The central theme of my final project is the creation of a video tutorial for the beginner who is learning Visual Basic 2005 Express Edition. It is my intention to create accompanying documents to support the use of this and other videos as pedagogical tools both inside and outside the schoolroom.

As I was completing my undergraduate degree in Business Management, I became acutely aware of my desire to teach. While giving consideration to entering the classroom at the elementary-school level, I also have been drawn to the possibility of teaching older students, perhaps as a college instructor. This latter choice has become more appealing as I have found how much I enjoy instructing co-workers in using programs like Excel and Word, a requirement of my new position at my place of employment. I am looking forward to the day when I will be able to turn my passion for technology into a fulltime career. The further discovery in our Hypermedia Design course that I am able to create video tutorials without too much difficulty has been a source of great satisfaction for me, since the ones I have created so far have been quite successful when used by various co-workers. Videos of this type are a boon to students whose main style of learning veers away from the traditional lecture-and- textbook method. As we learned throughout the course regarding Howard Gardner's theory, visual/spatial learners are drawn to information that is presented in a visual form ("Technology and Multiple Intelligences," http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic68h.htm). At the same time, nearly every other learner I have discussed this topic with agrees that a picture really is worth a thousand words, and that a short, well-designed video increases the worth exponentially.

Opinions vary on the definitions and theories that go into constructivist learning, and our reading "Constructing Knowledge with Technology" concludes that more research is needed. In the meantime, proponents have noted that: students become empowered and spend more time in active construction of knowledge when using technology; it provides more resources for student use in problem solving, thinking, and reflection; students spend more time collaborating with other students and communicating with teachers when developing technology projects; and, it can be seen as a means of supporting goals related to increased student involvement with complex, authentic tasks and new organizational structures within classrooms and schools (Boethel and Dimock, http://www.sedl.org/pubs/tec27/9.html). While theorists continue their quest to classify definitions, I believe teachers are proving that with tools such as video tutorials, students construct their own learning beyond anything previously possible. These tools address the learning styles of nearly every student, not just the few who benefit from traditional methods.

Multimedia creators must contemplate an array of users with varying degrees of technical ability and diverse physical attributes. As "Avoiding Multimedia-Induced Overload" points out, designers must be certain to keep "cognitive load low with simple, consistent screen designs and sparing use of text, sound, motion, and color"
(http://www.adobe.com/support/authorware/basics/instruct/instruct09.html). This same concept has been reinforced by our textbook and our instructor throughout the course. In addition to keeping each of these points in mind in creating this website and the accompanying documents, I have been vigilant in making every effort to ensure compliance with the American Disabilities Act requirements. My graphics, for example, have alternate labels for those who must view pages all in text, and my video will contain captions for those with hearing impairments that make the audio portion of the video inaccessible to them. As I continue to add more pages, I will be on the lookout for possible problems that could be encountered in such cases, and I will seek solutions to those problems.

When I was in elementary school, I was taught simple programming in two computer languages: BASIC and LOGO. Over the years, I have continued to learn many software packages on my own by reading books and, of course, printing out notes from the Internet. Imagine sitting with a book in one hand while trying to type with the other hand. That's exactly what happened to me last year when I decided it was time to find out what programming in Visual Basic was all about. This was something I had been thinking about for quite some time, and when I discovered that Microsoft had made the Express Edition of the program available as a free download, I decided I could put it off no longer. After a great deal of frustration, I managed to work my way through several chapters of an introductory book I had purchased. How many mistakes I made along the way, I do not care to admit!

As our Hypermedia class has progressed, whole new worlds have been opening to me regarding possible ways of imparting my new-found knowledge to others. In looking back at the nights I stayed up trying to figure out what the author's written words really meant, I can hear myself moaning, "How I wish there was somebody here who could show me what the author is talking about." My busy professional/school/ family schedule prohibited my squeezing in another formal course that did not fit in with my degree program, and a personal tutor was out of the question financially. When I tried to find information online, I became even more frustrated because I frequently discovered discussions would soon be way above my head when the participants would venture off using programming terms I had not yet encountered.

Video tutorials in Word and Excel are plentiful online. So far, however, any references to training videos for Visual Basic appear far beyond the scope of real beginners, or they are part of a huge package whose cost is prohibitive to someone who is just a tyro. I have decided to create video tutorials I wish I had available to me as I began my learning journey in the subject. With these, users are able to play, pause, rewind and replay portions of the movie as needed, alternating with the actual application with a few clicks of a mouse. My introductory video will be the core of my website and the basis for the surrounding activities. My video would be of use to an instructor teaching in an actual classroom, to a tutor helping students who are seeking outside help, or simply as a stand-alone bit of assistance to another lonely soul pulling his or her hair out in the middle of the night. It is my sincere hope that the video will be helpful to others who find themselves longing to be shown the way.