Sample lessons explore Canada, Mexico, whales, the news, fairy tales, resumes, Washington DC, and creating a home page on the Web. Interdisciplinary study with computer-based multimedia in the classroom is reviewed. The multimedia revolution involves multiple technologies and multiple modes of sensation, but the computer is at the heart of this revolution. Despite the many challenges, interest is strong for multimedia courseware. The predicted market is enormous, and nowhere more so than in science education.
Interactive multimedia is ideal for science instruction.
A case study of multimedia use in middle school earth and life science classes by a teacher with no previous computer experience illustrates how conventional instruction can be enhanced. An overall increase in visual literacy must accompany scientific literacy. The requirements for visual literacy are being explored by a number of researchers, and guidelines are being formulated for the design and evaluation of multimedia products. How to Recognize Excellent Educational Software . There is a lot of educational software on the market, but little of it can be said to be revolutionary.