Notes for Ann: Director and Flash

Macromedia Flash:

• Multimedia authoring tool that creates files containing video, graphics, images, audio and 2D animation for use in the development of content for interactive websites, digital experiences and mobile content primarily based on the web
• Program designed to create and display small files on the web by limiting the types of images and media that can be displayed
• Includes tools to control how and when elements appear, move, sound and change while the flash movie/file plays
• Flash files are either called flash, SWFs (pronounced Swiffs) or Shockwave Flash
• Playback of files require a free Flash player which is already installed on 98% of desktops on the world
• Most widely deployed video platform on internet
• Flash files can be imported into Director to extend use of content to other distribution formats (i.e. DVD/CD, kiosks, etc.) or use as part of a director program/file

Macromedia Director:

• Multimedia authoring tool that creates files that incorporate a variety of media (video, graphics, images, audio, 2D and 3D animation) for deployment in different mediums (CD/DVD, kiosk presentation, web) and across different platforms
• Motto: Author once and publish anywhere multimedia authoring tool
• Includes tools to control how and when elements appear, move, sound and change while the director movie/file plays allowing for the creation of a single logical presentation and can create full-featured applications that access, launch , and control other applications within the file
• Director files for the web are called Shockwave files and require a free Shockwave player which over 390 million web users have installed on their desktops worldwide

Similarities and Differences Similarities:

• Incorporates animation, video, sound, graphics, text, font
• Tools to control how and when elements appear, move, sound and change while the movie plays
• Creates a web file
• Files can be included in html pages containing content to offer interactivity

Differences:

• Flash creates web only files that require Flash player
• Flash files are small compared to Shockwave files
• Director creates 2D and 3D animation but Flash creates only 2D
• Director can incorporate Flash files
• Director creates a file that can be distributed on CD/DVD, kiosks presentations and web. Director’s web files require use of Shockwave player.
• Director file can contain full-featured applications that access, launch, and control other applications

Ways to Use in eLearning

• To provide a visual representation of both concrete and abstract concepts, procedures, simulations and walk-throughs
• To aid in instruction that lends itself to narrative, animation, simulations and content interaction
• Interactivity could be added to a traditional html webpage by linking to a Flash or Shockwave file
• Flash or Director can create interactive tests, games, diagrams, or anything your imagination can dream of
• Use to develop multimedia presentations

Examples Flash Teaching Matters: The Scientific Process www.atschool.org/materials/principals/planning drag and drop items to design a classroom that incorporates technology examples of classrooms incorporating technology for Language Arts, Science, and Math- rollovers show more details of each item does not incorporate sound Phonetics: The Sounds of American English www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/ use of animation with sound and video with sound to show how to make a sound Beethoven Sonata: Syncopation http://wwwacad-prep.mtroyal.ab.ca/adc/conservatory/learn/movement/ use of sound and/or simple animation to teach principles of music Froguts Online Dissection http://www.froguts.com/ virtual biology lab subscription for several animals check out the demos Fertilization www.uchsc.edu/ltc/Fertilization.html animation without sound Director Multimedia presentation for a sales force within a company http://www.gregwalsh.com/portfolio/flash_pres.html moving text, sound, music, narration Planning Tool instruction elearning rollovers http://www.gregwalsh.com/portfolio/planningtoolrollover_85.html animation with rollovers and no sound

Videogame Genres

Videogame Genres
As a sat down to do some research on my makeup assignment on Videogame genres I realized how much I already knew about them. I’ll have to admit that I love playing arcade games as a kid and had my own Atari with the classic pong and frogger games. As I entered college my interest reared away from video games but I still enjoyed the arcade. It was only a few years after college when I met my husband that I realized that video gaming systems had exploded to twenty-somethings. Soon my husband had his own Nintendo system and hours were spent on The Legend of Zelda. Then we had children and computers became more affordable. I was drawn to educational video and computer games for our toddler. I still prefer the computer games to the video game systems. I really don’t play the gaming systems- life got too busy. This brings me back to our guest speaker Dr. Kapp said that all instructional designers should play videogames to understand how to design for the Gamer Generation. Using games in education for K-12 students is such an obvious application but what about the use of games in adult education.
Let’s look at some of the major and notable computer and video game genres. A listing with brief descriptions and examples can be found on Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Videogame_genre and include fighting, first-person shooter, MMOGs/MMORPGs/MMOFPSs, racing, role-playing, simulators, sports, strategy, third-person shooters, city-building games, adult, arcade, educational, maze, music, party, platform, puzzle, stealth, survival horror, traditional and vehicular combat.
The use of games in adult education would be great for many of the same reasons it is great for children. Games designed correctly can teach a skill without the student realizing it. I can think of several applications where it may make a boring topic a little more interesting. In a hospital environment we have yearly training on universal precautions like safety and infection control. How about a racing game between students to see who can wash their hands first and correctly? Recently our department designed a train the trainer course that includes a puzzle game- throughout the day you could win puzzle pieces then at the end of the day the students placed the puzzle pieces together to form a picture with three key points. Our human resource department created a life size operation game where each body part has a pocket which holds questions related to our benefits. A spinner is used for determination of which part you choose. If the employee gets the question correct, they get a chance at winning a prize. So games can be another valuable tool in learning.
  

Blocking Headaches

Companies blocking web material is a real issue especially where I work. Just recently I went to watch webcast and our company’s security software, Websense, popped up on my screen and said that all Real Media was blocked. This is a problem since all of the webcast I view for one of our funding agencies is only offered in Real. So I had to contact our Information Systems person. He said the traffic from everyone playing music over the Real Player was slowing down the network so he had to block it. I really understand this, and I think most would, but no one told us. So far I haven’t had any problems with blogs at work including installing the free add-on for Word but that might change…see the article on Wired No Longer Safe for Work: Blogs

Software and Physical Simulations Class

Software and Physical Simulations

What do you think simulations are? What does it mean to you?
I think a simulation recreates an activity so that a student may learn an activity without actually partaking in it.

What other ideas do you have for uses in simulations?
To teach:

• Emergency Room Doctors how to handle children with several different disabilities, you could use a scenario based model and show how to treat several physical disabilities.


• How to drive motorized vehicles


• How to type


• Almost anything

Have you ever used physical simulators? Have you ever ridden one of those rides at EPCOT or some other amusement park to feel the sensations of flying or riding a rollercoaster or sailing through fields of grass?
Yes, to learn how to drive. The driving school I went to had a simulator that we used prior to getting behind the wheel of a real car.
I’ve ridden lots of rides that recreated the felling of several sensations. My favorite are the rollercoasters, you can find these at local shopping malls as well. My children love them.  

Design and describe (no pics) a learning environment that uses a Virtual Reality-based Simulation
We provide technical assistance to staff for several tasks so I could see so many uses for a program like Captivate that aids in the creation of software-based simulations. I decided to design a simulation for completing the KKI Trainee Registration Form.

Rationale:
Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) is required to report trainee information to funding and hospital accreditation agencies. Collection of training related data is centralized in Training and Instructional Media Resources (TIMR) through the distribution and collection of a Trainee Registration Form (TRF). The form is broken into two sections: one the trainee complete and one the trainee supervisor completes. The form must be completed and returned to TIMR prior to the trainee start date. The form is available on the KKI Intranet.

The training supervisors are seldom provided with guidance or training by senior staff members of their department causing compliance and accuracy to vary throughout the Institute. This simulation, designed by TIMR, will act as a training aid for the training supervisors with the goal of increasing compliance and accuracy of TRF submission.

This simulation will provide participants with a clear and concise method of completing the TRF’s by leading the participant through the actual task. The simulation will be available on the KKI Intranet.

Target Population:
The population for the simulation will be KKI staff/faculty that provides supervision to trainees.

Description:
The simulation will take 10-20 minutes to complete. The participant must have a computer with a sound card with a connection to the KKI Intranet. The simulation will have six basic sections. The simulation begins with a welcome section containing TAIR information and house-keeping information on navigation and help. The second section is the introduction information including how to find and access the TRF on the KKI Intranet. Completing the TRF trainee information section and the training supervisor section is covered in section three and four. Section five leads the student through the submission process. The last section provides an evaluation form.
All sections will contain screen shots, narration and interactivity. In section three and four the students will successfully complete a TRF. Feedback will be provided when the TRF is not completed and the student given another chance. If the student is unsuccessful the second time, the correct information will be completed for them.

Content Outline:
1. Welcome
2. Introduction: Finding and Accessing TRF
3. Completing TRF trainee information section
4. Completing the TRF training supervisor section
5. Submission
6. Evaluation

Objective:
Given this simulation and the KKI TRF, the student should be able to complete the KKI TRF accurately two out of three attempts.

Evaluation Strategy:
This simulation will utilize level one and level two evaluations. Participants will complete a level one evaluation immediately following the end of the simulation which will also include evaluation of the use of technology. A level two evaluation will be woven throughout the simulation by providing the participant two chances at correctly completing a step before proceeding to the next step. If the participant does not complete the step correctly on the first two tries then the correct answer will be provided allowing the student to proceed.

Participant Prerequisites:
Participants in the simulation should have attempted to complete a TRF. Basic computer skills with a word processor and the Internet are required.

New Video IPod

Video IPod released: 15,000 songs. 25,000 photos. 150 hours of video.  30GB and 60GB models start at just $299.
http://wired.com/news/mac/0,2125,69193,00.html
http://www.apple.com/ipod/ipod.html

Nintendo, McDonalds and Wi-Fi

Getting a little ahead of course work by looking at some gaming stuff.
Take a look at this McDonald's + Nintendo = McTendo
http://wiredblogs.tripod.com/gadgets/index.blog?entry_id=1255016

New User Interface for Microsoft Office

A new User Interface (UI) for Microsoft Office 12 called results-oriented UI takes the Graphical User Interface (GUI) to a new level. Beta testing to be complete in early 2006 so maybe the new product will be available by this time next year. COOL! Check out the overview at http://www.microsoft.com/office/preview/uioverview.mspx
Learned about this update on elearningpost.com article at http://www.useit.com/alertbox/wysiwyg.html

Flash 8 Video

Flash 8 video
Check out this article about the new Flash 8 video found on streamingmedia.com
http://www.streamingmedia.com/article.asp?id=9165

Virtual Reality Adventure

Destination 1: Wikipedia on Virtual Reality

Based on what you know RIGHT NOW, what promise does virtual reality hold for instructional technology?
After reviewing Wikipedia I realized that Virtual Reality (VR) has two models. One model attempts to re-create a real world surrounding and the other creates a fantasy based reality. Both models hold great potential for world of instructional technology. The real world model can provide training in a virtual environment for a skill that requires practice but can not be performed in a real setting due to budget constraints, risk of personal injury, etc. For example the training of astronauts, bomb squads, fighter pilots, combat personnel, etc. Softskills could be taught through either type. The possibilities are endless.

Destination 2: Tools for creating VR
Alias, Maya (Expensive)
Autodesk, 3D Studio Max
Blender (Free and very cool for the “armchair” 3D designer
Alice 2.0 (Free and used for teaching people basic computing programming concepts)
Do any of these tools interest you?
Maya: I had problems looking at demos for Maya. It was impossible on dial-up at home but it was too slow at work on the T1 as well. I never really got a good feel for how the program works although the results look great. This program is too expensive ($7000) and has to high a learning curve for any applications at KKI.  
3D Studio Max: This site was great. I loved the demo videos, I have a good idea how the software works. The price ($3500) is a little better on this program but it still has a high learning curve.
Blender:  More problems viewing demos. I downloaded the VLC viewer at work but still couldn’t get the Divix avi files to open. Overall though the site gave me a good idea of what the software can do. The price is right (FREE) so we might be willing to deal with a medium level learning curve to explore how we could use 3D animation. I loved the information about Spiderman 2.
Alice 2.0: The work of The Research Group at Carnegie Mellon University developed Alice 2.0 with an interesting focus: to provide the best possible first exposure to programming for students from middle school to college. This program is different than the others because it is creates 3D object behaviors not 3D objects themselves. While it only creates files in its native format, The Research Group is working on being able to save a world as an applet for insertion onto a webpage or an avi file. This would make the product more viable for instructional technology projects.

Destination 3: Examples of VR in use today
What is VRML? Virtual Reality Modeling Language is a standard file format for representing 3-demensional (3D) interactive vector graphics, designed particularly with the World Wide Web in mind. (see Wikipedia)
Why is it not popular?  The company which championed the format was sold and did not develop or distribute the software.  The VRML Consortium changed its name to the Web3D Consortium and began work on a successor format X3D. VRML is still used in education and research because of the open source programs available to develop it.
How can MOOs/MUDs be used for learning?
MOOs and MUDs are confusing. The literature was not creating a clear picture of what this environment was so I wanted to go on to one. I tried to go to DU MOO but again I hit another technology block- apparently my browser is not java enabled at work.  From what I could find, this seems to be old technology. The MUD’s appear to be an early form of on-line virtual games. The MOOs seem to be early versions of chat rooms and remind me of what we are using our class blogs for as well.
What can Macromedia’s Shockwave do?
Shockwave is a movie format that is created in Director. It is a streaming file that can be viewed on the web by any platform and usually combines animation and scripting. Director movies/files create interactive content for both fixed media (CD/DVD/ Kiosk) and the Internet. It can incorporate multimedia such as photos, graphics, Flash movies, DVD video, CD video, sounds, text, hyperlinking, bitmaps, 3D models, etc.  
Note: Downloading shockwave was a problem at home and at work. Finally I did get Shockwave installed at work (after getting permission from the HelpDesk) and I did get to see and play the Got Milk game. It was fun!
Why hasn’t virtual reality caught on like other web technologies?
Creation of good virtual reality programs/files is still very specialized field usually requiring a team of knowledgeable professionals. The programs/files are generally larger than most of the other web technologies like Flash and thus require a high speed internet connection to view properly over the internet and another player is required to view as well. It just isn’t easily accessible for a majority of the population.
  
Destination 4: Knowing what you know now, what promise does virtual reality hold for instructional technology?
As the file formats evolve into a smaller file size, virtual reality will become widely available to a larger audience on the internet and than accepted as another tool for solving training challenges. An increase in those with the skills to develop 3D models will occur as 3D open source ware gains in popularity. Currently anyone can edit a video and place on the web so it will be with VR programs in the future.

Bonus: Found on Wikipedia: Perhaps the first use of computer graphics specifically to illustrate computer graphics was in Futureworld (1976), which included an animation of a human face and hand - produced by Ed Catmull and Fred Parke at the University of Utah.Although the above was found I have always believed that Tron was the first movie to use computer generated graphics.

Thoughts on Social Simulation Class

Review of Social Simulation Class
Incredible information! I wish Dr.Kapp was teaching a course at UMBC. He was great and the resources he gave us and that are provided on his website are wonderful. I could spend days looking and reading all the information. I especially liked his review and interviews with Clark Aldrich. I’m very interested in the Gamer and Boomer Gap. This is a real constant for me at KKI. We are in a training department that works with young medical professionals which are the Gamers and all the upper management, discipline training supervisors and directors are Boomers. It is a challenge to educate these trainers in new methods and technologies. We just finally have everyone using PowerPoint!
Two books in particular that I want to read are Got Game-How the Gamer Generation Is Reshaping Business Forever and Learning by Doing.
Great sites: e-learningguru.com, bricksorclicks.com, www.simulearn.net, thebusinessgame.com
  

Blogs are everywhere!

The TV Show West Wing mentioned blogs when referring to a picture and story that leaked out to the press about a presidential candidate. They referred to the information as being out on several mediums including blogs.

Video Compression Standards

The selection of video compression standards just keeps growing.
A quick list includes: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MPEG-7, MPEG-21, JPEG, DV, H.261, H.263 and DivX.
Find out all about video compression in this great article in Pro AV Magazine at http://proav.pubdyn.com/2005_September/Septemb912200532206PM.htm

Creating "Print This Screen" and Search Engines

I’ve been developing on a web-based training plan at work for about 2 months using DreamWeaver and Fireworks. We finally have most of the content complete. The design template was complete until the lead member once again has made changes. This internal web site will need to incorporate two features that I have not included in a project yet- search and print this page.
I called our company webmasters, internet and intranet, and asked for advice. Both told me to do some research and wished me good luck. OK. The research begins…..
So I was on blogger searching for help on the incorrect displaying of my blog and found a site called htmlgoodies. An article I read said that the best way is to create a printable page for each web page that you want to be able to print. Items to consider:

• take out extra items like banners


• do not create a simple .txt file


• make page printable in portrait


• take out colors


• keep typography simple


• don’t worry about page breaks unless it really matters (i.e. book or manuscript)


• use simple coding

<TABLE BORDER=”0” WIDTH=”400”>
<TD>

Place text here

</TD>
</TABLE>

I haven’t used HTML much so I’d love to have some comments about this information. I’ve opened my blog so anyone can comment. So please send me some comments.
I haven’t had much luck on the search engines but I think I might need to know a little more about the server that the web site will be running on. Again any input would be great!

Thanks.