Abstract
Multimedia benefits students learning in many different ways. There are so many things that students can do and learn because of the variety of instructional media that is available for their use. The use of instructional multimedia increases an instructor’s ability to propose and execute teaching strategies that come with a multiplicity of learning styles. Therefore, there are a myriad of reasons why teachers use these resources both as a teaching tool and a teaching resource. Several strategies can be implemented so that teachers have opportunities to become skillful in attaining technological fluency. This chapter reviews the trends and issues of today’s multimedia education, and attempts to provide strategies and guidelines for planning multimedia instruction. The effective use of pedagogical design principles with appropriate multimedia can permit greater individualization, which in turn fosters improved learning, greater learner satisfaction, and higher retention rates.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Simulation: An interactive multimedia application device intended to imitate a real life situation and permit the user to partake and experience in a risk-free environment.
Multimedia Instruction: Computer-based guidance that involves the use of diverse types of media, such as presentations, Web-based guides and online tutorials, in order to convey an instructional message.
Multimedia: The use of innovated technology to integrate text, graphics, animation, video and audio to transmit information.
Asynchronous: A method of two-way transmitting data in which the parties present in the different time and space. An example of asynchronous communication is e-mail.
Synchronous: A method of two-way transmitting data in which the parties present in the same time and space. An example of synchronous communication is a chat room.
Virtual Reality: An interactive computer-based technology that allows the user to execute/perform actions in multi-dimensional setting.
Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI): Primarily refer to the use of computer(s) to present instruction to students. CAI is designed to help students learn new materials through interacting with the computer and students can progress learning with their own speed.
E-Learning: E-Learning is the use of network technology (broadly, the “Internet”) to design, deliver, select, administer, and extend learning. Components of Internet-enabled learning can include content delivery in multiple formats, management of the learning experience, and a networked community of learners, content developers and experts.