Mulitmedia

• 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.

• 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 - My 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.
• E-text - electronic reference books
• 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.
• How-to guides
• Multimedia Newspapers - distribution on CD-ROM
• World Wide Web
• PhotoCD

Developing Multimedia Applications

Authoring Tools

• ToolBook, from click2learn.com, Inc. is one of the more widely used multimedia authoring software packages. Toolbook uses a graphical user interface and an object oriented approach so you can design your applications using basic objects such as buttons, fields, graphics, backgrounds, and pages.
• 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