For many people blogging is, in essence, journaling or a form of personal diary. But a blog can also be a tool that is used to tell a story, either a personal story or a more public story, such as on news sites. The article "Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek" found at http://www.nytimes.com/projects/2012/snow-fall/#/?part=tunnel-creek is full of multimedia tools. The article was more of a visual event than just a reading piece. The author used pictures, video, graphs, and text to tell the story of the people involved in the avalanche. It was a touching story and the multimedia tools enhanced the presentation by making it more alive. I personally felt the actual text was a little long and monotonous, but the visuals really helped me to understand what was being told. For example, the descriptions of the routes the skiers took was completely over my head, but the map that showed their route was crystal clear. Likewise, the linked video at the end told the same story I had just read but it allowed the emotion of the story to really hit home. The story itself was enhanced because it reached out to more people, rather than just those who like to read.
Certain techniques are more effective than others, but I would guess that opinions differ as to which is which. For me I believe that video, slideshows, and audio are the most effective.
Video is effective because it gives both visual and audio which appeals to all learning styles. Video can be used to teach, give examples, or just present information. News sites often use video clips to highlight stories they've reported on. CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/) has videos embedded directly into many of their news articles so that you have the choice of reading or viewing.
Slideshows are effective for their visual aspect. They allow you to flip through at your own pace. They also provide smaller chunks of information on the pictures which helps the information to be processed more easily. Disney's Family Fun site, http://family.go.com/, is a perfect example of this type of tool. They have a variety of articles that are solely slideshows that you can flip through.
Audio is another tool that enhances our messages. Podcasts are one type of audio. These can stand alone or be linked to a blog or news post. They cover a variety of topics and allow you to listen without the constraints of radio signals. http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php
Great read! I also became lost in some of the text in the Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek. The visuals were stunning and kept me reading to see what else they had incorporated. The Disney Family Fun site is a great website and good example.
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