A Definition
The primary form of medium delivery is changing from paper to digital.  This digital revolution is especially evident in education where the educational technology of multimedia is overwhelming "chalk and talk" lectures with lively a/v presentations, interactive simulations, and computer aided instruction.

In its broadest form multimedia could refer to any and all media including books, magazines and the use of audio visual aids (including, even, the chalkboard).  This is traditionally known as "mixed" media.   With the advent of the computer, however, the term "multimedia" has come to mean any media that can be used on, with, or manipulated by the computer.  This includes computer software (applications, educational programs, games), digital audio and video, and computer controlled hardware peripherals such as laser disk players, scanners, VCRs, and cameras.

Though multimedia in the form of audio, video, animation, and interactivity is becoming more prevalent on the World Wide Web, it's use in educational interactive software, games, presentations, and computer aided instruction (CAI) is even stronger.

Multimedia Specifics: Design, Production, and Use
Multimedia design, production, and use falls into many different categories as represented below.   Some example software products that exemplify each area are listed under each catagory.

Multimedia Links

Multimedia Resources & Design
Sites that offer free graphics, video, audio, clipper, special effects as well as tips, instruction, and "how to" for designing and producing multimedia.

Multimedia Resources
A site compiled by Jared Seay that links to download sites for graphics, audio, and video.

Animation Art house
Tons of free animations
Background Boutique: Tiles and Borders
Hundreds of unique free web page backgrounds in tiny fast loading files.
Builder.Com
A massive site that encompasses the entire world and tools of multimedia production in multimedia in web production, desktop publishing, and everywhere multimedia exists.
Denton's Dimensions
A gallery of web special effects
Dominien.com
Over 5,000 web master and web design resources.
HTML Goodies
Great how to tutorials on web page design and construction
Media Builder
Thousands of free fonts, images, animations, and image tools.
Mickey's Collection of Animated Gifs
Animated gifs out the wazoo!
TuCows Software Library
Over 30,000 freeware and software software titles and reviews.  
WebGround
Free original background textures for your www home page
Yahoo Animated Gifs
 

Multimedia Production Software
Software that enables the design and production of multimedia.  Includes companies that provide multiple multimedia software production titles.
Avid
Multimedia software products company
Designer's Edge
Integrated pre authoring tool for instructional designers.
Macromedia Products
Macromedia is a large and  respected producer of a large line of multimedia production software.
Multimedia Fusion
Authoring, multimedia, cd rom publishing, software creation for non programmers, marketing tips, and online promotions.
Xara
Web graphics software
 

Multimedia Associations
Association of Applied Interactive Multimedia
North Bay Multimedia Association
 

Articles, Tips, and Help
Multimedia Authoring Web
This site is a resource collection of pointers to Internet sites for those that develop or "author" multimedia.
 

Home Page of Jared Seay

The background image for this page was obtained from WebGround.