Journal 8

Porter, B. (2006). Beyond Words. The craftsmanship of digital products. Learning & Leading with Technology, 33 (8), 28-31.

This article is all about how in this the digital age, our ideas are increasingly becoming conveyed using multimedia, and less and less in the traditional print form. In communicating our ideas and thoughts to others, the digital approach allows us to combine not only text, but sounds, and animation. People are able to process visual information 60,000 times more quickly than narrative information - the potential for learning using multimedia through technology is huge. But there is an important need to stay focused in preparing work - that careful planning and production are required to ensure that content is meaningful, accurate and that media choices support the message. Hence the idea of craftsmanship of digital products. It is not sufficient to be just technologically-savvy, there has to be creativity in crafting the message. In this respect, it is like writing - knowing how to form letters and spell words is not enough to write a gripping or informative story, there has to be creativity too.

Questions
1. Will quality of writing in the print media suffer as a result of the digital age?
I don't think it will. In fact, I think it is improving, because it can be more easily challenged by online participation. I read a lot of opinion pieces in several major newspapers online, and comments that people write on the discussion boards. The internet gives voice to a much wider spectrum of views and allows direct debate with journalists (who often participate in discussion on their articles). The use of multimedia and the relatively easy ways to make short films and presentations and upload them to the internet gives voice to many more people that the print media of the past. People have a way to show their talents to the whole world.
2. How are students learning about presentation skills?
By themselves, with friends, by learning from what's already out there, from popular culture, by interest in art, and from their school teachers - if they are crafting a history or literature essay using a multimedia approach they will cultivate ideas on argument and structure with their teacher's input and critique.