Elements of Multimedia in Education

Definition

Elements of multimedia used in education include text, video, sound, graphics, and animation.

The growth in use of multimedia within the education sector has accelerated in recent years, and looks set for continued expansion in the future. The elements used in multimedia have all existed before. Multimedia simply combines these elements into a powerful new tool, especially in the hands of teachers and students. Interactive multimedia weaves five basic types of media into the learning environment: text, video, sound, graphics and animation. Since the mode of learning is interactive and not linear, a student or teacher can choose what to investigate next. When is sound more meaningful than a picture? How much text is too much? Does the graphic overwhelm the screen? For a student, this allows them to test all of their skills gained in every subject area. Interactive multimedia learning mode is more like constructing a spider's web, with one idea linked to another, allowing...