Transcript Rapid Development of Multimedia Instructional Modules Nanda Ganesan, Ph.D.

Rapid Development of
Multimedia Instructional
Modules
Nanda Ganesan, Ph.D.
California State University
Los Angeles
Overview
I. Brief demonstration of modules
II. Survey of hardware
III. Survey of software
IV. Software demonstrations
V. Summary
I. Overview Modules
• Module formats
• Module demonstrations
Module Formats
• PowerPoint based lecture modules
• Chalk-and-talk type of lectures
– Simulate the in-class learning environment
•
•
•
•
Software simulations
Software tutorials
Video presentations
Streamed audio and others
– www.ganesan.us hosted at godaddy
• Active learning and learning assessment
with quizzes
Module Demonstrations
• Module 1: PowerPoint lectures
• Module 2: Chalk-and-talk type of
lectures
• Module 3: Software simulations
• Module 4: Software tutorials
• Module 5: Video modules
• Module 6: Streamed audio at
www.ganesan.us
II. Hardware Survey
• A powerful and appropriately
configured system is the starting
point
• A survey was conducted to either
buy or build a system
– System unit
– Input devices
II.I System Unit
Consideration
• Audio and video synchronization
without time delay
• Time required to manipulate and
process recorded audio
– Quality of audio
• Time required to manipulate both
audio and video together
– Quality of audio and video produced
• Support for high resolution and high
color depth recording of multimedia
Component
System 1
System 2
System 2 Improvements
Over System 1
Bare-bone
System
Shuttle SB61G2
with Intel
865G
Chipset
Shuttle SB75S
with Intel
875P Chipset
Motherboard with better chipset
and quieter operation.
Processor
Pentium 4 /2.8
GHz
Pentium 4/ 3.0
GHz
Faster processor.
Memory
DDR -2700
512 M Bytes
DDR-3200
1 G Bytes
More and faster memory.
Hard Drive
Maxtor
5000 RPM
Western Digital
7200 RPM
Quieter and reliable operation.
Removable
Drive
Lexmar USB
Flash Drive
512 M
Bytes
Hammer USB
Hard Drive 60
G Bytes
USB hard drive was far superior
to the USB Flash drive in
terms of speed and storage
capacity.
Video Card
Built-in
ATI Radeon 9600
Pro (Standalone)
A good quality stand-alone video
card such as ATI Radeon
9600 Pro offered better
performance.
Sound Card
Built-in
Sound Blaster SB
Audigy 2 ZS
(Stand-alone)
A good quality stand-alone sound
card such as Sound Blaster
Audigy offered observably
better sound recording
quality.
Minimum Guidelines for
Processor and Memory
• A Pentium 4 processor or above
that operates at a clock speed of 3
GHz or higher
• A total memory of at least 512 M
Bytes of RAM with preference for 1
G Bytes or more of RAM
Minimum Guidelines for Hard
Disk
• A hard disk with a rotational
speed of at least 7200 RPM and
a speed rating of at least 100 M
Bytes per Second (ATA/100)
• A removable USB 2.0 hard disk
with a capacity of at least 40 G
Bytes
Minimum Guideline for Audio
and Video
• A video card with a memory of at least
128 M Bytes and a processor that is at
least as powerful as ATI’s 9600
Graphical Processing Unit (GPU)
• A stand alone audio card similar to
SoundBlaster Audigy ZS that would
support recording audio at a sampling
rate of 44 MHz or more and at a
sampling depth of 16-bits or more
System Units Front View
Systems Units Back View
Stand Alone Audio and
Video Cards
II.II Survey of Input
Devices
• Considered
– Display based
– Tablet (Pad) based
– Paper based
• Contemplated
– Tablet PC
– Digital Pen
Display and Tablet Based
Devices
• Display based devices
– Inconvenient to simulate electronic
whiteboard
• Tablet based devices
– Sketches cannot be viewed on the
tablet while being sketched
Paper Based Products
• The closest to simulating the
electronic whiteboard
• Products with similar functionality
– Seiko InkLink
– Pegasus NoteTaker
• InkLink was chosen due to its wide
availability for testing in retail stores
and it was found to serve the
purpose adequately
Seiko InkLink
InkLink Connection
III. Survey of Software
Category
Category 1
Purpose
Adding multimedia to
PowerPoint Presentations
Category 2
General Purpose Screen
Recording
Category 3
Developing Software
Tutorials
III. I Category 1: Adding
Multimedia to PowerPoint
Product
Features
Articulate
Presenter
-
Facilitates the conversion of PowerPoint presentations to Flash
modules for web hosting.
Allows the recording of live narration.
Supports the inclusion of quizzing and gaming activities for
learning purpose.
Eteach
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Enables the conversion of PowerPoint presentations for hosting
on the web.
iCreate
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Facilitates narration to be added to PowerPoint slides and, if
needed, allows them to be converted to Flash format for hosting
on the web.
Impatica
-
Allows narration to be added to the PowerPoint slides and the
presentations to be converted for web hosting.
Video clips included in the presentation could also be converted
for web hosting.
-
Microsoft
Producer
2003
-
PresenterOne
-
ShowAndTell
-
Facilitates the addition and synchronization of audio and video with
the PowerPoint slides.
Supports the inclusion of still images and HTML documents in the
presentation.
Allows the timing of the different presentation components to be
programmed.
Allows audio and video to be synchronized with PowerPoint
presentations.
Facilitated streamed versions of the presentations to be created for
delivery over the web using either the Real format or the Windows
Media format.
Supports the creation of online presentations from within
PowerPoint.
Allows the addition of narration to the presentation and its
synchronization with the slides.
Facilitates the streaming of modules in Real and Windows Media
formats.
PowerPoint
Recording
-
Supports basic audio and video incorporation in each slide
Ovation
-
Facilitates the incorporation of voice in each slide
Extensive templates are available to create complete presentation
packages
Supports inclusion of animation and other special effects
Allows various formats for incorporating multimedia in the
PowerPoint slides
-
Category 1: Selection
• For the development of simple modules
– PowerPoint recording facility
– http://office.microsoft.com/enus/powerpoint/HA012303061033.aspx
• For the development of more advanced
modules
– Ovation
– Impatica
III.II Category 2: Software for
General Purpose Screen
Recording
• Screen recording software with
audio capabilities
• Modules generated
– Ease of learning and use
– Low storage requirements
– Support for popular recording file
formats
Software Grouping
• For the purpose of the survey, the
software was grouped into two subcategories, namely the high-end
and low-end software categories
Category 2: General Purpose
Screen Recording Software
Software
Group
Software
Functionality
Cost
(Academic
Version)
High-end
-Adobe Premier
-Macromedia Director
-Macromedia
Authorware
-Macromedia
eLearning Suite
Software in this category
includes real-time screen
capture as part of a more
advanced set of
multimedia authoring
features.
-$219
-$499
-Camtasia
-HyperCam
-Microsoft Media
Encoder
Software in this category is
largely dedicated to a
specific task, namely for
capturing screen activities
and adding narration. An
exception in this case is
Microsoft Media Encoder
that is designed for
streaming audio and video.
-$199
-$39.95
-Free with
XP
Low/MiddleEnd
-$499
-$599
High-End Software
• Turn-key CD and e-learning system
development
• Time consuming task
• Macromedia’s software packages
generally dominates the market
• Expensive to purchase, in general
Low-End Software
• Mostly built around specific tasks
– Recording of screen activities and
narration
• Designed for rapid application
development
• Studio versions have many other
features included
Low-end Software
• HyperCam
• Microsoft Encoder
• Camtasia
HyperCam
• Shareware
• Limited support
• A relatively good and cheap
software for recording screen
activities
• Advanced editing and processing
features are limited
• http://www.hypercam.com
Microsoft Encoder
• Screen recording features are
somewhat limited
• Designed for generating streamed
multimedia modules from other
multimedia file formats
• Distributed free of charge by
Microsoft
• Demonstration
Camtasia
• A very good software for recording
screen activities
• Extensive set of media processing
capabilities with respect to screen
recording activity
• Supports the creation of modules in
different media formats
Uses for Camtasia
• Recording of screen activities
• Adding audio to PowerPoint
presentations
• Simulation of chalk-and-talk type of
lectures
• Creations of basic but effective
software demonstrations
Category 2: The Choice
• From the high-end software
category
– None
• From the low-end software
category
– Camtasia
III.III Category 3: Software for
Authoring Software Tutorials
• Extensive features for creating software
simulations
• In general, the purpose is to record
screen images with annotations showing
the action taken at each stage
– Actions relate to key strokes, mouse clicks
etc.
• The entire process is done automatically
without user intervention
Creating a User in
Windows XP
Other Features
• Software simulation
• Creating quizzes
Leading Software in the
Field
• Viewlet Builder
– By Qaborn
• Captivate
– By Macromedia
Comparison of Viewlet Builder
and Captivate
Criterion
Captivate
Viewlet Builder
Software tutorial creation
features
Very Good
Very Good
Suitability for academic
environment
Very Good
Good
Rapid development
capabilities
Excellent
Very good
Ease of learning
Very good
Very Good
Flash compatibility
Excellent
Good
Conforms to e-learning
industry standards
Yes
Yes
Cost (Academic Price)
$199
$299
Overall preference rating on a 8
scale of 1 to 10
7
More on Comparison
• Both ViewLet Builder and Captivate
have nearly identical features
• However, Captivate is relatively
easier to learn and use
• Moreover, Captivate is better
integrated with a host of academic
software such as Macromedia
Flash
Category 3: Selection
• Captivate was chosen for the
project
• Demonstration of software
III. IV Category 4: Other
Software
• Microsoft Office
• SoundForge sound editing software
• Pinacle, Sony VideoBlaster and
Adobe Premier Elements
• Adobe Photoshop Elements
• Roxio Easy CD-Creator
• CD-Stomper Label Creator
IV. Software Demonstration
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•
•
•
Camtasia
Captivate
Screenblast
Soundforge
V. Summary
• Key terms for success
• Emerging Web 2.0 technologies
Key Terms for Success
• Students
– Simulate and emulate the in-class
learning experience
• Instructors
– Employ rapid application
development tools and technologies
Supporting Terms for
Success
• Complement multimedia instruction
with a website
– www.ganesan.us
• Maintain in-person contact for
student orientation and hands-on
practical sessions
Emerging Web 2.0
Technologies
• Camtasia:
http://www.screencast.com
• iLife: http://www.apple.com/ilife/
• iTunes U:
http://www.apple.com/education/pr
oducts/ipod/itunes_u.html
Conclusion
• Education not Entertainment
The End