Unit 2-6 Encyclopedic Resources

After completing this unit, you will be able to:

• Take advantage of the encyclopedic resources on CD, DVD, and the Internet.
• Appreciate the power of online searching as a research tool.
• Understand how the Smithsonian, the Library of Congress, the Louvre, and museums and libraries all over the world have gone online.
• Realize when and why the Encyclopaedia Britannica went online.

Reading

Read chapter 8 of the Multimedia Literacy textbook to study the concepts covered by this unit.

Online Activities

A wealth of encyclopedic resources are available on multimedia CD and DVD and online via networks on the Information Superhighway. CD and DVD provide the convenience of owning the resource and being able to use it on any multimedia PC. Networks provide access to much more information, which is usually more up-to-date than the CD or DVD. By linking articles on disc to related Web sites, CD and DVD encyclopedias provide you with a way to get updated information online, thereby combining the best of both worlds. The following online activities reinforce these important concepts and bring the reading to life:

• Anyone who has used a printed encyclopedia will appreciate the convenience of multimedia CD and DVD. Not only does it seem to take forever to find the information you want in a printed encyclopedia, but you also have to check all of the annual updates, which are printed in separate volumes. CD and DVD not only solve this problem by providing rapid full-text searching, but they also cost less. Thanks to the computer price wars, the entire multimedia PC costs less than the printed Encyclopaedia Britannica. Follow the Multilit Web site links to encyclopedias available on CD and DVD.
• Someday the Information Superhighway may eliminate the need for CD and DVD by making available all of the necessary databases and programs in the form of a worldwide network, which will function as a public utility that will be as widespread as telephones and televisions are now. So popular is the Internet that any encyclopedia planning to stay in business is establishing an online service. Even the flagship Encyclopaedia Britannica now is available online. To learn more, follow the Multilit Web site links to online encyclopedias.
• All over the world, museums have seized the opportunity to establish a presence on the World Wide Web and provide online access to their collections. This is especially advantageous for persons unable to travel to museums in person. Hundreds of museums are online. Follow the Multilit Web site links to start exploring online museums.

Assignments

One of the major assignments in this course is the term paper that you will write on a topic of your choosing related to a multimedia trend or issue in your chosen field. The other large assignment in this course is the multimedia application that you will develop and publish to the Web, again on a topic of your choosing. If information is your field, it is possible that the readings in this unit will help you decide upon one of these topics. After you choose your topics, remember to respond to the assignments that ask you to tell your instructor what topics you have chosen:

• A major part of your grade in this course is determined by a term paper that you write on a topic of your choosing related to a multimedia trend or issue in the field of education or communications. Your paper must be about six pages long and contain at least six bibliographic references if you are taking this course for undergraduate credit, or about twelve pages long with at least twelve references for graduate credit. Before you write the paper, you need to have your topic approved. Please tell what your paper is going to be about. Say why you have chosen this topic, tell how you plan to research it, and indicate how the writing of this paper will help you achieve the goals you had for taking this course. Your instructor will respond by writing a comment on this assignment to let you know if your topic is approved.
• The largest part of your grade in this course is determined by the multimedia application that you will create. Your application must have at least seven screens if you are taking this course for undergraduate credit, or at least fourteen screens for graduate credit. Before you develop the application, you need to have your topic approved. Please tell what your application is going to be about. Say why you have chosen this topic, and tell how you plan to design it. Describe your intended audience, tell how they will use your application, and indicate how developing this app will help you achieve the goals you had for taking this course.