Use Of Multimedia in Education

=USE OF MULTIMEDIA IN EDUCATION=

Introduction
Multimedia is used in many applications today. It has become integrated in all aspects of one’s life. It improves the way people relate with electronic information. Today it has been widely used in the education sector. Teachers use multimedia in different ways for different levels of students. The different ways one can use it are for individualized instruction, collaborative learning, computerized assessments and Multimedia presentations. Technologies allow us to overcome limitations of time, distance, and physical capability, but they only empower us when they can be gracefully used by large, productive segments of our society. For example we see that open and distance learning is one area where many are taking advantage of the content and the courses that are delivered to the students. Some of the new concepts that are used by educationists are podcasting, webinars,, learning management systems and many more.

There are studies showing that learners who learn using Multimedia material have more retention of the concepts taught versus traditional modes of instruction and the student involvement was higher. It has also shown that learner’s comprehension also increased with the concepts being taught with Multimedia material. The using and designing of Multimedia material by the learners also develop many skills, Connell, and Carver, Lehrer Ericksen (1992) list some of the major thinking skills that learners learn and use as multimedia designers.

, Research Skills
 * Project Management Skills
 * Organization and Representation Skills
 * Presentation Skills
 * Reflection Skills

Project Management Skills
Planning a timeline for the finishing of the project. Assigning resources and time to different parts of the project. Assigning roles to team members.

Research Skills
Defining the nature of the problem and how research should be organized. Asking questions about structure, models, cases, values, and roles. Searching for material using text, electronic and pictorial information bases. Analyzing and interpreting all the information collected to identify and interpret patterns.

Organization and Representation Skills
Deciding how to section and classify information to make it understandable. Deciding how information will be denoted (text, pictures, movies, audio, etc.). Determining how the information will be systematized (hierarchy, sequence) and how it will be linked.

Presentation Skills
Mapping the design onto the presentation and implementing the ideas in multimedia. Attracting and maintaining the interests of the intended audiences.

Reflection Skills
Evaluating the program and the process used to create it. Revising the design of the program using feedback

ADVANTAGES OF MULTIMEDIA
Multimedia activities encourage students to work in groups, express their knowledge in multiple ways, solve problems, revise their own work, and construct knowledge. The advantages of integrating multimedia in the classroom are many. Through participation in multimedia activities, students can learn:


 * Real-world skills related to technology
 * The value of teamwork
 * Effective collaboration techniques
 * The impact and importance of different media
 * The challenges of communicating to different audiences
 * How to present information in compelling ways
 * Tailor information to the needs of the individual
 * Techniques for synthesizing and analyzing complex content
 * The importance of research, planning, and organization skills
 * The significance of presentation and speaking skills
 * How to accept and provide constructive feedback
 * How to express their ideas creatively

Multimedia also helps in increasing learning effectiveness and is more attractive over traditional, lecture-based learning methods. It also offers system portability and frees the teacher from routine tasks.