Hardware and Software for Multimedia and Graphics

There are many different kinds of multimedia equipment on the market today. The sheer variety of options is dazzling, which makes decision-making daunting. Some brand names outperform others, some types of equipment stand up better to classroom use, while still other pieces of equipment are more user-friendly than others. Choices are made based on price, ease of use, personal preference, and many other pedagogical and non-pedagogical factors. One thing is clear: there is no single perfect piece of multimedia equipment that fulfils every teaching and learning requirement. Yet if I could choose one piece of multimedia equipment that comes close to the mythical perfect piece, it would be a Macintosh computer.

In January 1984, Apple Computer introduced the Macintosh, also known to users as the Mac. While these features are now commonplace, the Mac was the first computer to include a Graphical User Interface (GUI), and the first to include a floppy disk drive. A subsequent version of the Mac also introduced another first in the industry—the color monitor. The GUI and color monitor, among other things, made the Mac the obvious choice for anyone in a graphic-based industry. Designers and artists ate up the Mac, which remains the top choice for graphics even today. Although PCs have given the Mac a run for its money at times, nothing has been able to match -- and certainly not exceed --the Mac for graphics and multimedia. It is based on the user-friendly multimedia features that I would choose a Mac as the closet thing to a perfect piece of educational multimedia equipment.

No matter what level of teaching—elementary, secondary or post-secondary, the clear choice for educational multimedia should be the Mac. While the price of a Mac can be slightly higher than a “comparable” PC, the capabilities you buy with that little extra far outweigh the initial financial outlay. The Mac possesses such extraordinary capabilities that when the G4 first came out, Apple advertised that the U.S. Government had classified it as a weapon. While this may have been a slight exaggeration, it is clear that the Mac can be a powerful teaching tool.

Many teachers complain that computers are not intuitive and therefore user-unfriendly. These users barely get past word-processing before giving up and using their PC as a door stop. Apple, always trying to be the most user-friendly and intuitive, has developed software specifically for the Mac operating system. Their exclusive multimedia software integrates seamlessly into all operations of the Mac. A picture you download from a digital camera, for example, can be easily used in different programs within the Mac. Even more user-friendly is the fact that Mac software is native to the system; that means that you do not need to pay out extra money to buy additional software to create multimedia projects. Apple has developed iPhoto, which allows you to import still images directly from a digital camera, or from another digital source. Another program, iMovie, works similarly in that it allows you to import video directly from your video camera, or from a disk or file. Additionally, iMovie allows you to manipulate sound, video, titles, effects and so on, to personalize a digital movie. You can even combine still photos from iPhoto and music from the sound program, iTunes. After you create your multimedia masterpiece, you can export it as a Quicktime movie (or other format for web streaming and the like) or you can burn it to a DVD using iDVD. These different pieces of software are integrated in the Mac system so that the user does not have to perform tedious and confusing tasks in order to transfer them from one form of media to another.

When planning for classroom use, many schools must consider the network arrangements in their often aging buildings. Expensive wiring may not be possible, especially in older structures. Therefore, another advantage to purchasing and using a Mac is its superior wireless network capabilities. A Mac can then be used throughout part or all of a school building using Mac’s proprietary wireless network, Airport. Using Airport and a 10 or 15 unit mobile cart, a teacher can be extremely flexible in the classroom; students and teachers alike are no longer tied to a particular workstation or classroom; multimedia becomes mobile media.

A price comparison also quickly shows the superiority of a Mac for multimedia. For the iMac, the following information was taken from the educational section of the Apple Store. For the Dell, the following information was taken from their main home section. The educational section did not have a way to specify what kind of drive was needed, and so on, so to more closely match the two machines in specifications, the educational price was not quoted. The educational price would probably be $100- $200 lower, still more expensive than the iMac.

To enable the entire class (working in pairs) to use a computer with an Internet connection would cost at least as follows:

Even though this cost may seem unaffordable, those in the position of making purchasing choices should keep in mind that the Macs are more reliable than PC’s, and that no additional software is needed to create multimedia projects. In terms of functionality, productivity and cost, the Mac should be the first choice for every educator looking to incorporate multimedia elements into the teaching and learning process.

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Copyright © 2003 by Susan Lucas. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the consent of the author. Phone 205-348-0216   Email: susan@frc.ua.edu