"If it's worked for so many years, why change now?"

This can be an answer to many peoples reservations about using Multimedia in an educational environment.

Most educators who are used to using their traditional methods of teaching will often pose the question "If it's worked for so many years, why change now?" Well, here's my honest opinion of that -

Years ago, before computers and high speed broadband became a household item almost as essential as a shower, the old and more traditional methods of teaching used to work well. The children had no other experiences than the ones you taught them in school, so they used to absorb the information you gave them easier. Now, children spend most of their time in a virtual universe with gadgets and gizmos not everybody understands and then they come to school and look at a blackboard and a teacher reciting facts to them. It's almost a trip back in time.

Using technology such as the SMARTboard is great, but only if you use it to its full potential. If you use it like a blackboard then the interest of the students will be lost very easily. If you use the technology to it's full potential and use your knowledge and expertise as an educator to come up with new and exciting ways of getting the students to enjoy your lessons, you're lessons will be so much more rewarding for your students. As i've said before, there is a multitude of opportunities to learn multimedia, alot of software programs do not require a great deal of knowledge or time.

There is a common theme that implementing Multimedia is like slaying a dragon, a big Multimedia Dragon that you have to use all available time and knowledge to overcome. But when you consider the availablility of software, the sheer amount of software dedicated to teaching educators multimedia and the amount of online tutorials to help you through the transition, it's really more of a Multimedia Puppy that you have to take on walks once every so often.

Staggering The M-Conversion

We've already discussed that multimedia is a step worth taking, for the benefit of the teachers AND the students. However, it's now been brought to my attention that the hesitation in the conversion of multimedia, isn't the idea, its the practice. Multimedia can be difficult in some respects and time consuming in others, two things a teacher in Rhondda Cynon Taff are not interested in. So how can we spin this and make teachers in RCT want to use multimedia when there's no interest in taking the "large step for mankind" into this world.

The best way I can come up with, from the top of my head is to stress how easy some aspects of multimedia are, and I know what your thinking, it's all very well me saying this when I'm technically orientated anyway, but with the correct guidance it could be easy for everyone. Okay, learning certain multimedia programs can be like learning a new language altogether but where there's a difficult option, the world introduces a more user-friendly option and allows the same work to be carried out in a much easier way.

Take Flash for instance, to make a quiz in flash takes a huge amount of technical knowledge, to use ActionScript and components and it's all very complex, however, in Captivate, creating a quiz is as simple as choosing "insert quiz" from the menu and then typing the question and answers into the correct boxes.

What I'm really trying to say here is that, although conversion to multimedia is a huge push, it doesn't take a huge effort to do this. Especially with organisations such as our department at the University of Glamorgan (C.E.L.T) out there trying to cushion the fall for even the least technically minded teacher. We are here to help, we really are. I mean, we're not saying "everything should be Multimedia Now or Else", we're saying "we'll help you make the transition slowly and build the knowledge to advance on that transition in a smooth and easy way"

Who Am I? What Do I Stand For?

My name is Daniel Hanly.

I work for a company called C.E.L.T. (centre for excellence in learning and teaching) based in the University of Glamorgan, in South Wales. It is my job, no, my resposibility to ensure that every child in Rhondda Cynon Taff gets a fun and innovative education, as far from Blackboards and Exercise Books as possible.

I aim to bring Multimedia into all classrooms, to allow students to unlock their full potential (to make them WANT to unlock their full potential) and hopefully bring out the best in them.

It is my hope that this Blog will stimulate teachers and learners all over the country to incorporate Multimedia into their lessons and to bring their lessons alive (even the most boring topics).