Multimedia (1653 words) Essay Example For Students

Multimedia (1653 words) Essay MultimediaMultimediaMultimedia, or mixed-media, systems offerpresentations that integrateeffects existing in a variety of formats,including text, graphics,animation, audio, and video. Such presentationsfirst became commerciallyavailable in very primitive form in theearly 1980s, as a result of advancesthat have been made in digital compressiontechnology particularly thedifficult area of image compression. Multimediaonline services areobtainable through telephone/computeror television links, multimediahardware and software exist for personalcomputers, networks, the internet,interactive kiosks and multimedia presentationsare available on CD-ROMs andvarious other mediums. The use of multimediain our society has it benefitsand its drawbacks, most defiantly. Someof the more computer-related uses ofmultimedia, such as electronic publishing,the internet, and computers ineducation will be discussed in depth thoughtthis paper. Electronic publishing is the publishingof material in a computer-accessiblemedium, such as on a CD-ROM or on theInternet. In a broader sense of theterm it could also include paper productspublished with the aid of a desktoppublishing program, or any form of printingthat involves the use of acomputer. Reference works became availablein the mid-1980s both in CD-ROM format andonline. Increasingly, in the 1990s, magazines,journals, books, andnewspapers have become available in anelectronic format, and some areappearing in that format only. Companiesthat publish technical manuals toaccompany their other products have alsobeen turning to electronicpublishing. Electronic books have been recentlyintroduced to the world as a whole. Thisnew concept is the use of internet orotherwise computer technology toelectronically convert books to a digital,readable format viewed on atelevision set or computer screen. Thiswould most likely be done by scanningin individual pages in a book, arrangethem in orderly fashion, and haveusers be able to cycle back and forthbetween the photo-identical pages. Thismethod would be very quick, and very easyto accomplish- that is- scanningpages as opposed to re-typing millionsof words is preferred. This brings usto another method in electronic book production-the interactive method. Indigital format, the books pages can onlybe viewed, just like a book. If areader would want to take notes from abook, he/she would have to write downthe notes by hand, or would be forcedto photo-copy the page(s). If the bookwas typed out entirely as would be doneby an electronic word processor suchas Microsoft Word, users would greatlybene fit. The ability for the computerto recognize the words on the screen asactual words as opposed to merebitmaps is often unrealized to the computernon-familiar. This recognitionallows the page to be edited with completeinteractivity and ease- again likeMicrosoft Word. Books can be updated orcorrected in real time, withouthaving to re-upload corrected pages, orcompensate for unalignment in wordsand page breaks. Perhaps the most beneficialto the user is theinteractivity- the ability to interactwith the words in the book. Byhighlighting letters on the page, copyingthem, and pasting them in personalclipboards or other word processing programs,the tedious task of note-takingcan be eliminated. This idea, on the otherhand, can raise issues with theauthor and publisher of the book. Plagiarism,already a problem, would runwild in this area. Users would theoreticallybe able to copy entire books ormagazines to their personal files, andbe able to use them as their ownreports or writings. Addition ally, theability to view a book and itscontents at no charge obviously will notagree with some publishers. Thisalso brings up the idea of charging peoplefor time online. Users could becharged money for use of electronic books/magazineson a time basis. This,however, will not go over well in thepublic domain. We would rather take onthe trouble of taking manual notes thanbe charged for something that isotherwise free at a library. Animal Farm - Compared To The Russian Revolution EssaySince their introduction in schoolsin the early 1980s computers andcomputer software have been increasinglyaccessible to students andteachersin classrooms, computer labs,school libraries, and outside ofschool. By the mid-1990s there were about4.5 million computers in elementaryand secondary schools throughout the UnitedStates. Schools buy Macintosh andIBM-compatible computers almost exclusively(though mostly Macs, dang it!!),although nearly half of their computersare based on older designs such asthe Apple IIe. Students spend on the averagean hour per week using schoolcomputers. Though this depends on thestudentComputers can be used for learningand teaching in school in at least fourways. First, learning involves acquiringinformation. Computers- especiallylinked to CD-ROMs and video disks thatelectronically store thousands ofarticles, visual images, and sounds- enablestudents to search the electronicequivalent of an encyclopedia or a videolibrary to answer their ownquestions or simply to browse throughfascinating and visually appealinginformation. Second, learning involves the developmentof skills like reading andmathematics- skills that are greatly learnedon computers in basic forms. Software called computer-assisted instruction,or CAI, asks questions tostudents and compares each answer withthe single correct answer- a verybasic program. Typically, such programsrespond to wrong answers with anexplanation and another, similar problem. Sometimes CAI programs are embeddedin an entertaining game that holds studentinterest and yet keeps studentattention on academic work. Most CAI programscover quite limited material,but some larger-scale reading and mathematicsprograms have been developed. Third, learning involves the developmentof a wide variety of analyticunderstandings. Computers help studentsreach these goals through softwaresuch as word processors , graphing andconstruction tools, electronicpainting and CAD programs, music compositionprograms, simulations of socialenvironments, and programs that collectdata from science laboratoryequipment and aid in analysis. Finally, a large topic in learningis communicating with othersfinding andengaging an audience with ones ideasand questions. Several types ofcomputer software can be used in schoolsfor communications: desktoppublishing and image-editing softwarefor making professional-quality printedmaterials, computer programming languagessuch as BASIC or Pascal or C forcreating interactive computer exercises,and telecommunications software forexchanging ideas at electronic speedswith students in other classrooms allover the world. The computer in education can posegreat benefits to the student, but to alimited extent. The computer must be usedas a tool, and not as a teacher. Itshould be thought of as an educationalassistant (in the school setting) andnot a game machine. Computers have unlimitedpossibilities, and we shouldincorporate them into our schools. Butin doing this, we must realize thatcomputers should not be the main focus,education and the quality of theteachers should be. For any case, withoutsolid teaching and instruction,computers and other such resources becomeuseless.