Structured Reflection Journal
Multimedia Student Authoring

What are the benefits of student­created multimedia projects?

Students who create multimedia reports and other projects benefit greatly from the research they must do as well as the experience they gain by using application software that may be new to them. Many students would prefer to create a report on a computer rather than write a paper and those students who are creative will have an outlet to express themselves, regardless of the topic of study.

Not only will the author reap benefit by creating such a project, the audience also will be more likely to pay attention and learn from the experience. This exciting, innovative approach to student authoring empowers students to create something dramatic and educational at the same time.

How might a unit of instruction based on multimedia student authoring be delivered in a classroom?

There is a factor of time that must be weighted in creating such an instructional unit. Many students have access to a computer at home but they may not have the appropriate software and support necessary to create a project of this type. Other students simply do not have any access outside of school. The teacher would have to find time and a location for students to complete their work.

A multimedia student authoring project would usually be integrated into another unit of study. Typically teachers will assign students to do some research or an experiment and report on their findings in some manner-usually written or oral. Multimedia student authoring is just another avenue for students to be able to make their presentation.

Describe HyperStudio and/or Digital Chisel. Why do you think these programs are so popular?

HyperStudio allows full integration of multimedia components such as sound, video, graphics, text and animation into a single, seamless presentation. HyperStudio allows not only for a linear presentation format but also permits the use of hyperlinks to other documents and world wide web sites. The presentation format is very professional looking and can be displayed on a computer monitor or projected onto a large screen for group viewing.

This software is similar to its cousin, Digital Chisel. These programs are so popular because they are powerful, easy to use, cost effective, and are heavily marketed to educational institutions.

The price of digitizing equipment, such as scanners and video capture cards, is dropping rapidly. How might this affect an average classroom? What advantages might this offer students and parents?

More and more classrooms are starting to see digitizing equipment being added to their repertoire of computer hardware. Flatbed scanners costing well over $500 five years ago have been replaced in the market by today's scanners that cost less than $100 and are faster, easier to use and provide better resolution.

Digital cameras are also finding a welcome place in the classroom because they allow for immediate image capturing and digitizing. Students who do not have access to digitizing at home are able to do this at school. This means that parents will not have to spend an inordinate amount of money on computer hardware that will seldom be used.