Describes new and newly important specialties in the training field: instructional designer, project management, and multimedia course developer. (SK)

Examines the nature of literacy in a technology-rich classroom. Notes that four literacy patterns emerged: the public, the semiotic, the transitory and the publishing nature of literacy. Focuses on what characteristics define literacy in a technology-rich classroom. Builds on other studies of literacy technology and provides an overarching…

A study compared 48 cardiac patients who used an interactive multimedia computer-assisted patient education program and 48 taught by tutorial. The computer-assisted instructional method resulted in significantly better knowledge about exercise and self-management of chronic diseases. (Contains 29 references.) (JOW)

Faced with a fast changing society, the need to develop quality instructional materials to update professional skills has become a growing necessity. This article shows how certain instructional design techniques, such as the "Scenistic" approach and the SNOW analysis, can ensure the educational and the broad technical quality of interactive…

Although instructional methods are moving in ever greater number to a multimedia base, testing is not. What principles should be considered in correcting this misalignment?

In the first decades of the IT revolution, disproportionate amounts of intellectual energy and financial investment were expended in building out the technology foundations. As a result, campuses now rely heavily on technology and Web resources that, though radically altering the academic landscape, have remained centered on the build-out of core…

As an illustration of meaningful exploration of public art, Coutts provides a tour of a multimedia curriculum project based on art works in Glasgow, Scotland. He explores the potential of multimedia to engage students and teachers in a debate about public art for students at the interface of primary and secondary schools. Scanning the City, a…

Innovation is an eight-part multimedia television series airing on public broadcasting stations throughout the United States. It focuses on technological breakthroughs and the personalities and circumstances that bring about dramatic changes in daily living. The series offers an array of fascinating material designed to engage students with…

This article reports research that attempts to characterize what is powerful about digital multimodal texts. Building from recent theoretical work on understanding the workings and implications of multimodal communication, the authors call for a continuing empirical investigation into the roles that digital multimodal texts play in real-world…

This study examines the impact of different metaphors on the process of hypertext construction. Two groups of 20 college students with no experience in hypertext construction received introductory explanations on the text format "hypertext" based on either a book or a space metaphor. Then they had to construct hypertexts by linking prepared nodes…

In 4 experiments, students received a lesson consisting of computer-based animation and narration or a lesson consisting of paper-based static diagrams and text. The lessons used the same words and graphics in the paper-based and computer-based versions to explain the process of lightning formation (Experiment 1), how a toilet tank works…

When Mount St. Helens threatened to erupt again in 2004, it grabbed headlines and captured the imagination of the country. Science classrooms nationwide used the event as an opportunity to make real-world connections to Earth science concepts introduced in the classroom. Thanks to modern technology, teachers no longer have to wait for the next…

Educators are aware from their own experience, as part of the audience if not a lecturer, that being talked at for 50 minutes is not the most captivating form of communication. A change of dynamic, preferably involving an element of topicality, can make a significant contribution to engagement. This article discusses how teachers can use short…

The term "serious games" became popularized in 2002 as a result of an initiative to promote the use of games for education, training, and other purposes. Today, many companies are using games for training and development, often with hefty price tags. For example, the development budget for the U.S. Army recruiting game, "America's…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the instructional effects of using animations, static figures, PowerPoint bulletins, and e-plus software as chemistry texts with the aid of computer-based technology. This study analyzed the characteristics of students involved in three multimedia courses and their achievement and attitude toward chemistry…