Multimedia Inventory
I created my LMS site using moodle. For an overview of my course, please view the screen cast below.
In terms of multimedia, I have used visual and audio components. The visual components include images (.jpeg and .png), animation (.gif), video (.mov, embedded from YouTube) and a digital story (.swf, embedded) created with Tikatok. The audio components include 11 audio files (.mp3) that I created using Audacity. View and listen to an example.
Here is a breakdown of the multimedia that I used in more detail, organized by type:
A) Images & Animation
| Images
File names & Format
|
Animation
File names & Format |
| Alien.jpg
Lune_clr.jpg Solar_system4.jpg Soleil_clr.jpg SpaceHero.png Notepad.png Earcartoon.jpg Me.jpg |
Anispace2.gif Quiz.gif Science_space.gif Spacemanncc.gif Zoom.gif |
Purpose
There are a few purposes for incorporating images and animations in my LMS course site. On my splash page, there are images and animations that provide a visual hook for students. Young children love colourful and engaging images and I believe that students viewing this splash page would be instantly excited about the theme. The images on the Splash page have the correct alt attribute assigned to them, so if a student were using screen-reading software, they would understand where to click. There is also a silly picture of myself, from a field trip to the Calgary Science Centre. Students love seeing funny pictures of their teacher, and I would argue that this helps to foster a relationship with students. I have included images in other areas of my LMS course site, such as the quiz. The purpose of doing this is to add a visual element to some questions (the green alien) and to situate the student in the question (solar system).
Source & Copyright clearance requirements
All of the images and animations that I used were found on Google Images. I was careful to select images and animations that were free to use, with no copyright restrictions.
Technologies required
In order to download images and animations, a connection to the Internet is required. Using your web browser, images and animations can be downloaded to the hard-drive of your computer, at which point you can upload them to the “files” folder of your LMS course site, in my case, moodle.
Estimated time to create and prep
Downloading the actual images and/or animations is very quick, and easy. The bulk of my time was spent searching for images that could be used freely without copyright restrictions. I estimate 30-60 minutes for finding approximately 10 images for my LMS course site.
Associated costs
Once you have a computer and Internet connection, the cost is ZERO.
B) Video
File names & Format
In my course, the video is embedded from YouTube, however, the file is in .mov format on my computer. My digital story, created using Tikatok has been embedded directly into my LMS site. The digital story itself is hosted on the Tikatok site and the file format is flash (.swf). Tikatok allows you to create stories using flash animation.
Purpose
The purpose of incorporating the Space Video into my LMS course site is to complement many of the other activities. The text of the video is the same text that students are asked to read and listen to in the literacy centre activities. They are then asked to work with that text utilizing the SMART Board and the markers. The video would assist students with this activity as well as their overall comprehension, which ultimately would prepare them for the quiz.
The purpose of incorporating the Digital Story into my LMS course site is to use it as a reading comprehension activity. The students will read the story either on their own or with me, as a class. They will then answer the reading comprehension questions in the discussion forum. Using the digital story is a positive way to engage students with the images and hook them into the story rather than just reading text.
Source & Copyright clearance requirements
I created the Space Video 2 years ago with my grade one students. We created all of the images through various art projects of the elements of the solar system. The art projects were photographed and uploaded to iPhoto. From there, we used iMovie to create the movie. Students worked in groups of two to record the audio for each element of the solar system. When the project was finished, I uploaded it to YouTube.
I created the Digital Story using Tikatok. All of the images in my story were found on Creative Commons. Creative Commons is a web site where you can find licensed works you can share, remix, or reuse.
Technologies required
| Space Video | Digital Story |
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|
Estimated time to create and prep
The Space Video took rather long to make. That being said, I did this project with 20 five and six year olds! I had done most of the preparation before hand, taking the digital photos and getting them organized in iMovie. The bulk of the time was spent having my students practice their parts and recording their voices. This was difficult as I had to manage the rest of the class while working with 2 students at a time. In all, this project took approximately 2 weeks, working on it a little each school day. If I were to undertake a similar project in the future, I would invite parent volunteers and/or older students into the classroom to assist. This would undoubtedly reduce the time it would take to develop such a resource.
The Digital Story using Tikatok was much quicker to prepare! I searched for my images on Creative Commons as I inserted the text page by page. The whole project from start to finish probably took me about 2 hours. I would definitely consider digital storytelling over movie making if the situation was right. You do lose the ability for audio using Tikatok.
Associated Costs
Once you have your computer, hopefully a Mac, the costs are ZERO!!!
C) Audio
I used Audacity to record 11 .mp3 files for my LMS Course Site.
| File names & Format
Venus.mp3 VoieLactee.mp3 Jupiter.mp3 Mars.mp3 Mercure.mp3 Neptune.mp3 Quiz.mp3 Saturne.mp3 Soleil.mp3 Terre.mp3 Uranus.mp3 |
Purpose
The purpose of these voice recordings is to have audio support for the reading component of the course; the descriptions of the Milky Way, the Sun and the planets. In each module, there is a resource titled “Centres de littéracie / Literacy Centers”. When you click on the name of each planet, you will notice an image of an ear holding a megaphone with the words “Cliquez sur l’oreille!” in red beside the image. Looks like this:
Cliquez sur l’oreille!
When the student clicks on the ear, a new window opens up and they will hear my voice recording reading out the text. After the recording has been listened to, the students must close the window to return to the course. One of my voice recordings is also in my quiz (question #1). Students can click the link to hear the question being read out loud before giving their answer.
Source & Copyright clearance requirements
I created all of the sound files using Audacity, a free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. I saved the files (.mp3) to my hard drive and then uploaded them to the “files” folder of my LMS course site.
Technologies required
- A computer with Internet access
- You must download Audacity and the LAME plug-in in order to save your files in .mp3 format
Estimated time to create or prep
When I first started using Audacity, I remember struggling and struggling with exporting to an .mp3 file. Once I realized that I had to download the LAME plug-in for my operating system, I really had the ball rolling! This was the biggest challenge in using Audacity. For the toolkit activity, I followed the instructions and made my recordings without any difficulty. From there, I uploaded the files to the appropriate folder in moodle and was easily able to link the files to the “ear” image. Once I had my system in place, it was just a matter of clicking here and there! All in all, I estimate this portion of the project took 1-2 hours.
Associated costs
Once you have your computer, the costs are ZERO!!!