Share Paper: Using Multimedia in the Classroom: Cultural and Learning Style differences in the US, Russia, and Uganda
Abstract: This paper compares "best practices" (as well as obstacles to best practice) in the US, Russia, and Uganda for creating multimedia-based and hypermedia-based instructional resources as part of the teaching/learning process. The paper addresses four pedagogical approaches: 1) Programmed Learning (Skinner, Talyzina), 2) Problem-Based Learning (Dewey, Koudryavtsev); 3) the Project Method (Kilpatrick, Shatsky); and 4) Constructivist/Collaborative models (Bruner, Vygotsky). The paper focuses on the use of Microsoft Frontpage and Macromedia Dream Weaver, and highlights the cultural basis of differences in best practices around these applications. Finally, the paper connects the observed cultural differences to Howard Gardner’s taxonomy of multiple intelligences. ...