Dahlgren Memorial Library

Services for Educators : Multimedia Development Support

See also DML's Workshops on Multimedia.

Support: Using Graphics for Teaching

Graphics can promote instruction by illustrating objects and ideas, showing relationships about objects and ideas, and classifying objects. You can also use graphics to make abstract concepts concrete. Graphics can also be particularly valuable when an idea cannot be adequately expressed in words.  ITDD supports scanning and image processing and provides the computer lab which has software and hardware for creating and using graphics. ITDD also provides workshops on scanning and Adobe Photoshop.

Support: Using Audio for Teaching

Audio resources can help your multimedia application to effectively teach many skills, especially attitudes and intellectual skills. You can also use audio to gain attention, give feedback, give directions, provide realism, make annotations, and provide meaning for images. Audio resources fall into the categories of speech, sound, and music. ITDD supports digitizing (from a audio cassette tape), editing, enhancing audio and delivering audio via the Internet or PowerPoint presentations. ITDD provides the computer lab which has software and hardware for working on digital audio. ITDD also provides a workshop on digital audio.

Support: Using Video for Teaching

You can use video to accomplish instructional objectives or perform instructional functions:
• Demonstrating procedures, changes, and processes
• Developing concrete understanding of abstract concepts
• Introducing topics or procedures in an easy and pleasant way, especially when students would otherwise have to read a lot of text
• Presenting visually rich material in a way that would otherwise be hard to explain
• Video can convey essentially visual information (e.g., surgical techniques) or realistic events.
ITDD supports digitizing (from a VHS tape), editing, embedding video to web pages or PowerPoint presentations, and delivering video with a streaming server. ITDD provides the computer lab which has software and hardware for working on digital video. ITDD also provides a workshop on digital video.

Support: Using Animation for Teaching

Animations can make effective contributions to the achievement of many learning objectives:
• Simulating the results of actions. As an example, an animation could show the effect of drug dosage on heart rate.
• Showing sequential steps in a procedural task.
• Explaining difficult concepts. As an example, an animation could illustrate how the body responds to changes in oxygen demand.
• Promoting concrete understanding of abstract concepts.
ITDD supports creating simple animations with GIF Animated or Macromedia Flash. ITDD provides the computer lab which has software and hardware for working on animation. ITDD also provides workshops on Animated GIF and Flash animation.

Software Tutorials (Atomic Learning)

Atomic Learning provides thousands of short tutorials on dozens of software applications. Focused on answering the common questions anyone may have when learning software.

Access notes: Available within Dahlgren Library and Lauinger Library (main campus) only