudentstocompiletheir
multigenrepiecesviamultimedia.However,art,dance,drama,ortraditionalwrittenformare
additionalformsofpresentationthatstudentsmightchoose.Regardless,thepresentationofthe
productshouldbeaprofessional,bestrepresentationofself.Studentsorallypresentedtheir
findings,givingchanceforthedevelopmentofverbalcommunicationskills.
ProjectBasedInquiry.Projectbasedlearningallowsstudentstocompleteprojectsthat
theycareabout,givesthemapersonalstakeintheirlearning,encouragesthemtobelifelong

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH12
learners,andgiv[es]themthecriticalthinkingandproblemsolvingskillsthattheyneedassoon
astheywalkoutof[the]classroomintotherealworld(Amundson,2014).Themultigenre
researchprojectwasintentionallydesignedtobeastudentcentered,projectbasedlearning
experience.Studentswrotetheirownessentialquestions,setgoals,hadchoiceinwritingformat,
andchosedigitaltoolssuitedfortheirpurposes.Researchlessonsandsupportweredesigned
basedonstudentsneedsintheformofminilessonsandflippedvideos.Studentssignedup
fortimeslotsandattendeddigitaltoolworkshopsthatwouldmeettheirneeds.
Content
ThisprojectalignswithnumeroussixthgradeEnglishlanguageartsNorthCarolina
CommonCorestandards.Theprojectissuchthatitcouldbeadaptedtomeetthestandardsof
mostEnglishcurriculumsorthoseofothercontentareas.Theprojectcouldserveasan
interdisciplinaryprojectaswell.Thespecificlearningobjectivesaddressedbythisprojectare
outlinedinthefollowingtable.
Table1
SixthgradeEnglishlanguageartsCommonCorestandards
Standard

StandardDefined

CCSS.ELALITERACY.
W.6.2

Writeinformative/explanatorytextstoexamineatopicandconvey
ideas,concepts,andinformationthroughtheselection,organization,
andanalysisofrelevantcontent.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.
W.6.4

Produceclearandcoherentwritinginwhichthedevelopment,
organization,andstyleareappropriatetotask,purpose,andaudience.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.
W.6.5

Withsomeguidanceandsupportfrompeersandadults,developand
strengthenwritingasneededbyplanning,revising,editing,rewriting,or
tryinganewapproach.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.
W.6.6

Usetechnology,includingtheInternet,toproduceandpublishwritingas
wellastointeractandcollaboratewithothersdemonstratesufficient
commandofkeyboardingskillstotypeaminimumofthreepagesina
singlesitting.

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH13
CCSS.ELALITERACY.
W.6.7

Conductshortresearchprojectstoansweraquestion,drawingon
severalsourcesandrefocusingtheinquirywhenappropriate.

CCSS.ELALITERACY.
SL.6.1

Engageeffectivelyinarangeofcollaborativediscussions(oneonone,
ingroups,andteacherled)withdiversepartnersongrade6topics,
texts,andissues,buildingonothers'ideasandexpressingtheirown
clearly.

ReflectionontheProject
SuccessesandChallenges
Throughouttheproject,teacherparticipantsweregenerallyabletofollowtheoriginalplan,
makenecessaryadjustmentsandcarryoutresearchinareflectivemanner.Successwas
achievedregardingplanning,studentreception,followingaspects.
First,theprojectwaswelldesigned.Awebpagehousingtheoutlineoftheproject,job
descriptions,researchnotecards,agenrelist,andgenreanddigitaltoolplanningguidefor
studentswaspreparedinadvance.Whentheprojectwasintroducedtostudents,theyhadevery
piecetheyneededtoconductresearch.
Second,theMGRPwaswellreceivedbystudents.Studentsexpressedkeeninterestin
theprojectandeagerlyraisedquestionsabouttheprojectinandoutofclass.Theyactively
participatedinclass.Studentswereobservedhavingmeaningfuldiscussionswiththeirgroup
membersabouttheirtopicandthedistributionofwork.Duringthedigitaltoolworkshops,they
learnedhowtousecertaintoolswiththeteachershelpandquicklygotthehangofthemby
playingwiththetools.Notonlydidstudentsmasterthetools,buttheyalsomadetheirown
decisionaboutwhichtooltheyweregoingtousetotransformtheirwrittenpieceforpresentation.
Studentswerehighlymotivatedandengagedthroughoutthelearningandcreatingprocess.Final
presentationscommunicatedtheirfindings,seamlesslycombinedwritingwithtechnology,and
exhibitedstudentcreativity.

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH14
Successwasnotachievedwithoutchallenges.Althoughtheprojectwascarefully
preparedtechnicalproblemsaroseandadjustmentshadtobemadeinresponse.Forexample,
studentshadWeeblystudentaccounts.AteachermadeWeeblytemplatesitewassharedforthe
projectsothatstudentscouldcollaboratewithoneanotherandedittheirgroupssite.However,it
turnedouttheycouldonlyhaveaonetimesignontotheircollaborativesiteandthencouldnot
accessitagain.Therefore,projectplanningsheets,suchastheessentialquestionsheet,thenote
cards,andjobdescriptionsheethadtobeprinted.Theoriginalintentwasforthesepagestobe
completeddigitallyanduploadedtothegroupsWeeblysite.Whentechnologyfailedtoworkas
planned,traditionalmethodswereused.
LimitationstoConsiderforFutureAction
Muchoftheprojectreflectionsrelatedtotime.Whileitisthrillingtofindaplacefora
projectrichwithinnatechoice,givenanotheropportunityimprovementswouldbemadeto
aspectsofimplementationthatweredirectlyaffectedbytimeconstraints.Studentswouldhave
benefitedfrommoretimethroughouteachphaseoftheproject,includingresearch,collaboration,
creation,andpresentation.Studentsreflectedsimilarly.Forinstance,severalindividuals
respondedthattheywouldhavebenefitedfromatimeslotthatallowedthemtoexchangecontact
information.Studentsalsoagreedthattheywouldhavebenefitedfromadditionalcollaborative
groupmeetings,includingadditionalrevisionandeditingsessions.Fromateachersperspective,
groupswouldhavebenefittedfromadditionalandmoreinvolvedteacherconferencesthroughout
theprocessoftheproject.Itwouldberecommendedtoanindividualclassroomteacherthat
additionalsupportbecalledintomakewayforsuchduringthisproject.
Anotherchangethatwouldbemadeforfutureimplementationwouldbetheobviousand
necessaryemphasisonthepresentationpiece.Adefiningcharacteristicofmultigenreprojectsis
theemphasisonthepresentationoftheproduct.Thiswouldrequireanadditionalrubrictoguide

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH15
students,additionalinputandmodeling,andadditionaltimeallocatedfortheplanningand
processofpresentation.Opportunityforstudentstosharetheirfindingswithindividualsoutsideof
theirclass,whetherthatbeparents,othereducators,orotherstudentswouldbegiven.
Inaddition,morestructuredsupportandexplanationwouldbegiventostudents.
Originally,weplannedtomovethroughtheexamplesandrubricwithstudents.However,we
endedupnotreviewingthoseitemswiththemandleftthoseuptothem.Studentsinthisage
groupstillneedstructuredsupportonsteps.Itisnecessarytoprovideproductsamplesand
reviewtherubricswithstudents,ratherthanhavethemdosoindependently,sothattheyhavea
clearunderstandingofthelearningobjectivesandoftheexpectationsofteachers.
Conclusions
TheMultimedia,Multigenreprojectinarguablyaddressesawiderangeofcontent,pedagogy,
andtechnologyneedsofstudentswhileinspiringstudentstotakeholdoftheirlearning.Project
basedlearningisaneffectiveandenjoyablewayforstudentstolearnandcanhelpstudents
developadeeperunderstandingofthecontentbeingtaught.Bycompletingaprojectrichwith
studentchoiceliketheMGRP,studentsrememberwhattheylearnlongerthanwithtraditional
instruction.Besidesbasicknowledgeandskills,studentscanlearnhowtoeffectively
communicateideas,tocollaborate,andbeflexibleproblemsolvers.Moreover,studentshave
opportunitytousetechnologytolocateinformationandtopresenttheirlearninginvariousways.
ThroughtheMGRPteachersareabletobetterengageandmotivatestudentstothinkdeeplyand
toconstructmeaning.AstheMGRPisconducted,educatorsbearwitnesstoactiveparticipation,
meaningfulinquiry,effectivecollaboration,andinspiringcreativity.Thisprojectsflexiblenature
makesitonethatcanbeaccessedbyallgradelevelsandallsubjectareas.

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH16
AppendixA

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH17
AppendixB

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH18
AppendixC

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH19
AppendixD

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH20
AppendixE

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH21
AppendixF

APROJECTBASEDINQUIRYONMULTIMEDIA,MULTIGENRERESEARCH22
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