Multimedia approaches in teacher education

Workshop objectives To understand the nature, scope and purposes of multimedia education. To appreciate the contribution of multimedia approaches in teacher education. To appreciate ways in which the multimedia approaches in the Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future programme can be used to develop an understanding of the rationale, scope, content and multimedia education design of Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future.

Workshop activities A demonstration project Advantages of multimedia education Approaches to multimedia education Reflection

A demonstration project of… How multimedia approaches can be used to provide professional development experiences for a wide range of educators at various phases of their professional career.

A demonstration project of… How a professional development resource may be prepared to allow maximum flexibility for individual and small group use.

A demonstration project of… How such flexibility can allow for the use of the multimedia resource for both independent study and use as part of a tertiary course.

A demonstration project of… How capacity building in the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be enhanced as a 'by-product' of professional development in other fields.

A demonstration project of… How the scale of impact of a programme may be maximised for a large audience (60 million teachers) through the effective use of ICT and innovative multimedia design.

Advantages of multimedia in education Unlimited and Evolving: Since the information on the Internet is distributed over a huge number of computers, the amount of information that is accessible is enormous and growing rapidly whereas conventional textbooks are necessarily limited in scope. 

Advantages of multimedia in education Up to date: Internet links provide access to sources of information that are constantly being updated, without the need for teacher involvement (but be sure to check the 'update' information at all Internet sites).

Advantages of multimedia in education Inexpensive: The only cost for access to the information on most Internet sites is your on-line time.

Advantages of multimedia in education Searchable: Search engines are readily available and can be incorporated into Internet sites so that the entire resource can be searched by key word or phrase.

Advantages of multimedia in education Diverse Authorship: The viewpoints of people and organisations from many different perspectives are available on the Internet. Some sites invite participants to contribute to the sources of information, as well as use them.

Advantages of multimedia in education Interactive: Some Internet sites allow various types of interaction with the user, including simulation, surveys and self-paced tutorials.

Advantages of multimedia in education Asynchronous interaction: Unlike face-to-face or telephone conversations, electronic communication does not require participants to respond immediately. As a result, interactions can be more succinct and to-the-point, discussion can stay more on-track, and people can get a chance to craft their responses. This can lead to more thoughtful and creative conversations.

Advantages of multimedia in education Any time: The Internet can be used at any convenient time: early morning, late night, after work, or on weekends. Cross-time-zone communication, difficult to arrange in real time, is as easy as talking to someone across town.

Advantages of multimedia in education Any place: Learning can take place anywhere - and you can get information from almost anywhere in the world. You can log on at work, home, the library, or when travelling.