NEW MULTIMEDIA PROGRAMS FOR TEACHING EARTH SCIENCE: POSSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS

Animations depicting earth science phenomena have become more powerful and interactive with the advent of Flash movies, Java applets, and other multimedia formats. Animations also appeal to the learning style of today's students, accustomed to manipulating motion through video games and channel surfing. Instructors can tap into student interest in multimedia while taking advantage of the visual nature of the earth sciences with a number of free or inexpensive tools for presenting multimedia.

The purpose of this presentation is to show some of the teaching possibilities associated with new, easy-to-use multimedia programs. As an introduction, we provide examples of how Swiff Point Player and Flash Saving Plug-In allow Flash animations to be seamlessly integrated with PowerPoint presentations. Going one step further, we provide examples of how programs like the free Windows Movie Maker or the inexpensive Video Edit Magic can be used to import and edit earth science movies or images, create scene transitions, and add sound through simple drag-and-drop commands. We also highlight how video effects, transitions, and titles can be inserted easily into a multimedia project.

These emerging multimedia learning tools have the capacity to make teaching earth science exciting and engaging; these programs can also be used by an increasingly technically literate student population to create presentations. Yet, while the “bells and whistles” associated with these programs are appealing, what are the drawbacks of teaching with multimedia or having students create multimedia presentations? What constitutes an effective multimedia presentation? What are some of the hardware (PC vs. Mac) and software limitations? Showing excerpts from presentations dealing with the geosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and the solar system which are aligned with K-12 National Science Standards, we provide some guidance on good design elements for effective presentations. We also share our experience using multimedia in the classroom.