| 'Multimedia' is the word used to describe the | | | | communicating from person to person and |
| combination of different digital media like text, | | | | community to community like songs, dance, |
| graphics, photographs, animation clips, video, voice, | | | | storytelling, poetry, street theatre, drama, and |
| and music and sound effects. The benefits of | | | | puppet plays. These methods have been used over |
| multimedia methods of information delivery are | | | | centuries to convey information and knowledge from |
| enormous. People have both visual (sight) and | | | | one community to another and one generation to the |
| auditory (sound) capabilities for processing | | | | next. They entertain and are familiar, and can be |
| information, and multimedia products take advantage | | | | especially successful in reaching a broad range of |
| of both to convey information and knowledge in an | | | | people and more remote communities. The 'products' |
| effective manner. Materials produced using a | | | | can be developed locally to suit local needs, but they |
| combination of these media are generally more | | | | usually only reach a small audience. However, by |
| attractive and easy to follow than single medium | | | | capturing the plays, songs and other products |
| products. They enable complex ideas and procedures | | | | electronically - on film, on tape, in photos - and |
| to be presented in a simplified way, and allow the | | | | including them in a multimedia product, they can be |
| projection of more complete and rounded concepts | | | | shared far more widely and used to enrich the |
| and models. The potential benefits of 'good practices' | | | | multimedia product itself. |
| can be shown visually and illustrated with step-by | | | | The multimedia approach itself is 'hi-tech', but can be |
| step instructions that can be followed even by those | | | | made very user friendly with the right equipment and |
| with poor literacy skills. Multimedia products are more | | | | software. Even inexperienced local NGOs can develop |
| effective in delivering messages and lead to better | | | | useful multimedia products for themselves with only a |
| learning and retention. As they are electronic, they | | | | small amount of training. These local products - on |
| can be reproduced and used to deliver information | | | | anything from agriculture and livestock, through |
| and knowledge consistently and economically to | | | | health problems and sanitation, to eco-tourism, |
| different locations and audiences, with a flexible | | | | gender and equity - can be collected centrally to |
| schedule, regardless of the availability of qualified | | | | provide a valuable pool of resources for use in |
| teaching or extension staff. | | | | telecentres, schools, colleges and other community |
| An important complementary approach that can be | | | | learning/information centres. This is the approach that |
| used to link with and enrich multimedia products is | | | | IMCO is starting to develop. Read more on this at |
| the use of 'alternative media'. Alternative media in the | | | | Shared Knowledge of Issue 14 - Click here. |
| sense used here refers to traditional ways of | | | | |