This page has been edited with permission from Dr. Keith Mitchell. This information appeared on Apple's web site from 1997-1999. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the Technology Applications Center for Educator Development or the Texas Education Agency.

Multimedia, Knowledge Building with Media Bricks
by Keith Mitchell, Ph.D. - Education Development Executive for Apple Computer, Inc.

Of the five new computer applications courses, the Multimedia curriculum offers students the opportunity to focus on the planning and construction of a large scale information product. As the number of computers in homes and businesses expands and distribution mediums such as the Internet reach further, the opportunities in the multimedia industry are sure to offer many of our students jobs which reward individuals who can successfully combine creativity, communication, collaboration, and technical skills. 

Multimedia products are by definition the integration of two or more media types and are commonly expected to be interactive. They usually also contain at least one dynamic media type such as audio, video, or animation. Early use of the term multimedia was often connected to the distribution of an interactive experience with commercial CD-ROM and video disc products. It now often also includes information kiosks, media rich and interactive web pages, media rich linear presentations and nonlinear hypermedia structures. A completed project in the Multimedia curriculum could easily require student skills identified with other computer application courses including: Digital Graphics/Animation (development of graphic elements), Desktop Publishing (static layout of text and graphics), or Video Production (production of video sequences.) 

The Multimedia curriculum will focus on authoring tools which glue component media elements into an interactive information structure that communicates some form of knowledge. Their experience, hopefully, will include industry standard tools used in the production of interactive CD-ROM titles, authoring of multimedia corporate appropriate presentations, and media rich web pages. With a focus on the process, students should experience product development from beginning to end: identification of need, defining requirement specifications, selection of the most appropriate distribution medium, creating or locating component media, design of the product interface, construction of the product, and evaluating its effectiveness. The class members should be organized as a team with individuals contributing their unique skills and interest to a collaborative project. Additional studies should include career investigations, interviews with professional multimedia artists, and investigation of degree programs leading to multimedia authoring careers.

In a course focused on the planning process, product design, and authoring tools, it may not be possible to work in depth on developing skills for individual media types. The use of clip media will make it possible to produce sophisticated and media rich products. For example frequent use of clip media will make it possible to include graphics without in-depth Photoshop training, Java applets in a web page without programming experience, or music without MIDI authoring. Knowing when to develop, when to contract, and when and where to select clip media are decisions made in authoring any real multimedia product. The use of pre-developed components offers ample opportunity to discuss ethics and legal requirements of the industry.

The product scenario should hopefully be large enough in scale to require a collaborative approach. The product objectives might be such that numerous distribution mediums may be required. For example, a marketing campaign might require interactive CD-ROM, linear presentation, and a web page; each incorporating the same media and content to deliver a common message. Other scenarios might develop multimedia products focused on the entertainment, education, or "E-zine" publishing markets. The class project could even be a campus kiosk which would actually be used to communicate to visitors the school's education vision and programs. The experience should result in student developed products that are perceived as having a purpose to both the students and their community. The time spent on mastering individual authoring tools and more importantly producing information products will accomplish most of the issues covered in the TEKS but additional resources will have to be incorporated to insure students are learning quality skills as defined by the curriculum and the industries involved. Much of the additional resources such as those involving ethics, copyright, or even style can be obtained from student research on the Internet.