In this study, we introduce the digital backpack as a means for creating a rich learning experience for students of multiple ages. Development, design, and refinement of the digital backpack are grounded in the theoretical framework of Universal Design for Learning using a Design-Based Research (DBR) model. This article presents the design and…

This paper will offer a discussion of the literature concerning multimodality, orchestration and participation related to classroom use of the interactive whiteboard (IWB). Specifically, it will explore the place, or potential use, of the IWB to resource a multimodal approach to teaching and learning, emphasising the complex connections that need…

Tangible computing combines digital feedback with physical interactions - an important link for young children. Through the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, a real-world object (i.e. a chair) or a symbolic toy (i.e. a stuffed bear) can be tagged so that students can activate multimedia learning modules automatically. The…

"Acts of Reading" is an enchanting and scholarly review of the history of reading and texts for children, from the 18th century to the digital age and beyond. They are examined through the eyes of their various audiences: the children, writers, teachers and parents, so as to explore the act of reading itself, whether oral, silent or performative,…

The focus of this special issue is on the cognitive load underlying processes of interactive knowledge construction in a wide range of instructional multimedia platforms. Multimedia comprehension involves the parallel processing of auditory-verbal and visual-pictorial channels within working memory. By means of integrating multimodal information,…

In this article, the author has advanced the view that the world is currently on the threshold of a new status quo--the hegemony of the image. Yet, this seems a mixed blessing, for people, and especially young people, are not equipped with the necessary critical viewing and thinking skills to survive it. Nevertheless, this unfortunate situation…

Vocabulary used to describe things that are "hyper" is very confusing. This paper discusses four factor which contribute to the confusion: the same idea is often described using different terms; even though people sometimes use the same terms, quite often they are referring to different ideas; people tend to confuse "hyperdocuments" with…

Discussion of the Internet 2 Initiative, which is based on collaboration among universities, businesses, and government, focuses on the Access Grid, a Computational Grid that includes interactive multimedia within high-speed networks to provide resources to enable remote collaboration among the research community. (Author/LRW)

Explores four arguments for an expanded definition of literacy to include the multimedia language of the screen. Describes efforts to develop this literacy in students at the Institute for Multimedia Literacy at the Annenberg Center of the University of Southern California. (EV)

Reviews several research studies conducted by one research group that used mixed research methods to explore the ways expert and novice scientists use material features of multiple representations to support their shared understanding and laboratory practices. Draws implications for the design and use of technology based systems that provide…

Identifies and summarizes instructional messages in the articles in this theme issue and also identifies central theoretical issues, focusing on: (1) external representations; (2) dual coding theory; and (3) the effects of animations on learning. (SLD)

Medtronic, Inc., a medical technology company that specializes in implantable and invasive heart-related devices, uses multimedia to train its sales force. The trainers had to overcome some resistance to multimedia as a learning tool, although it increases learning efficiency and reduces training time. (JOW)

Describes the development of a task-based framework for providing learning within the workplace using networked multimedia. Builds on the recognition that tasks must reflect the social process of learning as considered by Vygotsky and takes into account the role of dialogue in the building of knowledge for an individual and for a group.…

Reports on the the Multimedia Dictionary of American Sign language, which was was conceived in he late 1980s as a melding of the pioneering work in American Sign language lexicography that had been carried out decades earlier and the newly emerging computer technologies that were integrating use of graphical user-interface designs, rapidly…

Discusses the question of whether there is such a thing as web literacy. Perspectives from media studies, literacy studies, and the study of multimodal texts are used to find the main contextual parameters involved in what might be classed as web literacy. The parameters suggested are material conditions, domain, power or ideology, and semiotic…