Dr. Stephen L. Broskoske
Article Review
Chen, L. (1994). Digital multimedia instruction: Past, present, and future.
Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 23, 169-175.
Abstract: (Chen). This article reviews the background and technology features
of digital multimedia instruction, an instruction which offers window-based
graphics. Benefits and limitations of digital multimedia instruction are discussed.
The applications and future trends are described. The major areas of applications
are identified: education, training, and entertainment.
This article provided a thorough introduction to digital multimedia technology. It
highlighted the advances in digital technology since the 1960’s, and described the impact
upon the average consumer. The current trend in multimedia instruction — to bring
digital media to the personal computer — was discussed, focusing on the problem of
mass storage of data. and must undergo data compression and decompression in order to
be utilized. Discussion and explanation of hardware versus software data
compression/decompression schemes was presented. The author recommended Apple
QuickTime software because it is provided free of charge with Apple hardware and
various software, and because it ensures a consistent architecture for applications which
handle real-time synchronization of video, animation, graphics, and sound.
The benefits of implementing this technology in instruction were briefly explored:
interactivity, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. The limitations of the technology were
defined in terms of data storage and compression/decompression problems. The major
areas of application of this technology listed were training, education, and entertainment.
The article looked at future trends of digital multimedia instruction, and predicted
that digital multimedia will eventually become the standard, as more products are
produced using this technology. As hardware becomes faster and more compact and data
storage becomes more efficient, more applications will be developed for this medium.
Then, more tools for creation in this medium will become available, causing this
technology to become more popular and widespread.
The author concluded that digital multimedia has potential for an effective
approach to education due to the expected future improvements in storing data and the
overall functioning of this technology.
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Dr. Stephen L. Broskoske
Article Review
Evaluation/Reaction/Commentary:
This article provides a good introduction to digital multimedia instruction,
grounded in a historical framework with consideration of current and future trends, and
gave the reader an appreciation of the tremendous storage requirements of this type of
media. The remainder of the article then focused primarily on the data storage issues of
compression and decompression. I feel that this article focused too heavily on one
technical issue regarding digital multimedia instruction: data compression,
decompression, and storage.
When comparing the benefits of this technology, the author discussed the
effectiveness of instruction using this technology compared only with other computerbased instruction. The author assumes that digital multimedia instruction is a valid and
desired instructional media, and will become more popular as technologic advances and
availability allow the media to be accessible. His assumption is probably correct, but the
work could have been more scholarly and more convincing if the author backed up this
assumptions with research. While examining the limitations of this technology, the
author focused solely on the data compression/decompression issue. Other issues such as
multimedia production cost, instructor willingness to implement, instructor prerequisite
programming experience, perceptions of school administration or community, and other
factors might be valid issues as well.
The author concluded that digital multimedia technology will become
increasingly more popular as hardware prices become more affordable and thus more
accessible to the general public. While this assumption is correct, hopefully more
research will be performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of this medium in instruction,
and not just assume to utilize a new medium of learning because it is popularly employed
in the entertainment industry.
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