To clarify, the term "video media" is used in the present discussion as an umbrella
phrase to describe the cluster of media in which dynamic visual elements, often primary
characteristics, are blended with auditory elements to create a whole message unit.
Examples of these media include video tapes, television broadcasts, video disks, teleconferencing
and variations of CD-ROM technology. "Video media" is a preferred term
because of the rapid expansion of technologies in this area; further, it allows the
researcher to draw on a large body of literature (Wetzel et al., 1994) and incorporate the
work regarding other "veteran media" as the category expands with future developments
(Clark and Salomon, 1986). Importantly, the term follows Kozma (1991) who defines
media as a combination of three characteristics: technology, symbol systems and processing
capabilities. Technology, in and of itself, is of little interest to the language educator,
but attention to the last two characteristics is critical: how can principled language
assessment be conducted with a dual-coded mode of presentation whose meaning may
vary widely from person to person?