Unit 3
Multimedia for Teaching and Learning
Multimedia learning is the process of learning, usually in a classroom or
similarly structured environment, through the use of multimedia
presentations and teaching methods. This can typically be applied to any
subject and generally any sort of learning process can either be achieved
or enhanced through a careful application of multimedia materials.
Multimedia learning is often closely connected to the use of technology in
the classroom, as advances in technology have often made incorporation
of multimedia easier and more complete.
In general, the term “multimedia” is used to refer to any type of
application or activity that utilizes different types of media or formats in
the presentation of ideas. With regard to education, multimedia learning
usually means the use of different types of media to teach a lesson or
enhance a lesson with further examples or activities for students. This
type of learning can be as simple as using film clips of footage shot
during World War II while learning about the war in a history class, or as
complicated as having students use computer software to create
simulations in a physics class. The connection between multimedia
learning and technology is usually made because advances in technology
often make the use of different media easier and less expensive for
schools and teachers. This is demonstrated by the use of overhead
projectors in the classroom. Initially these projectors allowed teachers to
go beyond the limitations of the chalkboard and present ideas in writing
in a way the entire class could see more easily. Technology has advanced
beyond the older projectors, however, and modern smart boards and
digital projectors allow a teacher to type at a computer and have it
displayed for the entire room to see. This type of multimedia learning can
also include a teacher seamlessly incorporating video clips or interactive
presentation software on the computer into a lesson as well. Multimedia
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learning goes beyond passive learning, however, and can also allow
students to interact with computer software and video or audio
presentations to further enhance their learning. Some students, for
example, may be able to learn about the human body through lectures
and images in books that demonstrate the various systems within the
body. For other students, however, the ability to use a computer program
that provides a digital model of the human body and how each system is
interrelated can be far more powerful. Especially as the students are able
to interact with the model and see each system separately and together
from various angles and points of view. This effort to give the tools of
learning to students, then allow them to learn in the way that is most
meaningful for them, is one of the cornerstones of multimedia learning.
The Five Elements of Multimedia
Multimedia fall into one of five main categories and use varied
techniques for digital formatting. One or any combination of this content
can be used to enhance your website or social media platform.
1. Text
As a multimedia option, text can easily be overlooked, but it is still the
most fundamental element and most effective way to communicate in
multimedia. Text is used as headlines, subtitles, and slogans. It’s purpose
is to express specific information or reinforce information in other media.
It involves the use of text types, sizes, colours and background colour.
For example, you can choose the font and it’s size and colour to set a
tone or project an image, or you can choose the mood you want to evoke
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with background colour. Text can make the intended message you want
to convey through multimedia more understandable, it can be used as an
alternative in case a digital image is not available in a visitor’s browser,
and other media or related information can be accessed by clicking on
text links. Text options in multimedia are limitless!
Presentational characteristics of text
Text is particularly good at handling abstraction and
generalisation, mainly through written language
Text enables the linear sequencing of information in a structured
format
Text can present and separate empirical evidence or data from the
abstractions, conclusions or generalisations derived from the
empirical evidence
Text’s linear structure enables the development of coherent,
sequential argument or discussion
At the same time text can relate evidence to argument and vice
versa
Text’s recorded and permanent nature enables independent
analysis and critique of its content
Still graphics such as graphs or diagrams enable knowledge to be
presented differently from written language, either providing
concrete examples of abstractions or offering a different way of
representing the same knowledge
2. Graphics
Graphics are an important part of multimedia because humans are
visually oriented. Images including photographs, illustrations, drawings,
clip art, icons or any other non-text elements on a website or in social
media are an example of graphics. There is no movement in these types
of pictures. Still/static pictures typically accompany text to illustrate the
point or ideas the text makes. Photos in a multimedia application go
beyond using them just as decoration. In a multimedia context graphics
may consist of slide shows or galleries that a website or social media
visitor can view. They may have clickability that leads the viewer to
another element, such as audio or video. Graphics appear in many
multimedia applications providing communication through attractive
visual affects.
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Ways to Use Graphics for Learning
Virtually everyone has an opinion on how to use graphics in their training
materials. The criteria most people use for selecting visual elements is
typically based on surface features—things like style, colouring, degree
of realism, etc. While there is no doubt those are important
considerations, they have little, if anything, to do with how well a graphic
contributes to the learning experience. When it comes to learning,
evidence suggests that how you use your graphics is more important
than their visual properties. It is much more important for a graphic to
clearly communicate your message regardless of how it looks.
Representational graphics are used to represent the actual appearance of
something. These types of visuals are best for presenting things learners
will encounter when transferring their learning to actual tasks.
Representational graphics include things like software application
screens, forms, equipment, etc.
Graphic demonstrating levers in Physics
3. Animation
Animated elements are common multimedia applications. Animation is a
series of images put together to give the effect of movement. In
multimedia, 2D and 3D digital animation is used. Movement, rather than
just viewing a still image, is especially useful for illustrating concepts
that involve movement. Animation is used to add visual interest or bring
attention to important information or links. It can illustrate how things
work or present information in entertaining ways. Animation can also
include interactive effects allowing visitors to engage with the animation
action using their mouse and keyboard. Animation is a dynamic and
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media-rich content that stays within one container on a page – a very
powerful form of communication.
Animation showing exchange of gases in plants
4. Audio
Sound can enhance your website design and social media platforms. It is
a multimedia application that uses dialogue, recorded narration, music
and sound effects. These are called the audio or sound elements. When
used in moderation, adding multimedia such as sound to your
presentation can be a great way to catch and focus the visitor’s attention,
to deliver information to visitors, and to help reinforce the visitor’s
comprehension of the information presented. For example, narration can
be used to describe what is being seen in an animation clip enhancing
the understanding of what the clip is all about. Featuring related music
and special sound effects are also very effective multimedia applications
that can add to the visitor’s experience.
5. Video
Video is a visual multimedia application that combines a sequence of
images to form moving pictures and sound. Video can have an impact on
websites and on social media platforms in a very unique and powerful
way. You can inform the world that your company exists, spread the word
about your company, grab attention to show your visitors how to do
something, showcase a new product, build brand awareness, or even
promote an upcoming event. You name it, you can do it with video!
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8OssnSp8ks
Video is ideally suited to showing practical demonstrations of a task or
theory. There is a long history of this type of content being used within
education as it suits students with a range of preferred learning styles.
The success of this kind of video to explain both basic and complex
concepts is evident by the numerous popular examples on YouTube.
Why teach with video?
When students have access to video content to watch outside of class,
class time can be used for comprehension checks, discussion, and
reinforcement of content. Multimedia content helps to vary and enhance
the learning process, and leads to better knowledge retention.
Educational video can provide more opportunities for students to engage
with the content. Students around the world can learn from course
content made available through video. Video can sometimes demonstrate
complex ideas and access other times and places better than speaking
can. Video can help instructors overcome limitations like large class sizes
and limited time.
What can we do with video?
Instructors can use video to provide supplemental materials for their
students. This can help reinforce content and give students resources to
prepare for assessments. Many teachers have benefitted from using
video to flip their classroom. A flipped course is one in which students
absorb new material largely outside of class time. Instructors benefit
from flipped classrooms. When a course is flipped, teachers have more
time available to engage with their students, rather than racing through
introductions to new content. Once an instructor has created or found a
suitable video content, they possess a permanent library of learning
resources which can be reused for new students in various learning
contexts. Students benefit from flipped classrooms. In a flipped course,
students have more opportunities to engage with their instructor and
peers. Students also can take greater ownership over their education,
and are allowed a level of flexibility that is unavailable in traditional class
structures. Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, are created largely
through video. These courses consist of a series of learning modules that
explain content, punctuated by comprehension checks at the end of each
section. They are valuable for students around the world learning in
diverse contexts.
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How is video best used in the classroom?
Successful and productive school use of television and video has
increased dramatically over the last decades. As the technology
continues to grow both more
sophisticated and more user-friendly, teachers continue to become more
skilful at
integrating these media into their instruction. In recent survey, 92% of
teachers said that using TV and video helped them teach more
effectively, and 88% said that “it enabled them to be more creative” in
the classroom (CPB, 2017).
As with all educational technologies, the value of video relies on how it is
implemented in the classroom. Reviews and meta-analysis of the
research indicates that positive learning and affective outcomes are
greatly enhanced and extended when the
video is integrated into the rest of the lesson. Effectively integrating
video into classroom instruction involves preparation and activities
before, during and after viewing. Teachers can prepare for using video
by previewing the content, establishing clear purposes for viewing and
deciding what selections will best support that purpose. The value of
video “is highly correlated to its integration within the curriculum—in
other words, how closely the content fits into the overall instructional
sequence”. For instance, video may be used at the beginning of a unit to
whip up interest, during
a unit or lesson to bring demonstrations into the classroom that might
not otherwise be possible, or as a means of reviewing or reinforcing
content. Supporting students to engage with video as active learners
requires creating the right setting for such learning to occur.
Setting expectations for students and providing a context for the activity,
beneficial with any learning tasks, may be especially crucial for viewing
of video with
content that is highly emotionally-charged.
Selecting Video Content
Selecting effective video is an essential component of integrating this
medium into practice and realizing the promise of multimedia in the
classroom. In reviewing the
historical, political and economic contexts of each major classroom
technology over the past century, one of the most significant factors in
the success or failure of an educational technology is the quality of the
content, rather than the technology itself. Selecting video that has
strong, visually-rich educational content is a critical element for
maximizing the effectiveness of video.
Video is a visual medium, and optimal use capitalizes on the strengths of
its visual material. This includes providing visual demonstrations or
evidence, dramatizing
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events and concepts, and appealing to the emotions. Educational video
with instructional strategies and cognitive modelling traits embedded in
the video itself can aid in student comprehension. Examples range from
zooming in on details, to providing titles and other attention-drawing
graphics, to animations. Videos with closed captioning can further
promote learners’ reading fluency and motivation to read.
The following are suggestions of positives to look for when evaluating
videos:
• Variation in the presentation
• Humor
• Age-appropriate narration and developmentally-appropriate thinking
skills
• Chunking, or organization in sections
• Provision of meaningful examples
• Posing of open-ended questions
• Opportunities for students to carry out individual thinking
• Opportunities for extension
• Teacher guides outlining possibilities for previewing or extension
activities.
Video becomes less effective if the selections shown depend too closely
on non-visual
elements of video and thus exploit the weaknesses of the medium by
presenting abstract and non-visual information, relying too much on a
“talking heads” style of conveying information or presenting intellectual
arguments not backed up with physical evidence. Since video conveys
information that is both auditory and visual, these two modes must work
in concert for video to be most effective. Overly-dramatic sound tracks,
visuals and narration that are not supportive of one another, and
excessive use of still frames or slides can all distract from the educational
message.
Merits of using multimedia in the classroom
Using multimedia in classroom helps educators engage students and
provide them with valuable learning opportunities. It is easy to
remember a picture than a paragraph, an animated video of a concept
worth more of a lecture and a video demonstration of a process (or an
instrument) by a scientist gives more real time knowledge than a
theoretical explanation. There is no doubt educators consider multimedia
as a great tool to improve student learning. Here are a few benefits of
using multimedia in classroom:
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• Multimedia empowers students to create and design rather than
absorb representations created by others.
• It improves reflective thinking.
• It also provides students with suitable learning resources according
to their learning styles and abilities.
Most of the educators and administrators are adopting latest educational
technologies in order to reach the 21st century learning standards. Of all
those tech approaches, usage of multimedia is one of the great tools to
engage students. Let’s hear what educators suggest about new ways of
using multimedia in classroom below:
Personalized Learning using Multimedia Resources: Multimedia
resources help different learners meet their learning needs. As we know,
different students have different learning styles, educators can easily
provide them with suitable learning resources using multimedia.
Educators use YouTube to provide visual learners with online videos,
podcasts for auditory learners and interactive games for tactile learners.
Multimedia resources make everything easy for students to learn in their
comfortable learning style. Unlike traditional approaches, in which only
the teachers used to lead the entire classroom delivering long lectures at
the same pace, the use of multimedia results in personalization of
learning.
Group Learning: Multimedia tools such as blogs, social networks and
wikis enable students to work together in learning a particular concept.
Students use these to share their works with others, give feedbacks on
others’ works and discuss among others a particular topic. It can be done
through either blogging or micro blogging (Tweets). Using these
multimedia tools, educators can engage students in several works and
watch them collaborating with each other, peer assessing each other’s
works and learning as a group.
Improve Presentation skills: Using storyboarding, videos and
slideshows is a great way to improve student learning, because it allows
them to engage with text in a very visual way aided by multimedia.
Multimedia tools enable students to express their ideas and works in
concise ways that capture the attention of the audience and they develop
an ability to communicate thoughts and concepts through a variety of
resources, including text and recorded narrations.
Giving students a wider choice of software and tools to present their
work is an effective approach as it allows learners to decide on the style
of presentation that best suits their personality. This is also a way to
allow the learners to engage in their education in a more personalized
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way and also improve their creativity, critical thinking and reflective
thoughts.
Practical Disadvantages to Using Multimedia
Multimedia lessons or components of lessons delivered via video or
image require computers, projectors and other electronic devices
depending upon the subject and the amount of original material a
teacher creates. The expense associated with quality projectors or
computers for every student can be quite high, and the number of images
and videos in a lesson can slow down the delivery and pace of the class
as a result. Student access to computers at home may also cause
problems, and varying quality of student electronic devices can create
inequity in projects and presentations. When designing a multimedia
learning experience, the role of the teacher shifts from instructor to
facilitator. If a lesson allows students to complete learning at their own
pace as they move through stages of learning, classroom management
becomes increasingly difficult. This is particularly true if students work
in groups to view multimedia sources or share computers. Additionally,
students who are not as proficient with technology may have to spend
more time learning computer skills to access information than focusing
on course materials.
Multimedia storage
Multimedia storage is an important concern in developing multimedia
products because a huge amount of storage is required due to the
presence of streaming media like audio and video, in addition to static
media. Even static media like images consume a substantial amount of
memory space. There are two aspects of storage, namely, devices for
storage as well as storage of data in databases.
Some of the popular devices for multimedia storage are:
1. Magnetic media. E.g. Discs, floppies, and tapes
2. Optical media. E.g . Gramophone, compact disc (CD), CD-ROM (read-
only memory), CD-R (CD-read); CD-RW (read-write); and enhanced CD
3. Flash and solid-state chip devices
4. Cloud storage
5. File systems (traditional, multimedia)
The output devices for the stored data are:
1. CD-ROM
2. DVD
3. Scanner (for capture of data)
4. Charge-coupled devices (CCDs), which are also used for data
acquisition.
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References
Banerjee, S. (2019). Elements of multimedia. CRC Press Taylor & Francis
Group
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
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