Over the past decade there has been a rapid development of multimedia in education. Multimedia
is the term used to describe a hypertext system that incorporates a variety of media besides literary
text, including graphics, animation, video, sound, and hypertext links. Multimedia has enormous
potential in the classroom, especially at elementary level, with a number of advantages for
experiencing literary texts, as it calls on all the language skills (listening, reading, speaking, writing)
as well as viewing skills. So far, multimedia has largely been used as a supplementary resource, for
follow-up activities or as a form of reward in the classroom, but it can also provide a significant basis
for literary instruction. For some teachers, multimedia may appear to be a reductive, even a
trivializing, tool, compared to the conventional linear, verbal act of reading literature, a view that
students do not seem to share. However, the introduction of the computer should force teachers to
rethink their practices, while students should be motivated to learn in a new way. The use of
multimedia also reflects changes in literature teaching methodology.
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