Multimedia in Journalism and Learning
Published by Emil Abraham,
Multimedia journalism involves the use of text, images, sound, video clips, graphics to tell stories in an engaging way. Professionals who work in multimedia journalism leverage digital tools and social media platforms to share their stories with a particular audience online. The purpose of these stories is to inform, educate or entertain that specific audience.
Multimedia journalism also requires using research skills to find newsworthy stories and to learn more about niche markets. Once their stories have been live for some time, multimedia journalists use analysis skills and tools to measure their content’s success.
Multimedia journalists often work for newspapers, radio or television stations or use computers in social media areas. They sample animations, data, video, graphics and audio in multimedia. Multimedia journalism is used extensively in almost all fields today. Multimedia journalists read documents, observe events and interview people. They take notes, tape interviews and verify information about stories they are working on. They often use video cameras, sound systems and editing equipment to broadcast their thinking on specific stories which are in the news or are part of a specific story they are working on. They sometimes solicit public comment through the use of social media like Twitter or Facebook.
Knowledge Acquisition
The knowledge transfer process in the digital age is composed of various basic ingredients. "Knowledge transfer" refers to learning in the broadest sense, including lifelong learning, professional training including training of journalists, librarians, decision-makers, community workers, knowledge workers and any audience for "learning" or, simply, for knowledge acquisition.
The presumption that knowledge is a key driver of social and economic development - which includes notions of cultural identity, empowerment, inclusion and human security and dignity. Today, ICTs afford an exciting opportunity to begin questioning some of the basic assumptions and choices that were predicated on them and to re-open discussions around the nature of learning, the content of learning and the role of facilitators and places for learning. Learning modes are set to become a diversified mixture of self-instruction, group work and tutoring. This process will be complicated and difficult, particularly as there are many different audiences of learners to be targeted - students, skilled workers, general public, young children, out-of-school, primary age, secondary, tertiary, etc.
The solution lies essentially in the organizational, pedagogical and cultural realms, but ICTs can have a key enhancing role if applied correctly. The new concepts of on-line connectivity, virtual environments (choice of delivery media) and group-ware methodologies can contribute to building a tradition of life-long learning.
The trend is now towards multimedia systems combining text, data, sound, all types of image (single frame, video, 3-D) and even touch and other senses (virtual reality). Although multimedia have mainly been successfully applied to entertainment and to very specialized training (e.g. flight simulators), their potential for contribution to "mainstream" education is enormous provided that new paradigms evolve for conceiving, developing and financing such applications. The shared presence of "virtual communities" holds particular promise for educational applications.
Multimedia applications are often used to deliver information which is more powerful than printed learning resources such as printed text book. It also allows users to interact with the information quickly and accurately. Educational multimedia applications enable students to get information in various formats. Examples of multimedia applications are World Wide Web, courseware, interactive TV, computer games, and virtual reality.
In education, multimedia application is used to provide computer based training courses and reference books such as encyclopedia. A computer based training courses lets the students go through a series of presentation, text about a particular topic in various information format. Multimedia applications are used by teachers and lecturers to convey information such as lecture slides, assessment materials and others learning resources. It can also use by students to learn new skills and knowledge without lecturers guidance.
Multimedia applications for educational purposes are similar like the printed text books and other teaching materials, but they can be come in a wider range of sources. The potential of multimedia applications for educational purposes is well-recognized by the universities, school, government and private organization. Educational multimedia applications can be more focused on specific objectives or in more comprehensive ways.
There has been an increase in demand of educational multimedia applications at all level of citizens for them to apply their knowledge in different field of study and situations. Multimedia applications had greatly influenced the education in many ways. They give teachers or lecturers to prepare study materials for students in a more clearly and comprehensive way such as demonstrating and visualizing the study material in a multimedia presentation.
Multimedia applications can also be used as a source of information. Multimedia applications can be developed to enhance the learning process and increase the interaction between students and lecturers. Lecturers can make the lesson more interesting by using the multimedia presentations. As the information is presented in variety ways, multimedia applications enhance the user experience and make the learners easier to grasp the information.
educational multimedia applications use a combination of multimedia elements to present and emphasize particular points only, thus it is more effective because the students are easier to put attention on it rather than on static printed learning materials. Students often split their attention when they are forced to focus information that is far apart, or it is presented at two separate points at the same time. Therefore, when the related content is presented in words and picture at the same time, the learning outcome is more effective. Research found that students will participate in the lesson more actively when teachers or lecturers integrates multimedia element in learning process because they will pay more attention as the lesson becomes more interesting.
Multimedia applications have a lot of advantages for the education purposes which can help students have further understanding on certain information or topics. Screen design, interaction and feedback, navigation, video and audio elements are the characteristic of multimedia applications. There is no doubt that the multimedia applications can be used as a tool to assist teachers and lecturers to achieve educational effectiveness. However, multimedia applications for educational purposes have its disadvantages too. Developing a good multimedia application has high cost that involves time and effort of the developer. There are few characteristic that a developer tries to improve the effectiveness of educational multimedia applications which are attract student’s attention, help students organize the information and facilitate lesson navigation and integrate all the information into knowledge.