Create to Learn

Want to learn something well? Make media to advance knowledge and gain new ideas.

You don’t have to be a communication professional to create to learn. Today, with free and low-cost digital tools, everyone can compose videos, blogs and websites, remixes, podcasts, screencasts, infographics, animation, remixes and more. By creating to learn, people internalize ideas and express information creatively in ways that may inspire others.

Create to Learn is a ground-breaking book that helps learners create multimedia texts as they develop both critical thinking and communication skills. Written by Renee Hobbs, one of the foremost experts in media literacy, this book introduces a wide range of conceptual principles at the heart of multimedia composition and digital pedagogy. Its approach is useful for anyone who sees the profound educational value of creating multimedia projects in an increasingly digital and connected world.

Students will become skilled multimedia communicators by learning how to gather information, generate ideas, and develop media projects using contemporary digital tools and platforms. Illustrative examples from a variety of student-produced multimedia projects along with helpful online materials offer support and boost confidence.  

Create to Learn will help anyone make informed and strategic communication decisions as they create media for any academic, personal or professional project. 

Renee Hobbs is a Professor at Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater in Philadelphia, where she founded the Media Education Lab. She holds a BA in English Literature and Film/Video Studies and an MA in Communication from the University of Michigan and an EdD from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in media literacy, digital authorship, children and media, media education and contemporary propaganda to students in Education, English, Communication Studies and Library and Information Studies.

What to Expect in this Book vii

Part I Developing a Communication Strategy 1

1 Create to Learn 3

2 Getting Creative 15

3 Decisions, Decisions 29

4 Accessing and Analyzing Ideas 45

5 Creating Ideas 69

6 Reflecting and Taking Action 87

Part II Nine Media Forms Help You Create to Learn 103

7 Blogs and Web Sites 107

8 Digital Audio and Podcasting 123

9 Images 139

10 Infographics and Data Visualization 155

11 Vlogs and Screencasts 169

12 Video Production 187

13 Animation 205

14 Remix Production 221

15 Social Media 239

Notes 251

Index 271

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.