MULTIMEDIA - Refers to any computer-based presentation or application that integrates one or more of the following elements: text, graphics, animation, audio, and video.

• Web pages and Powerpoint files are two very common types of multimedia.

• Interactive multimedia - describes a multimedia application that accepts input from the user by means of a keyboard, voice, or mouse and perfroms an action in response. It allows you to choose the material you want to view.

Elements of Multimedia

• Text - characters that are used to create words, sentences, and paragraphs.

• Graphics - A digital representation of nontext information, such as a drawing, chart, or photograph.

• Animation - Flipping through a  series of still images. It is a series of graphics that create an illusion of motion.

• Video - photographic images that are played back at speeds of 15 to 30 frames a second and the provide the appearance of full motion.

• Audio - music, speech, or any other sound.

Multimedia applications - An application that uses multimedia technology for business, education and education.

• Simulations - computer based models of real life situations used in educating, entertainment or business.

CBT/WBT

• CBT ( computer based training) - is a type of education in which students learn by using and completing exercises with instructional software.

• WBT (web based training) -  is an approach to computer based training that employs the technologies of the Internet and the World Wide Web

• This class is an example of WBT.

• Advantages of CBT/WBT

• It can be self paced - Students can do the quizzes, homework and such in the P.J's at 3 in the morning. Comfort

• Unique content - you can appeal to many types of learners, some people like to learn by reading, some like hearing and some like wacthing, etc. etc.

• Unique instructional experience

• Reduced training time

• Reduced training cost - for this class I only have to take one hour of the lecture hall for over 500 students.

• Cut down on commute times.

• Disadvantages of CBT/WBT

• Students can feel isolated

• Some students need more discipline, and can't handle the freedom.

• Student teacher interaction can be limited.

• Teachers workload is increased dramatically

Other uses of Multimedia

• Electronic Books - digital textbooks, they usually use links that can allow you to access extra information on the data.

• Edutainment - an experience that is supposed to be both education and entertaining.

• Virtual Reality - the use of a computer to create an artificial environment that appears and feels like a real environment and allows users to explore a space and manipulate the environment.

• VRML - Virtual Reality Modeling Language - 3D worlds that users can manipulate and move around in for the Internet.

• Multimedia Newspapers - distribution on CD-ROM

• World Wide Web

• PhotoCD

Developing Multimedia Applications

Authoring Tools

• Macromedia is a company that is a leader in authoring tools for stand-alone multimedia apps and Web based interactive multimedia apps. 

• Authorware from Macromedia, is another authoring tool for building interactive multimedia training and education programs.

• Director from Macromedia, allows you to create stand alone multimedia aplications. You can watch interactive video without a player, Director packages the content and the player in the application.

• Flash is another popular multimedia authoring tool for the Internet

• The following is a screen capture of Flash



• 3D creation tools - programs that allow you to create a 3D world, instead of drawing on a X-Y plane, you draw on a X-Y-Z plane the Z plane is perpendicular to the screen.

• Maya

• Lightwave

• 3D Studio Max

• The following is a screen capture of 3D Studio Max 2.5



 

• Adobe Premier is a non-linear editing tool where you can edit video on the computer

•  The following is a screen capture of Adobe Premier 5.2





How to make an animated gif (easy way)

First you will need animated gif software such as Animagic. There are many free or shareware animated gif software packages at any download site such as downloads.com.

• To start you need to open any paint type program and draw all your pictures. Save them in some kind of sequence like the examples below.

  • For the Web I saved these as .gif files, but most paint programs save the files as .bmp bitmap files. Web browsers don't like to show .bmp files, but that's OK because most animated gif programs such as Animagic will convert your bitmap files (.bmp) to .gif's.

face1.gif	face2.gif	face3.gif	face4.gif
Now import your frames like the four above into your Animagic type software and the software will put the pictures together into one file such as the one below.

I use Animagic for my animated gifs, but there are many other choices out there. Make sure you know what Animagic is used for on a quiz of final.