CPS/CTL
INTRODUCTION TO
AUTHORING PROGRAMS



What Is Multimedia?

A multimedia classroom presentation integrates two or more of the following "media" forms to present classroom content: Video and/or sound segments, slide presentations, overhead transparencies, animations, computer demonstrations, graphics segments, animations, and, of course, the traditional lecture and print formats. Each of these media forms has its own advantages and disadvantages for promoting student learning of different types of content. The idea is to combine these tools to increase the effectiveness of a classroom presentation. However, the transition from one form to another must be as "seamless" as possible; otherwise, the transition from one media form to another can distract the student from the content and thereby interfere with the learning process.

At its best, multimedia presents subjects to students in a more memorable, arresting way than books or a single medium can. Multimedia addresses different learning strategies. Researchers have shown that students learn better and retain more when audio-visual aids are added to a lecture. And when they "learn by doing," they retain up to 70% more than they do by simply listening to a lecture. Multimedia encourages collaboration among people with different areas of expertise. For example, students can work with students or collaborate with professors to build multimedia projects.

Multimedia is the buzzword of the 90's. Multimedia is a presentation which involves not just still images, but also moving video, animation, sound, or a combination of these. In addition, the presenter may allow the users to control what is seen and heard by clicking buttons on the screen. This is called interactive multimedia.

Students can create their own interactive multimedia presentation using software such as HyperStudio or PowerPoint. A report about a president could include a scanned image, a portion taken from a video tape, a speech by the president taken from a cassette tape, a QuickTime movie from a cd-rom, and a picture of the student (editor of the project) taken with a QuickTake Camera.


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