A useful extension of computer technology involves multimedia applications. Multimedia combines a variety of information types into one application. These types may include graphics, sound, video, and animation. Multimedia often is used in sales presentations where the enhanced appeal of the mixed media is an important factor. An example is the common use of video tapes to advertise products to department store customers.
Two advanced forms of multimedia are called "hypertext" and "hypermedia." Because of their flexibility in the methods which they can present information, they are used widely in educational applications. Hypermedia and hypertext are informational multimedia applications in which the user can choose the direction of the application. When the application is primarily textual, the format is hypertext. If other elements such as graphics or animation are included, the format is hypermedia. Both types allow the user to jump from topic to topic based upon the information desired. The learning is not specifically linear within a topic, but allows the user to make associations between topics. In this sense, the hypermedia and hypertext learning formats more closely parallel human thought processes. "Computer Works`," the program which you are presently using, is an example of a hypermedia application.
By combining interface tools, multimedia techniques can augment other applications, such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence. For example, an expert system (a type of artificial intelligence application) becomes much more useful when a variety of informational formats are incorporated. The addition of sound and hypermedia structuring to a simulator (a type of virtual reality application) can make the simulation much more realistic.
