Multimedia Authoring
What is Multimedia?
Multimedia at its most basic is simply the combination of different media types: text, audio, still images, and moving images (video or animation). Remember, the word “media” is the plural of “medium” which is a channel for communication. Today we understand that if the same information is delivered using multiple media types, then the odds of recalling that information improve dramatically. So multimedia presentation of information improves learning outcomes. As music teachers, some level of multimedia presentation is built into the job. There are strong visual and aural components of everything that we do when we are in front of our students. We can argue that our ability to harness multiple media types is one of the keys to keeping our students engaged. Just watching a simple recital-style musical performance is a multimedia experience filled with audio and moving images. When we add the feast of colors, costumes, sets, and special effects of a film, opera, or musical theater production, we get complex, highly engaging multimedia presentations. When we add navigation and interactivity to a multimedia presentation, the creative possibilities become endless. In this course, we will explore ways to produce and organize multimedia presentations and make them available to students on the web. We will build on the knowledge of media types you gained in your study of multimedia basics in course 1B. |
What is Content Authoring?
In the 1B course you learned about all the various media types and how to create and edit them. We use the term “content authoring” to describe developing the content pieces that you will embed within your final multimedia presentation. For example, you might use Microsoft Word to edit your text, a graphics program like Acorn or Affinity Designer to create images, an audio program like GarageBand or Audacity to create sound, and iMovie to create video. Video editing software sometimes serves both as a content authoring tool and a multimedia authoring tool in that video software allows you to import still images and sounds and overlay text and special effects to produce the final video. In the case of Camtasia software, however, you can also add interactive hot spots and publish online for immediate sharing of useful multimedia products. |
What is Multimedia Authoring?
Authoring software allows non-programmers to assemble multimedia content into presentations that include navigation and interactivity. Multimedia authors create products that can be used to teach and assess content and skills, simulate real-world experiences, provide valuable references and tools, and entertain and delight audiences. To create these products, authors use a variety of software tools that can be categorized as follows:
Authoring software allows non-programmers to assemble multimedia content into presentations that include navigation and interactivity. Multimedia authors create products that can be used to teach and assess content and skills, simulate real-world experiences, provide valuable references and tools, and entertain and delight audiences. To create these products, authors use a variety of software tools that can be categorized as follows:
Slide or Card-based Presentation Tools
Microsoft PowerPoint and Apple Keynote are the two big players here. They are both widely available to teachers to use without additional licensing so they can be a great place to start. Text, images, sounds, and videos are placed on individual slides with simple navigation controls to allow the user to go from slide to slide and even skip around within the deck of slides. |
Online Web-Authoring Tools
Sites like Weebly, Wix, and Google Sites provide graphic interfaces for web development. Both sites have free services available to allow non-programmers to create web sites where text, images, audio, and video can be posted. The web site templates available are tested for compatibility with all web browsing devices and you can easily import embedded content from YouTube and other social media web sites. The web page can be viewed as an enhanced slide or card metaphor. Navigation can be built into the site you create to allow your visitor to view the pages in any sequence you like or any sequence they might prefer. |
E-Learning Authoring Software
Adobe Captivate and Articulate Storyline are the most popular, high-end software packages for professionals who produce e-learning presentations for a living. A newer web-based product called EasyGenerator is also gaining steam in this market. These programs use a card-based metaphor, similar to the metaphor used in PowerPoint, where the user interacts with a single card (screen) at a time and then navigates to other areas of the presentation, usually in a linear or nearly-linear order. E-learning software goes beyond PowerPoint in providing comprehensive assessment options (quizzes) and integration with e-learning platforms and Learning Management Systems. These software packages also provide large libraries of business graphics that can be imported into a presentation. Finally, they include screen capture technology to assist authors in screen sharing and narrating the presentation. The final product is delivered as an interactive web presentation. E-learning software is typically used by instructional designers who create training packages for businesses and government institutions. The software is expensive at $400 to $1000 per license which usually makes it prohibitive for use by public school teachers. |
Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
The author spends years acquiring computer programming skills to create totally customized software that can be delivered on web browsers and mobile devices. The skill set today for this type of work involves a thorough understanding of media types, basic and advanced skills in creating media, software architecture knowledge, and advanced skills in coding navigation and interactivity logic using a computer programming language like JavaScript. The durability of products created DIY is robust because the only dependencies that exist are the existence of web browsers and mobile devices that conform to established standards. DIY is the best option if one wishes to avoid creative limitations and create products that will be useful for many years to come. The tools for working DIY are often free or very inexpensive. Here you pay with your time. In this course, you will experience just a bit of the DIY process by creating the code for your own listening map using template code I will provide. |