Discussion of how the nature and use of visual and verbal meaning-making systems vary across formats. Focuses on a comparative study of CD-ROMs and printed books dealing with scientific concepts in upper primary grades. Topics include linguistic and visual semiosis; the use of images; and meanings in images. (Author/LRW)

Discussion of the development of instructional multimedia materials focuses on a study of undergraduates that examined how the use of visual icons affected learning, differences in the instructional effectiveness of visual versus auditory processing of the same information, and timing (whether simultaneous or sequential presentation is more…