For many of us, the lure of computers is a powerful one. However, many of us
also refrain from using computers for fear of failure. We want to hone
computer skills, but are scared to make the effort because we lack those very
skills. Too many of us, especially in the field of learning, are caught in this modern
tug-of-war.
Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the concept of multimedia took on a new
meaning, as the capabilities of satellites, computers, audio and video converged to
create new media with enormous potential. Combined with the advances in
hardware and software, these technologies were able to provide enhanced learning
facility and with attention to the specific needs of individual users.
A primary application of the interactive multimedia for instruction is in an instructional
situation where the learner is given control so that he/she may review the material at
his or her own pace and in keeping with his/her own individual interests, needs, and
cognitive processes. The basic objective of interactive multimedia material is not so
much to replace the teacher as to change the teacher's role entirely. As such,
multimedia must be extremely well designed and sophisticated enough to mimic the
best teacher, by combining in its design the various elements of the cognitive
processes and the best quality of the technology. With today's multimedia
courseware, once a programme has been designed and built in with the appropriate
responses, it should be flexible and permit change and alteration.
In this section of the handbook, we shall look at the usage, advantages and
disadvantages of multimedia in education and training. Some of the prototype
multimedia lessons are also given at the end as examples.
.Multimedia. is a term frequently heard and discussed among educational
technologists today. Unless clearly defined, the term can alternately mean .a
judicious mix of various mass media such as print, audio and video. or it may mean
the development of computer-based hardware and software packages produced on
a mass scale and yet allow individualized use and learning. In essence, multimedia
merges multiple levels of learning into an educational tool that allows for diversity in
curricula presentation.
.Multimedia is the exciting combination of computer hardware and software that allows
you to integrate video, animation, audio, graphics, and test resources to develop
effective presentations on an affordable desktop computer. (Fenrich, 1997).
Multimedia as an
Educational Tool
