Commercial Hypermedia Products
In the modern age, hypermedia
products play an important role in the education. Their extreme diversity and
widespread availability makes them beneficial to all ages from pre-school to
college.
But what is hypermedia? M. D.
Roblyer and Aaron H. Doering, in their book Integrating
Educational Technology into Teaching, describe hypermedia as “[t]he
combination of media such as video and audio” with “the ability to get from one
media/information element to another” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 174). Furthermore, recent
advancements of the internet, in addition to previous DVD and CD-ROM formats, has
greatly expanded the realm of hypermedia, making it even more available, easy
to use, and effective.
One type of a hypermedia product is
interactive or electronic storybooks: “Stories that can be read from a computer
screen, on mobile devices, or as print books with interactive buttons” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 175).
Some such storybooks allow students to read at their own pace, highlight words
and passages, have words/passages read to them, offer embedded links to
additional information, as well as, utilize learning techniques such as
tutorials, drill and practice, simulations, and instructional games (Roblyer
& Doering, 2013, pgs. 174-175). Perhaps the greatest achievement of interactive
storybooks is the level of engagement and enthusiasm they encourage with
students. When learning is fun, students are likely to stay focused and be
receptive.
The Amanda Project is a great
example of an interactive storybook. Not only does this website offer the
digital format of The Amada Project
series but it also allows the student to become a part of the story. They can
create their own characters and write themselves into the storyline. They also
offer online polling, which the authors use to make plotline decisions of
future stories.
Multimedia Authoring Tools
To help create hypermedia products, teachers and students alike depend on
multimedia authoring tools. One type of an authoring tool is audio and video
production and editing systems. Video editing, for example, allows “movies to
be edited and combined with special effects, such as titles, screen fades,
transitions, and voice-over audio/sound effects (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 189). Many schools
use such tools to produce news programs, digitized video lectures, documenting
school activities, and problem-solving simulations (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, pgs. 188-189). In an
English/Language Arts classroom, students can use such tools to record,
animate, and practice oral presentations. This will also allow students to
share their presentations with their parents and with other students outside
the classroom.
As an example of how students use authoring tools to create hypermedia, check out Craig High School students and their parody of The Crocodile Hunter on an English Literature adventure:
Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H.
(2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (6th ed.).
Boston: Pearson Education.
