This week, I chose to step away from the DS106 Daily Creates and document three things from my own life, each one a multimedia artifact in its own right.
A Phone and a Dial Tone
I paired a photo of a phone with a dial tone audio clip. Simple combination, but it works — the sound adds a layer the image alone can’t capture.
FBLA State Business Competition — 2nd Place
I placed second at FBLA State in high school. To go with the photo, I added a winning sound — because a still image doesn’t quite capture what that moment felt like.
A Wardrobe I Built
I built a wardrobe and filmed the finished product — a walkthrough of the exterior and interior. Seeing it complete on video hits differently than a photo would.
Reflection
This week felt different because I chose the content myself. Each piece came from my actual life, not a prompt, which made the multimedia learning theory connections feel more natural. Combining audio, image, and video in one post is exactly what Mayer’s principles describe — using multiple channels to make meaning stick.
From an accessibility standpoint, pairing visuals with audio and written context means someone can engage with this post regardless of how they best process information.
Design thinking showed up in how I framed each item — not just “here’s a thing” but why it matters. The wardrobe and the FBLA result both required iteration and problem-solving to get there.
Active learning happened in the doing. Building something physical and competing at a high level are both forms of learning that no classroom replicates.