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With the advent of multimedia as well as the Internet, new instructional strategies of transferring knowledge have come into being. Using multimedia technologies through the web provides a viable alternative to the monotony of passive learning found in traditional classroom. In light of this, the Malaysian Government is encouraging teachers to integrate technology into the classrooms to effectively engage their students through self-directed, student-centred learning environments. Research has shown that using group and project-based activities are ways to effectively provide students with a more active approach to learning. Currently, with increased emphasis on social constructivism, cooperative learning is partly a reaction to societal changes with new emphasis on team work and communication skills. In this paper, a multimedia integrated cooperative-learning environment (MICE), using the elements suggested by Johnson and Johnson, was created in a Malaysian classroom to provide the learners with an activity-rich learning experience and the opportunities to interact and learn from each other. The purpose of this study is to gauge the students' perception in student-centred environment. The results showed that the learners were able to help each other and successfully work together using technology to accomplish their tasks. They were motivated and also took more responsibility for their own learning process. The experience enhanced their teamwork skills which are currently vital in today's technological and fast-paced world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, web-logs or blogs are being incorporated in many student classroom teaching strategies. Many studies have found that the use of blogs in student-centred learning strategies provided students with useful practice in developing their critical thinking skills. Since blogs provide the space for individuals to voice their opinions and expression, bloggers are given the sense of personal empowerment and belonging to the learning community at large. By writing in a blog, students are able to express their own opinions and to deal with opinions and comments by other students in the classroom. In this study, blogs were used in a learning tool to facilitate student learning in a computer graphics course. Students were required to develop their own individual blogs to document their learning process as well as their ideas in developing creative computer graphics. At the end of the course, a survey was given to the students to measure their attitudes and perceptions as well as their overall learning experiences using blogs. The results showed that the use of blogs provided the students the opportunity for self-directed learning which motivated and challenged them to do their best work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]