Final answer:
A cognitive scaffold is a mental bridge that helps students understand complex concepts using multimedia applications. It is part of a pedagogical framework that incorporates a variety of media to facilitate learning and includes universal design to reach students with diverse needs.
Step-by-step explanation:
Multimedia applications allow students to build a cognitive scaffold, which is a mental bridge that aids in understanding complex concepts. This pedagogical framework incorporates various forms of media, like comic books, MTV, and even commercial advertising, as media to convey messages and facilitate learning. Technologies that have been developed with universal design in mind ensure that students of all backgrounds can access content. This is particularly important for those with visual impairments or other disabilities, as alternative means such as audio descriptions can provide the necessary context to access and understand the content effectively.