Dave Chaimson, Vice President of Marketing at Sony Creative Software, discusses the benefits of using multimedia creation software in the classroom.
ESD: What do you feel are the most compelling reasons for teachers to incorporate multimedia into their curriculum?
DC: Students of this generation have access to so much information. As a result, it can be challenging to get or maintain their attention in class and keep them excited about learning. Multimedia, when strategically incorporated into curriculum, can be a wonderful aid to traditional education methods and an excellent way to connect with today’s students.
ESD: What do you think distinguishes Sony Creative Software applications from other technologies?
DC: Certainly our breadth of products. We have a complete line of software for video, music, audio and DVD creation. Also, all of our products are designed to work together and feature a similar interface so it’s easy to move from one product to the next.
ESD: Are Sony products easy for K–12 teachers to learn?
DC: Absolutely! In fact, ease-of-use is something our products are continually recognized for. Even our professional products are easy to use. Additionally, our ‘Studio’ products feature our exclusive Show Me How tutorials which provide step by step help from within the application so you can follow along while you continue working.
ESD: Does Sony offer any additional resources for educators?
DC: Yes, and we are continually developing new ones as well. We have a dedicated Web site for educators with curriculum ideas, case studies and helpful product information. For our professional products, we offer hands-on training DVDs called The Seminar Series. We also have a detailed curriculum guide called Digital Video & Audio Production.
ESD: What are some of your company’s newest initiatives with regards to education?
DC: Schools that incorporate multimedia into their curriculum are reporting better class participation, enhanced knowledge retention and higher test scores. We want to show educators that using multimedia is easy and fun and can enhance any subject. Our newest education initiative is in partnership with Intel, with additional support from the International Society for Technology Education [ISTE] and Edutopia magazine. It’s called Technology in Motion: Vision of the Future. It’s a complete education program designed for teachers to use in multimedia courses as a structured curriculum. The end result is a film or films that students can enter into a contest for a chance to win over $20,000 in multimedia hardware and software for their school. You can find more information on the contest at www.sonycreativesoftware.com/techinmotion.
ESD: Where can our readers find more?
DC: They can call 800-221-6678 or visit www.sony.com/academicsoftware.
