Importance of Using Multimedia Presentation in Teaching

What is Multimedia Presentation

A multimedia presentation is a message that uses multimedia.In education, “ A multimedia instructional message is a presentation consisting of words and pictures that is designed to foster meaningful learning. Thus, there are two parts to the definition: (a) the presentation contains words and pictures, and (b) the presentation is designed to foster meaningful learning” (Mayer 2003: 128)
Multimedia is more than one concurrent presentation medium (for example, on CD-ROM or a Web site). Although still images are a different medium than text, multimedia is typically used to mean the combination of text, sound, and/or motion video. Some people might say that the addition of animated images (for example, animated GIF on the Web) produces multimedia.

Multimedia tends to imply sophistication (and relatively more expense) in both production and presentation than simple text-and-images. Multimedia presentations are possible in many contexts, including the Web, CD-ROMs, and live theater. A rule-of-thumb for the minimum development cost of a packaged multimedia production with video for commercial presentation (as at trade shows) is: $1,000 a minute of presentation time. Since any Web site can be viewed as a multimedia presentation, however, any tool that helps develop a site in multimedia form can be classed as multimedia software and the cost can be less than for standard video productions.

Tips for Effectively Teaching with Your Multimedia Presentation

Sep 14th, 2011

by UWB LT.

In a recent post on the SlideShare blog, Olivia Mitchell gave some helpful tips on giving an effective, informative presentation with slideshow tools. These days, there are may different tools available to create and present a slideshow– SlideShare, PowerPoint, and Prezi, to name a few big ones. However, some still struggle with creating an engaging, effective presentation that really gets across to their audience. Mitchell explains that a presentation works best if it combines g00d graphic design as well as good instructional design. In other words, the right combination of information and visual appeal presented in the correct way. Below are four specific tips she offers, to get you started with making any slideshow presentation better:

1. “Use words and graphics” – it’s very important to use a good mix of text and graphics. The fact is, humans enjoy visuals. Don’t give a presentation full of text that you will at some point review orally anyways. Use a picture or graph to show information whenever you can. Of course, you shouldn’t just use graphics either. Give your audience a little text to guide them through points or present hard facts to them.
2. “Don’t use pictures which aren’t 100% conceptually relevant” – when you use graphics that aren’t relevant to the presentation, you are sending your audience an invitation to get off track. Rather than paying attention to the information you are currently presenting, they’ll probably be more focused on figuring out what the image has to do with your slide’s content. Mitchell explains that “this tends to happen when you know you should add a picture but can’t find quite the right one – so you settle for something less”. Make sure the picture you choose is both relevant and visually interesting to help your audience digest information more smoothly.
3. “Present words as audio rather than onscreen text” – depending on which slideshow tool you are using, you may have the option to add audio to your slides. According to the post, 64 percent of students found presentations that used graphics with audio more effective than presentations that used graphics with text. This is a great chance to add personality to your presentation, but it’s important you also cut down on the amount of text you put onscreen–you don’t want to give the audience toomuch information at once. Try using SlideCasts with SlideShare, or adding narration to your PowerPoint.
4. “Use a ‘virtual coach’” – create a “host” for your presentation that the audience can be guided by. Keep your guide consistent, and check back with them after every group of slides or big points. Mitchell suggests that the presentation may feel more like a conversation to audience members this way.

Elements of a multimedia presentation

Before we can create a multimedia presentation we need to assemble the elements of the presentation: text, images, audio and video. These may have been prepared in other application packages, e.g. word processing, graphics, etc.

Types of Multimedia Presentations

Interactive (Navigable)

These presentations have a navigation structure and the viewer can choose the topics he/she wants to go through by clicking and choosing. They require active interaction from the user. All the elements of Multimedia like sound or Animation are effectively utilized to make the transfer of message clearer. This type of presentation is suited to be handed over to a prospective customer or to be distributed at a seminar or trade show. These can also be used for in house, simulated, hands on training.

Self-running

A self running multimedia presentation is like a sales demo that can be shown to a group of people. It does not require any navigation techniques and runs continuously. Content-wise it is similar to the Interactive Presentation.

Web pages become multimedia resources and presentations when they are designed with media other than static images and text such as audio, video, animation and virtual reality.
Hypermedia:-
Hypermedia is a combination of the words hypertext and multimedia. Hypertext is often referred to as the text on a web page which may include graphics, sound animation and video as well. Navigation of hypertext is designed to be nonlinear allowing the viewer to jump between segments as they choose.
Slide Presentations:-
Teacher or student slide presentations can done using a variety of software such as PowerPoint, AppleWorks Presentation, Corel Presentations 8.0 and KidPix Slide Show. Although the capabilities of the programs vary, the purpose of the slide show format is to display work such as student or teacher research, ideas, information outlines or unit material. Test, chats, graphs, audio, text animation, live hyperlinks and video clips can be added to many of the presentation software programs to create multimedia presentations. Slide show presentations can be viewed by a group at the computer or by a class by connecting the computer to a digital projector.
Video:-
Video presentations can provide background information in a unit of study for all learners as well as provide a resource for independent learning. Documentary videos help students gain insight to historical events, other cultures and human identities. Videos can also provide the window to the remote – outer space, the inaccessible – the human heart, and the delicate – a bee pollinating a flower.
Virtual Reality:-
Virtual reality is the technology that allows us to explore from a computer a 3 dimensional space. Using a digital camera and photo-stitch software, teachers and students can create their own virtual reality tours for use in a variety of curriculum areas. Once created, the virtual tours can be shared with other classes and schools.

Advantages and disadvantages of Multimedia:

IBM (Hall & Baumgartner, 1991, p. 260) suggested many advantages (according to their view) of multimedia:

• Increases learning effectiveness.
• Is more appealing over traditional, lecture-based learning methods.
• Offers significant potential in improving personal communications, education and training efforts.
• Reduces training costs.
• Is easy to use.
• Tailors information to the individual.
• Provides high-quality video images & audio.
• Offers system portability.
• Frees the teacher from routine tasks.
• Gathers information about the study results of the student.

      Disadvantages of multimedia:

• Expensive
• Not always easy to configure
• Requires special hardware
• Not always compatible

Advantages of Multimedia

The use of multimedia offers many advantages:

1. Enhancement of Text Only Messages: Multimedia enhances text only presentations by adding interesting sounds and compelling visuals.
2. Improves over Traditional Audio-Video Presentations: Audiences are more attentive to multimedia messages than traditional presentations done with slides or overhead transparencies.
3. Gains and Holds Attention: People are more interested in multimedia messages which combine the elements of text, audio, graphics and video. Communication research has shown that the combination of communication modes (aural and visual) offers greater understanding and retention of information.
4. Good for “computer-phobics”: Those who are intimidated by computer keyboards and complex instructions are more comfortable with pressing buttons with a mouse or on a screen.
5. Multimedia is Entertaining as Well as Educational: