University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 30, May 8

           Prof.'s book stresses universal use of multimedia
     
     Fred Hofstetter, instructional technology, had his
first encounter with a computer while he was a high school
student in Columbus, Ohio, and the relationship has been
flourishing ever since.
     "It was serendipity," he said. "I happened to be born
at the right time and was growing up just as the development
of computers was about to take off. Although I was educated
as a musician-and music continues to be important in my
life-my focus is on the uses of modern technology in the
field of education."
     Hofstetter, who teaches and consults widely in the
field, has written a textbook, Multimedia Literacy, which
features an accompanying CD-ROM by Patricia Fox. Originally
published by McGraw-Hill in 1995, and now in its second
enlarged and updated edition, the book is used widely in
this country and abroad and has been translated into
Japanese.
     Hofstetter and the book recently received national
attention when he was quoted on the web, stating that "the
ability to use multimedia will emerge as a life skill in the
21st century. Citizens who do not know how to use multimedia
will become disenfranchised. Cut off from the information
superhighway, they will end up watching life go by instead
of living it fully."
     Hofstetter said he received hundreds of responses from
Net users. "They were all positive and supported what I
said, with one exception. That person suggested I go out for
a walk in the forest with my dog. It just so happened that
was what I had been doing, and when I read the message, my
immediate response was 'there's more to life than walking
your dog in the woods, such as learning and education.' I
regard the computer as a new tool invented by humans for
humans, and developing tools is an essential human
activity," he said.
     In his book, Hofstetter expands on the topic of
computer literacy, asking such questions as "Who needed to
know how to read books after the printing press was
invented?" and "Who needed to know how to drive cars after
highways were built?" leading to "Who needs to know how to
use a multimedia computer to access the information
superhighway?"
     The answer, he wrote, is "Everyone who plans to
function productively in the 21st century society...."
     Multimedia Literacy was written as a tool for teaching
students to become computer literate. Although Hofstetter
uses it for a single course, it is sometimes used elsewhere
for both beginner and advanced courses.
     Clear and concise, the book starts with defining what
multimedia is- "the use of a computer to present and combine
text, graphics, audio and video with links and tools that
let the user navigate, interact, create and communicate."
     The book is divided into 12 sections, with a total of
66 chapters. The sections range from "Understanding
Multimedia" to "World Wide Web Page Creation." Each chapter
states in the beginning what the student will learn and ends
with exercises for students to carry out.
     The book gives an extensive overview of the use of
computers in the fields of education, medicine, government,
business and marketing and also discusses the Internet.
There are instructions on configuing a multimedia computer,
and other chapters discuss such topics as graphics and using
Internet search engines.
     "Using computer and multimedia technology is not a
spectator sport," Hofstetter said. "Students and users need
to be creators, not just consumers, and this book helps them
to learn the necessary tools and techniques. Teaching
students to be computer literate is essential to their
future. The invention of the Internet eclipses every other
invention of the 20th century in its impact on
civilization."
     Hofstetter practices what he preaches. "I used to
travel continually," he said, "consulting and visiting other
campuses, which I still do somewhat, but to a much lesser
degree. Now, I participate in videoconferences and use
technology to communicate more efficiently and effectively
with larger numbers of people without having to travel so
much physically."
     In the book's dedication, Hofstetter recalled proposing
to his wife Laura, who was in Belgium at the time, using the
intercontinental PLATO satellite link, writing "This book is
dedicated to the memory of the day she typed y-e-s."
     A graduate of St. Joseph's College in Indiana, with
master's and doctoral degrees from Ohio State University,
Hofstetter joined the faculty of the UD Department of Music
in 1973. He developed GUIDO, an interactive computer-based
system for ear-training, and later became the director of
the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Computer-Based
Learning before becoming a director in Instructional
Technology. By the 1980s, he was in demand as a consultant
for computer task forces in other schools such as Harvard
University and Pennsylvania State University, and he served
as an IBM consulting scholar in 1988.
     Hofstetter is a member of the Teaching and Learning
with Technology group on campus and is working on a new
book, Internet Literacy, which is being pilot-tested with
students.
                                         -Sue Swyers Moncure