The Advantages of Using Interactive Multimedia

8 Audio The use of audio in the interactive multimedia has to be able to be controlled by the user. The audio has also to make clear information related to the materials. In addition, Newby 2000 consider that there are some criteria of effective interactive multimedia design, which are: 1 Graphics: effective graphics should eliminate distracting background and use visual that are neither too abstract nor too realistic. 2 Texts: effective texts should put title at centre top of visual, use short, concise, meaningful, descriptive titles, that contain key words, eliminate unnecessary words, use italics, boldface, underlining, color or a change in learning style for emphasize, and minimize text on each visual. 3 Colors: effective colors should use lightest and brightest colors to focus attention on important elements, use lettering and visual that contrast with background colors, select colors that are harmonious, use consistent background colors in a series of visual, and limiting the number of colors in a visual to five. 4 Layout: effective layout should make visuals as simple as possible, use size, relationship, perspective, and such visual tool as color and space to emphasize important elements, and use pleasing layout that appears balanced and orderly. 5 Videos: effective videos should have clear and appropriate visualization to the theme and have clear sounds. In line with that, Smaldino et al. 2014: 203 stated that students and teacher supposed to use the following materials to produce appropriate media: 1 Text: up to 10 or 1,000 words, whichever is less. 2 Audio: up to 10, but no more than 30 seconds, provided the excerpt does not compromise a part of the whole that would constitute a performable unit such as a section, movement, or area. 3 Images: not more than 5 images by the same artist or photographer and up to 10, but not more than 15 images from a single collection. 4 Video: up to 10 or 3 minutes, whichever is less. 5 Numerical data: up to 10 or 2,500 fields or cell entries, whichever is less. The theories above indicate that in developing learning multimedia, the researcher must consider the portion and the choice of the media used to result in an appropriate and effective learning multimedia. There shouldn’t be a media that appear too dominant. All the media used in developing appropriate learning multimedia have to be well balanced and selected carefully. The appearance of the multimedia also takes an important role in supporting its appropriateness. There shouldn’t be too bright colour in the multimedia. Consistency and optimality are very crucial for the navigation system as well. The theories above will play important role in the developing process. 2. Theories of Learning An effective learning multimedia must be developed based on a learning theory that is suitable for the users. “Cognitive psychology learning paradigm include learning theories which consider the nature of individual learning as well as how knowledge as constructed in social situations,” Sanders 2001: 2. It includes behaviorism perspective, cognitivism perspective, and contructivism perspective. 1 Behaviorism Perspective The main idea of Behaviorism perspective is that language acquisition will occur due to behavioral practices, drills and exposure to the target language. As students get used to the language, they will learn the language. There is nothing to do with internal matter such as aptitude, natural talent, brain’s LAD Language Acquisition Device, memory capacity, and so on, when learning occurs. Behaviorists believe that everyone has the same chance in learning second language. The things that will determine the success of the learning result are practices and drills. In addition to that, they only rely on observable behaviors as their source of research. As the result, behaviorists have lack on describing how the input that students get from practices and drills is processed and turned into output. There are a lot of pros and contras related to this theory since behavioural