EVA’99-Moscow
Tatyana Antonova ~ Alexei Kharitinov
METHODS OF APPLYING THE MULTIMEDIA COURSE ON HISTORY
Dr. Tatyana Antonova
Dr. Alexei Kharitonov
Clio Soft, Moscow
Address: Kutuzovsky ave. 5/3 234A; 123248 Moscow, Russia
Phone/fax: +7 (095) 243-19-89;
E-mail: ipaksoft@redline.ru, clio@mail.ru;
WWW: http://www.history.ru.
Efficiency of learning through the image perception is known universally. The multimedia
course of history is the new type of an educational publication which consists from 4 CD-ROMs
and the brochure. The course has been developed as a result of the two-year efforts of a large team
that comprised historians, cinema people, software specialists, artists, employees in the archives
and libraries. The course contains 278 multimedia lectures (over 24 academic hours) and provides
for the much easier learning of the voluminous material owing to the comprehensive effects of the
video line and sound (voiced text, music, sonic effects etc). The multimedia lectures contains: over
6000 illustrations, over 2 hours of voiced cinema chronicles. Study of each paragraph ends with
testing. As a result, the program forms the "class journal" with marks, given to the students, and
reveals the insufficiently learned lectures which have to be heard again before another testing,
should the student claim a higher mark. The course is supported by voluminous reference materials,
such as over 700 personalia; the detailed chronology; glossary; over 30 maps; over 500 documents
and over 70 unique sound recordings - sonic documents (speeches by political figures, most
popular songs of various years, etc.). This edition would replace at the same time the textbook as
such, the school note-pad, atlas, reading-book, reference book, as well as educational videotape.
More than that, in many cases it would also replace a teacher and save his time for individual work
with the students. The course is equally meant to be used at home for individual study, as well as in
the school, college and institute (for study in a computerized classroom). It is also convenient for
distance learning. The special network edition can work on 23 computers from only one CD-ROM
drive. In this case a teacher can control students work directly from the main computer. The users
can receive free update by Internet, and not only it’s program shell, but the content too.
Over eighteen months have passed since the publication of the multimedia course on the history
of Russia in the 20th century. For this period the authors participated in many educational
exhibitions, conferences, subject practical seminars which involved not just the demonstration of
this software product but also the constructive discussion of problems relating to methods and
practical work. Followers of resolute introduction of new procedures into the educational process
have imparted their experience, though small so far, in applying the multimedia course at history
lessons, have given valuable advises that made it possible to perfect the proposed methods. The
analysis and generalization of the materials of these discussions and the exchange of experience in
using the multimedia course have resulted in these considerations and information which the
authors would like to bring to the readers’ notice.
Recently three approaches to the application of computer programs in the educational process
can be traced.
The followers of the first approach, being principal opponents of acquiring systematic
knowledge with the aid of teaching computer programs (in other words opponents of creating
electronic text-books), believe that computer techniques should only serve the means of getting fast
access to necessary information. In their opinion, the best text-book is the encyclopedia which
allows to have a great bulk of information at hand that could be sorted out, generalized and
collected on the strength of signs needed by you only.
9~7~1
EVA’99-Moscow
Tatyana Antonova ~ Alexei Kharitinov
The second approach is based on acknowledging the possibility of acquiring systematic
knowledge with the aid of «hyper-text manuals» which are created according to a procedure close
to electronic «encyclopedias». These manuals conceptually consist of the same text of a «paper»
text-book but they comprise hyper-references. Some «hyper-text manuals» contain blocks of
knowledge check-up - tests.
Reading bulky texts from the monitor screen is a form of computer work most harmful to
eyesight. In programmer text-books which «by definition» are intended for rather long systematic
work, more ergonomic forms of presenting school material have to be looked for, rather than just
text. Of course, texts are necessary but, first of all, in reference blocks not intended for reading from
cover to cover. Sympathizing with a viewpoint relative to the possibility of acquiring systematic
knowledge with the aid of computer text-books, we principally reject the reading of long texts from
a screen. They are books that should be read (it is noteworthy that even paper text-books are printed
in large easy type). The benefit from a great number of modern teaching and developing programs
is incomparable with harm they inflict to the eyesight of students. Computer games are not related
to the number of occupations we consider useful, however we have to admit that multimedia games
are much less harmful to eyesight than reading long texts from the screen. Players do not have to
strain eyes for viewing fine details since games normally deal with rather large graphical images
and sound information. An ideal teaching program from the ergonomic point of view is one that is
close to multimedia games in terms of eye strain. It should contain the minimum of text especially
harmful for sight and maximum of graphics and sound information. This is precisely the program
we tried to create.
It is the third approach which is considered correct by the authors of this report (within the
framework of precisely this approach the multimedia course of the history of Russia in the 20th
century has been created) which, on the one hand, comprises most rational features of the first two
and, on the other hand, differs from them significantly. The essence of our approach consists in the
maximum use of the multimedia capabilities of modern computers. Multimedia lectures are in this
case the central element of the course.
However, before telling about the essence of our methods we will try to clarify the problem of
computer programs place in the teaching process.
Most often the authors of teaching programs aim their designs at the final stage of teaching direct preparation to the examination. It is obvious that «tutor» programs promising to «make up for
an omission» and to «work wonders» for 2 or 3 days have best chances in the market. However, the
attempt of using even a good-quality program as the main teaching means 2 or 3 days before the
examination is senseless and bad for health. While a student preparing for an examination with his
book and notes can work 8 to 12 hours a day, it is absolutely inadmissible to spend the same time
before the monitor screen. Sanitary laws fundamentally prohibit to use computer as a basic means
at intensive work before examinations. As we see it, a teaching program should be a means for
systematic work implemented in relatively small portions. Only this kind of work with a computer
is admissible from the ergonomic point of view.
The multimedia screening of a classical lecture course aimed at gradual acquiring profound
systematized knowledge is more correct in our opinion. We think that at the high school and in the
period of initial years at higher educational institutions the «strict system» should dominate, and the
emphasis on the «free search» and narrow specialization can only be made on a reliable foundation
of compulsory minimum of knowledge.
Our program realizes traditional for Russian’s system of education «strict» methods of
teaching. The given edition is based on a compulsory program of the course of Russian history
approved in Russian Federation, it is not an auxiliary means but the main tool of study that contains
full and systematic presentation of the entire compulsory material on the history course of Russia in
the 20th century. And this is exactly the reason why this course was appropriated the stamp of a
federal «text-book».
9~7~2
EVA’99-Moscow
Tatyana Antonova ~ Alexei Kharitinov
The course should be calculated for regular work to be implemented in small portions. In this
respect a clear and well-subdivided system for keeping record of assimilated school material and the
evaluation of knowledge gained at each stage take on great significance. Even after a long interval
in the work with the program a student should immediately recall where he was or what material
should be recommended for revision. The block of statistics is regarded by us as a compulsory
element of the teaching program. Unfortunately such a block often does not exist at all in courses
created on the basis of universal multimedia shell.
Our multimedia course is created on the basis of specially developed program shell. It does not
contain any unnecessary elements, therefore it is compact and undemanding to computer resources.
At the same time it provides for all the functions required for realizing the developed methods (and
if necessary new functions can be added).
Our approach to creating teaching programs was given by us the name of «cinematographic»
one. The appearance of the multimedia course of the Russian history is a result of joining the
cinematographic approach with the capabilities of up-dated multimedia procedures. The main
peculiarity of this text-book advantageously distinguishing it from many other CD-ROM
publications is, as we think, its «totally multimedia nature». Approximately 95% of the basic
learning material is presented not in the form of hyper-text but in the form of bright, abundantly
illustrated and emotionally saturated (where necessary) multimedia lectures. The «totally
multimedia nature» of the program has almost removed the necessity to strain eyes when reading
texts from the screen, it has also predetermined its gigantic volume - four fully loaded CD-ROMs.
Of course our text-book contains not only audio-visual information but texts as well, most often
these are short reference entries (personalia, term definitions, chronology, comments of various
kinds, extracts from documents). Long texts are also found in the program (mainly these are large
documents intended for independent analysis by university entrants and students) that can be
printed out. To protect students’ eyesight provision is made for printing out any lecture which
might be useful for reading with the purpose of consolidating studied material. In general a student
can view the text on the monitor screen as well, but this function is deliberately «masked» to avoid
its abuse to the detriment of student’s eyes.
We are far from placing the work with computer programs in opposition to a normal «paper»
text-book. The optimum is in the periodical change of these two forms of activity. In our course
lecture listening is alternated with the reading of brief textual comments from the monitor screen.
Longer comments are contained in a booklet enclosed to the discs where the program sends a
student from time to time. Periodic (not very frequent) switches from computer work to reading a
book provide the alternation of various degrees of eye strain that is not as harmful as continuous
work with the monitor. The booklet contains about 5% of the school material, mainly there are
theoretical stuff and subparagraphs which are difficult to illustrate due to the absence of the image
line.
The main content of a computer text-book is represented by 278 abundantly illustrated
presentation lectures whose total continuous sound amounts to more than 24 academic hours. At
any moment a lecture can be stopped and the process can be transferred to studying additional
material, then returned, the program can be switched to the video-line viewing in «accelerated» rate.
The text-book contains 54 paragraphs. Thus each of the paragraphs can be studied without violating
sanitary standards within one lesson in a computer class or at home. At the normal study of two
paragraphs for one week a strong student will spend about two hours a week in all before a
computer screen whereas a weaker one - about four hours. It is obvious that the duration of daily
studies may last not longer than 20 to 30 minutes that eliminates the problem of observing the
sanitary standards. A question may arise: «What will happen when similar courses will be created
on all school subjects?» We have to reassure you: in the nearest ten years this problem is not
foreseen. Creation of comprehensive multimedia courses takes plenty of time and very few designs
like this are being implemented today. For example, our team will be able to issue courses similar to
the one described above every two years (to do it faster is practically impossible). Even so, full
9~7~3
EVA’99-Moscow
Tatyana Antonova ~ Alexei Kharitinov
computerization of the total school course of history (both Russian and world history) will take at
least 12 years. Meanwhile it is obvious that computers themselves and sanitary standards on using
them will become absolutely different.
Presentation of knowledge in a picturesque form rather than in texts is not just more ergonomic
but can also be a powerful means of teaching and upbringing. Multimedia lectures provide for a
immersion into an epoch being studied, for a deeper memorizing of material through imageemploying perception and emotional influence. The interest to a subject in this case rises sharply. It
is hardly probable that anyone of teachers is able to present to his students in the course of Russia’s
history of the 20th century over 6000 illustrations strictly corresponding to the topics of lessons
(including pictures, documentary photographs, diagrams), more than 30 animated maps, more than
2 hours of news-reels wired for sound. Coordination of a lecturer’s voice, music and noise
accompaniment with a visual line is capable of imprinting the course being studied on a student’s
memory much more vividly. Only very few teachers have such good actor’s potentialities, a
pleasant voice timbre and the accuracy of intonations as the best announcer of the «Mosfilm» studio
Artem Karapetian taking the part of the lecturer in our program.
In the course of creating a program scenario the school text was complemented with numerous
«emotional inserts», altered in many respects for perception by ear and coordination with the
video-line. Particularly often such alterations were introduced into paragraphs dedicated to most
tragic and heroic episodes of history - wars, terror, etc. Sometimes a colorful fragment of a newsreel induced to change the lecture structure and complement it with a new subject that made the
school material not only more complete but more «vivid» as well. This, as we believe, has made it
possible, beside purely «informative» effect, to achieve emotional influence on a student. With the
same purpose fragments from feature films were used. For example the lecture about the Romanov
family execution was almost fully constructed on a fragment of Karen Shakhnazarov’s film «The
Regicide». The lecturer’s voice sounds against the background of a long ominous scene as the
prisoners walk to the place of execution, as though the lecturer is commenting upon the event. This
episode is assembled so that immediately after the last phrase of the lecturer, sounds a short
monologue of Yurovsky, the executioner of the Romanov family and a scene of shooting is shown
as reconstructed from Yurovsky’s memoirs. Is it worth saying that from the point of view of
emotional influence there is some difference from the simple reading of the text?
In contrast to multimedia «encyclopedia» where video-fragments are optional, in our edition
they (along with photographs, diagrams, maps etc.) are assembled with the lecturer’s voice, music
and noise accompaniment and they are the organic parts of the lectures.
Unable to comprehend the essence of the «cinematographic» approach computer pirates have
met with a loss. Similarly to how they managed to «shorten» several multi-disc multimedia
encyclopedias, they have issued a «truncated» version of our course (on two CD-ROMs). For this
purpose the pirates had to reject almost all of the video-fragments. The result was found to be
lamentable: the most of the multimedia lectures have not only lost key fragments but also the
synchronization between the image line and the lecturer’s voice. For example, the lecture may tell
about Vyshinsky demonstrating a portrait of ... Bukharin.
The work with a paragraph is not limited by listening to multimedia presentations only. In the
course of studying lectures the program periodically suggests to get familiar with additional and
reference material (personalia of political figures, term definitions, textual and sound documents,
tables, comments, etc.). The availability of such material is indicated by «running prompter lines».
If a student is interested, he can stop the lecture and satisfy his curiosity.
In this case additional information is directly linked with a current fragment of a lecture and
DOES NOT CONTAIN HYPER-REFERENCES. From the block of additional information it is
only possible to come back - to a lecture fragment being studied. While studying additional
information a student is free from temptation to distract himself from a lesson topic by starting
travelling over a hyper-text. If we regard the text-book «running lines» as hyper-references (and
this analogy is relevant), we may say that we have only one stipulated level of references. We have
9~7~4
EVA’99-Moscow
Tatyana Antonova ~ Alexei Kharitinov
rejected quite deliberately the use of multilevel hyper-text structures (see above) since we consider
them a PRINCIPALLY unfit means for electronic TEXT-BOOKS. The possibility of a free
wandering over the hyper-text provokes the dispersion of attention, skipping from subject to
subject, sliping lightly on the surface, instead of an in-depth study of the main school course.
Thanks to the Internet the multilevel hyper-text structures are now very popular. They are very
useful in entertaining and developing publications, reference books, encyclopedias. They are
appropriate also in teaching programs for more adult and «self-organized» audience (senior
students, post-graduate students and so on). However the main purpose of the multimedia SCHOOL
TEXT-BOOK consists in achieving the maximum concentration of attention and thorough
assimilation of a compulsory minimum of school material.
In our opinion a computer text-book should be most easy, there is no place for any overindulgences that would distract a student from the main thing: REGULAR study. Excessive,
heaped-up interface, all kinds of unnecessary buttons including hyper-references capable of
diverting a pupil from a subject being studied are in our view contra-indicated to him. The aforesaid
does not mean that we have deprived a student of a possibility to turn from a subject being studied
to another one. The point is that a turn like this is realized within our course not just by clicking a
reference but in a more complicated manner, for example, through the system of retrieval.
Our multimedia course contains a full-text retrieval system and extensive reference stock.
Reference («encyclopedic») capabilities are brought out to the program main window so that a user
could get an access to them as soon as possible, even before the registration. This misleads
sometimes: the multimedia course is taken for another electronic «encyclopedia». However, even
exceeding in volume many specialized multimedia «encyclopedias», our reference block remains an
auxiliary tool. In fact it is a set of previously prepared answers to questions that a student may be
faced with in the course of listening to multimedia lectures. For example the personalia block
contains portraits and biographies of all politicians and outstanding scientists and cultural figures
(in all there are 700 of them); a dictionary: all the terms used in the lectures; an atlas: latest phases
of more than 30 animated maps used in the course for illustrating military operations and changes in
state frontiers. In addition there is a detailed chronology; more than 600 textual documents and over
70 sound documents (speeches of political figures, hymns, songs reflecting particular historic events
and so on), bibliography. The full-text retrieval system allows to promptly find required information
in the text-book regardless of the place of its location: whether it is in the main text of the lectures,
in the documents or in the reference entries of particular type. In this course this information is
intended for retrieving answers to more complicated questions and for selecting material for reports
and abstracts by revealing necessary information through key words and word combinations.
Assume that a pupil heard name Trotsky in the course of a lecture and wanted to know what else is
said in the text-book about this historic figure. The pupil may suspend the lecture, call the retrieval
system, enter a search image (in this case the best is to enter «Trotsk*») and the program will offer
him rather a long list of all references to Trotsky and «trotskism» (in all grammatical forms). The
program will also enable the pupil to listen to all subparagraphs where these words occur, to look
through all the documents, all the lines of the chronological table, all the personalia (certainly,
including Trotsky himself).
Periodically the program by itself suspends the multimedia lecture so that the pupil could
thoroughly study an important table, diagram or map. Some lectures also provide for «internal» test
tasks; the lecture is suspended and the program puts a question relating to a subject just set forth. If
the pupil was attentive enough he will easily give a correct answer and the suspended lecture will
continue. In case of a wrong answer the poorly assimilated fragment sounds again giving the pupil
another chance. «Internal» tests help to «awaken» an absent-minded pupil and to incite him to
serious work.
Keeping a record of the course studies is extremely simple and clear. After listening to a lecture
next in turn (subparagraph) a tick is put, and a student is given a possibility to write a summary
9~7~5
EVA’99-Moscow
Tatyana Antonova ~ Alexei Kharitinov
plan. The summary plan may be checked by the parents or teacher as an additional control of
material assimilation.
At the end of studying the paragraph the student passes testing (in all about 900 tests,
crosswords and the like) and gets a mark, and the program itself indicates which material is
assimilated badly (ticks will be removed from those lectures where the student failed). To repeat the
testing (in order to try to improve the mark) the student should again listen to subparagraphs
without ticks. Thus a natural and convenient feedback between the tests and the main course
presentation, is realized, in other words a closed teaching algorithm: studying the school material 
check-up of assimilation of studied material  revealing of poorly assimilated material and
inducing to revising it.
By advice of teachers and practical methodologists a possibility of external studies has been
added to the program for students getting on well. A student confident of his knowledge has a right
now to enter testing without compulsory listening to the lecture course. But this can be done only
once. If a mark is lower than desired, still he will have to listen to it.
Equally easy is a record of marks: as soon as all the paragraphs (lessons) of a section are
studied, an average mark is put in the register. The students and the teacher (or parents) can
immediately see the results of the work. Time record of the course work, of the order of studying
paragraphs, of the number of attempts and the like are not conducted since we regard this excessive.
The computer text-book has three complexity levels which are calculated:
1) for the 9th grade;
2) for the 10th and 11th grades;
3) for university entrants and students of non-historic faculties of higher school.
The division of the material into complexity levels is built into the system of questions (tests)
and into the bulk of the material to be studied. In terms of text the volume compulsory for 9-grade
students (1st level) is approximately twice as little than that for university entrants and higher school
students (3-rd level). The second level intended for the students of 10th and 11th grades takes an
intermediate position. That much difference in the volumes of school material is due to the fact that
for the 1st level the program practically never offers the study of long documents (brief quotations
are quite sufficient for a ninth grader). Moreover, a whole number of lectures for a given
complexity level is optional. A number of rather complicated and detailed comments, additional
illustrations that are necessary for higher school entrants and students for passing tests successfully,
are also eliminated. At various complexity levels the sets of «running lines» - prompts, differ as
well (see above).
This computer program does not complement the traditional text-book (in contrast to other aid
programs) but is a substitute for it. And not only for the text-book proper, but also for the reader,
atlas, vocabulary of historical terms, work note-book, school video-film, reference book and, if it
necessary, for the teacher.
Teachers, regardless of their age and readiness for computerized work, should not be worried
about new «competitors». On the contrary, a teaching program is capable of becoming a very
efficient AID as it automates most laborious and routine elements of the teacher’s work. As for
hammering into pupils’ heads the required minimum of knowledge according to the program and
checking the results of this process, the teaching programs are in the short run expected to be hard
to compete with. Not a human being, the computer will not be tired to repeat a lesson as many times
as necessary until a pupil utters the long-awaited «I’ve got it!». The teachers, while monitoring the
work process with a teaching program for the whole class, will be able at the same time to focus
themselves on individual and most creative work - answering «tricky» questions of active pupils
and vice versa, «pulling up», «stirring» most passive and backward ones. The «automated teaching
conveyor» working simultaneously, will become another effective pedagogical means.
9~7~6
EVA’99-Moscow
Tatyana Antonova ~ Alexei Kharitinov
The program is developed with consideration for specific requirements of humanitarian persons
usually taking the computer with some caution - it is extremely handy. Any person capable of
learning to move a cursor about the screen, masters it in 5 minutes.
The computer text-book on the history of Russia can be used both at home and in class. When
working with a usual (personal) program version each computer of the class should be equipped
with a CD-ROM drive and each pupil should be given an individual manual set. In actual practice it
has become a stumbling-block: Russian schools mostly are unable to purchase a text-book for each
work station.
This point has induced many teachers to «inventing» a technique of using the text-book
unstipulated by its authors. This technique reminds of once very popular «cinema-lessons» but
instead of a projector one multimedia computer is installed in the history class with the projector
connected to it.
The teacher demonstrates multimedia lectures suspending them periodically and adding his
own comments and sometimes arguing with the authors of the text-book. The abundant video-line
of the course has been successfully replacing worn-out traditional aids (maps, diagrams etc.). When
working in groups under «cinema-lesson» conditions the teacher can present the material in an
order different from that set forth in the text-book. Furthermore, the teacher may use only the
illustrative line of the lecture fully replacing the announcer’s voice by his own comments (to do this
he should just reduce the volume).
A fault of this technique consists in an almost complete loss of competitive aspect, in a
difficulty of covering all the students with the all-round automated knowledge control system, in the
imposed unified rhythm of work for the pupils with various levels of preparedness and dissimilar
interests. In the course of multimedia lectures the program periodically offers to get familiar with
some particular additional material (see above). Under conditions of «cinema-lesson» the computer
is operated by the teacher, and it is he who decides which of the additional stuff should be shown to
the class.
However the initially-established form of using this multimedia text-book in school implies the
transfer of history lessons to the computer class. In this case each pupil works with the program
independently (using ear-phones). The advantage of this technique is the possibility to work at a
rate convenient for a pupil, studying only that additional stuff which he chooses himself (for
example, he will not stop a lecture for the definition of a term already familiar to him). After the
automated knowledge control the pupil, if he is dissatisfied with his mark, will only revise
subparagraphs that he failed to assimilate (the ticks will be removed from them by the program).
The teacher in this case monitors the work of the group and has a chance to take an individual care
of those who need this care. An advantage of studies in the computer class is that a pupil has no
hope that he will not be «called out today because he repeated his lesson last time». Check-up of the
knowledge and marks putting are stipulated by each lesson.
Within recent years in Russia a reasonable number of schools have appeared where net
multimedia classes are available. To ensure efficient use of the text-book in such classes a special
net version was developed. It provides the work of up to 23 pupils from one CD-ROM. Working
with the master computer having a CD-ROM the teacher before the beginning of classes should
load to the pupils’ computers a portion of material of a topic being studied; this solves the problem
of net overload. During the studies he may monitor the work of the pupils directly from his
computer. The teacher can see what lectures were already listened to by a certain pupil, what this
pupil wrote in his summaries, what mark he got, in what lectures he failed.
The net version of the text-book allows to convert each lesson into a fascinating competition, a
sort of «race for knowledge». Winners not just complete their work before «outsiders» who are
forced by the program to repeatedly listen to «failed» subparagraphs, but can be rewarded with
«prizes»: historic anecdotes wired for sound and illustrated.
9~7~7
EVA’99-Moscow
Tatyana Antonova ~ Alexei Kharitinov
In practice the teachers normally use this course not for a total transfer of the historic studies to
a computer class but for alternating various forms of the work. For example, at the Financial
Academy under the Russian Federation Government the teachers of the historical faculty has first
taken the «computer experiment» suspiciously and didn’t want to conduct studies personally. They
just started to give «home tasks» to their students: to study independently some particular topic. A
received mark was officially registered by the workers of the computer class. According to their
judgments the load on the computer class increased fast for the spring 1999 term and it was
gradually converted into a «branch of the history department».
Apart from the net version an «open», professional version of the text-book has been
developed. It comprises all the possibilities of the net version but additionally enables the teacher to
change the structure and content of the course, to enter new illustrations, personalia, tests,
comments, complement the chronology with the events of his region’s history, and so on. If desired,
multimedia lectures can be wired for sound and arranged in a different way, i.e. an original version
of the text-book can be created. Of course the professional version is a much more complicated
instrument and it should be considered separately.
The program is arranged so that improvements entered into it (both in terms of content and
program and methods) can be connected to the course initial version with no need to replace
compact discs. The edition is periodically complemented with innovations that can be loaded free of
charge from the Web of site www.history.ru.
Contact phone : +7(095) 243-1989; E-mail: clio@mail.ru.
A next in turn innovation to the program is supposed to include a number of principally new
functions. Along with the full texts of the lectures (that are available even now) their concentrated
versions will exist: illustrated strong-point summaries (with one level of hyper-references). Because
of it’s brevity, a strong-point summaries are more useful for reading from the screen. Any strongpoint summary is made for printing out for studing without computer, of course. The strong-point
summaries are more convenient for fast activating of previously acquired knowledge, this to be
done immediately prior to an examination. We should emphasize that multimedia lectures are
intended first and foremost for systematic work during the school-year whereas the strong-point
summaries - for the «last assault», three to five days before the examination. Key illustrations
interspersed into the strong-point summaries will make it possible to quickly memorize the content
of the lectures without revising them; even the viewing of the last phase of an animated diagram
will help a student to easily remember all the previous ones ( diagrams are usually gradually traced
as a lecture goes on, much as a teacher does it on the blackboard).
The strong-point summaries will have the second function: they will serve as an album of key
illustrations (its necessity is often emphasized by history teachers who badly need audio- and video
aids for lessons): illustrated strong-point summaries are more convenient for fast retrieving
individual illustrations, fragments of news-reels, and so on, from the text-book. Multimedia
lectures, even after adding a possibility of their «accelerated» viewing, are less adapted for this.
In conclusion we would like to note that even before the edition our multimedia course had
passed through a long procedure of expert reviewing and testing established for school text-books.
In the end it was approved by the Federal Council of Experts, the State Duma Committee for
Education of Russian Federation, the Moscow Bureau of UNESCO. It is recommended for edition
by the RF Ministry for General and Professional Education. It is included into the federal list of
text-books.
We may note with pride that from the results of filling in the questionnaire by the participants
and visitors of the most representative International Exhibition Conference «Information
Technologies in Education - 98/99» (about 1000 people took part in filling in the questionnaire,
mostly, teachers of schools, lyceums, colleges and higher educational institutions) the multimedia
text-book «History of Russia - 20th century» was acknowledged the “best teaching program on the
humanities”.
9~7~8
EVA’99-Moscow
Tatyana Antonova ~ Alexei Kharitinov
Antonova Tatyana Sergeevna, PhD (History), Associate Professor.
1. Graduated from the Moscow State University Named after M.V. Lomonosov
(1980).
2. Worked at the University Named after P. Lumumba - Lecturer, Associate
Professor (1981-1998).
3. Worked on probation in the Centre of Slavonic and East European Studies
of the London University (1989-1990).
4. General Director at the film studio "Smiranta" (1992-1997).
5. Script-writer and film director of two movies: psychological triller
"Cocktail-Mirage" (1991) and political pamphlet "The Scandal in our
Kloshtown" (1994).
6. Deputy General Director of the multimedia publishing house "Clio Soft
Company" (since 1998).
7. Methodist, author of the idea and montage of the multimedia course
"Russian History: 20th Century" (1998).
Kharitonov Alexey Leonidovich, Cand.Sci.(Eng.)
1. In 1981 - graduated from N.E. Bauman Moscow Higher Thechnical School.
2. From 1981 to 1984 - worked as Engineer at the Chair of Pulse Processes Gas Dynamics,
Moscow Higher Technical School.
3. From 1986 to 1989 - Chief of Automatic Control Systems Laboratory, "Basalt" Scientific
Production Association.
4. In 1989 - defended the candidate thesis on methods for optimum design and development of
mobile interactive software.
5. From 1989 to 1992 - Chief of mathematical modeling Department, "Basalt" Scientific
Production Association.
6. From 1992 to 1996 - leading scientific researcher, "Basalt" Scientific Production Association.
7. From 1996 to 1998 - on his own initiative (within the framework of a temporary creative team)
participated in creation of a multimedia course on history of Russia in the 20th century as a
developer of the software interface, specialist in methods, developer of technology for
processing and integration of large files with multimedia information, Project Manager.
8. From 1998 up to present time Director General "The Clio Soft " Multimedia Publishing House
producing educational computer programs on history.
The Clio Soft Co., Ltd. is a multimedia publishing house, specializing in development and
publication of multimedia courses of history. The first product, "Russian History: 20th Century" has
been completed by now, and the further plan is to form course of Russian history from the ancient
times.
Director General: Kharitonov Alexei Leonidovitch, Candidate of Science (Tech).
Deputy-Director General: Antonova Tatiyana Sergeyevna, Candidate of Science (History),
Associate Professor.
9~7~9