Multimedia Literacy

As technical communicators, we must become multimedia literate if we are to continue to shape information into an understandable format while appropriately addressing our audience's needs. It is critical to remember that technology has changed the way in which we not only present, but also process information.

Barron and Orwig present an interesting view supporting multimedia as a viable modality because it offers new and exciting ways to deliver instruction in both educational and business environments. In their book, Multimedia Technologies for Training, Barron and Orwig discuss multimedia technologies and examine the benefits of using these new technologies in business, military, and educational environments.

Training using multimedia technology provides these benefits:

Increased effectiveness
Self-confidence
Reduced learning time
Cost efficiency
Active learning
Multilingual delivery
Encourage exploration
Motivation
Increased safety

It is important to remember that technology alone is not the determining factor in effective learning programs. The important issue is what we do with technology. The instructional methods must be based on sound learning principles (Barron, Orwig 95:5).

Technology can be misused as readily as it can be applied. Instructional multimedia provides various opportunities and challenges for learning new skills effectively, as well as acquiring new information and reinforcing that which the user has already learned.