Hype surrounding the promise that technology has for education began with Thomas Edison in 1913, when he predicted that the motion picture would end the need for textbooks and revolutionize schools. Years later a phase of development was fueled by government funding, and the educational film industry reached a heyday following World War II, which…

The widespread availability of high-quality Web-based tools and content offers new promise and potential for supporting teachers as creators of instructional activities. When coupled with a participatory Web culture and infrastructure, teachers can share their creations as well as leverage from the best that their peers have to offer to support a…

Presents a matrix of skills necessary for multimedia development. Skills are identified in business, artistic, and technical areas. These skills are then applied to the following reasons for multimedia use: to condense time and material; to effect rapid skills transfer; and to manage feedback and evaluation. (MES)

Effective display of organized content is demonstrated through the Organized Content Technique (OCT), which synthesizes, collates, and organizes information into a sound conceptual configuration, including layout, display, typography, descriptors, and style. The result is a content page that has entity and unity and is pleasing and effective with…

Provides an overview of this special issue that addresses the possibilities and implications of electronic publishing and information dissemination as key components of effective education. Highlights include the theory and framework of electronic publishing; differences between electronic text and print; development of new educational materials;…

Describes the basic components of a multimedia design curriculum, including conceptual coursework, technology-related coursework, final project options, and practical experience. (14 references) (MES)

Discusses the contributions of cognitive theory to continued progress in the field of instructional design, and, correspondingly, what designers can do in the coming decade to facilitate the growth and development of the understanding of human cognition. Forty references are appended. (Author/LLS)

Reviews findings from the behavioral sciences which are related to the referential, informational, demand, relational, and image-of-the-other characteristics of instructional presentations. The need for research which would extend knowledge about these items is also discussed. Five references are appended. (Author/LLS)

Discusses the need for improved methodologies and tools to guide the design and development of interactive technology-based instructional materials. Topics discussed include mental models; knowledge representation; knowledge analysis and acquisition systems; the effectiveness of instructional transactions; strategy analysis systems for…

Begins by discussing what interactive multimedia (IMM) is, why it is used, and how it should be evaluated. A pragmatic approach to evaluation is advocated, and a framework for formative evaluation is proposed, which focuses on formative experimentation. The educational goals of IMM technology and methods of formative experimentation are detailed.…

Describes a method for videodisc courseware development utilized by the University of Notre Dame Interactive Videodisc Laboratory staff, which includes production of a storyboard as the final component of the design phase. The three steps of group storyboarding, formative evaluation, and generation of production documents are discussed in detail.…

Describes a number of different frames of reference through which educators can look at the opportunity presented by compact-disc interactive (CD-I) technology, and proposes general guidelines to help them begin thinking about a more creative role as prospective authors of CD-I materials. (MES)

Reviews relevant features for interactive video images of the four primary technologies that merge to intertwine themselves in interactive video (computers, television, instructional design, visual design); outlines critical structural elements of interactive video; and presents guidelines for creating interactive video images. (MBR)

The first in a series of three, this article argues that the transfer of educational models and innovations from developed nations is not sufficient for developing countries. Recommended instead are bold approaches to education which can demonstrate direct application and benefits for meeting local and national goals. (MER)

Presents specific guidelines for designing instructional programs that will be delivered on microcomputers so that these programs will use the capacity of the microcomputer system in a way that will develop in learners a range of cognitive skills and help learners to evolve useful learning strategies. (Author)