The program allows the user to easily drag-and-drop all major media into the same project, add interactivity and - when the project is ready - simply export to a Web site or an interactive QuickTime movie.

This 2006 BESSIE winner is a dynamic tool that levels the playing field for anyone whose eyes have crossed when trying to create with HTML - and that's nearly all of us. Now, savvy students can create truly professional-looking Internet projects.

Purchase eZediaQTI today for $49.95

Creating an Animated Banner

How do you shout, "Hey, look over here!" on the Internet?
Answer: Place an animated banner on your Web page.

You can create your own with eZediaQTI and make it as simple or complex as you like. Here's an example of a simple banner:

To create:  

1. Open a new eZediaQTI document and in the Attributes panel>Document tab, change the document size to read Banner Ad: 465 x 74.
2. Create the first graphical state of your banner on this frame.
3. Drop in a new Goto object, select it, move it off to the side, and in the Attributes panel, make these changes:
• Activate=Timer
• Visible=Unchecked
• Action(Frame)=Next
4. Choose View>Object Timer and set the Goto start time to 2 seconds.
5. Choose Frame>Duplicate.
6. On frame two, make the necessary graphical changes to this second state of your banner and set the Goto Action(Frame) to Previous.

The Missing Link

You can create a link on the banner that will lead viewers to a Web page that will tell them more about your product, service or event. In my banner, I put a link over the underlined blue text.

• Activate=On Mouse Click
• Exist on=All Frames (if you want the link to be active on all frames)
• Visible=Unchecked
• Action(Goto)=Web Location
• Action(URL)=Web address you want to link to.

Once your banner is all set, choose File>Export Interactive movie and save the movie to your computer.

HTML Export

As I noted earlier, you can make your banner as simple or complex as you like. My banner was done over two frames, but the more frames you use, the more steps you will have in your animation. You can also use the Object Timer to cycle through the frames as slowly or quickly as you like.

By showing you this simple exercise, I am also revealing how exporting to HTML and QuickTime can work together. You can, in fact, create a multiframe slide show with images, text and movies (with movie controls), and place it on one page of your eZediaQTI HTML Web site. If you want more information on this, please let me know.

I look forward to seeing your eZediaQTI-created banners!

By Cyndi Danner-Kuhn

Teacher Web sites and Multimedia Projects

A couple of years ago, I attempted to have all of my elementary education majors learn and create their portfolio Web site by using Dreamweaver, while learning Hyperstudio, PowerPoint and a few other software packages. When I stumbled into an eZediaQTI workshop, I discovered the solution to teaching - less software and more content - insuring my students would be successful and leaving my course with a big bag of resources to use.

eZediaQTI is sort of a one-stop shop. It seems that principals want most teachers to have classroom Web sites. That’s a tall order! However, with eZediaQTI you can do that and do it fast and easy! Most teachers want to create dynamic presentations and multimedia projects to use with their students. eZediaQTI can do that, too! One program, which is under $50 and super easy, what more could you want?

Generally, I begin teaching the software with an interactive storybook project that takes about an hour (you can find this project in my book - Figbert’s Adventure). All the files, images and even sound files are prepared in advance and either burned to a CD or loaded on each computer. I even make a sample of the completed project. In fact, that is where I start, by showing them the completed project that they will be re-creating. And of course, I have detailed step-by-step instructions. The instructions walk my students through re-creating the project, and when they are finished, they have a really good grasp on how to use the software. From that point on, it is easy.

What is really cool about the interactive project is that everything they learn carries over to making a Web site. How about that, using prior knowledge! That is where my book came into the picture. I always look for resources when I am trying to learn something new and I quickly discovered that outside of company resources, there were no books on eZediaQTI. So, I wrote my own book. Actually, it began as handouts in my college classes and it grew until it developed into a complete how-to-do-almost-everything book for eZediaQTI: http://www.teamvistech.com/.

Enough advertising. I love the interactive projects. I am even writing and illustrating a children’s book now. But what excited me the most with eZediaQTI was the fact that every student I had in my campus and online class was successful in creating and uploading a portfolio Web site. This was an impossible task before I discovered eZediaQTI. The other thing that really hooked me was that I could be as creative as I wanted. I began my teaching career as a high school journalism teacher. In other words, I was a PageMaker guru. I wanted to be able to move things around at will and not be locked into using a table to line things up. I wanted to be able to use photos, movies, mp3s, PDFs, Word files and on and on. eZediaQTI gives me the flexibility and freedom to do what I want! And it is easy and logical.

The next cool thing my students discovered was scrapbooking sites (see sidebar). Remember, these are elementary education majors, so they are into cute! They discovered that there are tons of FREE downloads of embellishments and papers on the scrapbooking sites that are great for adding jazz to their Web sites. Things on my students' sites are getting a little crazy with the scrapbook stuff, but I am excited at the risks that they are taking and what they are learning.

The most thrilling thing that happens each semester is the first time they upload (FTP) their Web site to the Internet. It is always an exciting day in class, and before I discovered eZediaQTI, I never knew that excitement. I not only have my college kids using eZediaQTI, I have an Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) grant at a local elementary school where all of the teachers have created their own classroom Web sites. Now, we are using eZediaQTI with the kids and they are making interactive projects. For example, in the third grade classroom, the kids made interactive word problems and the teacher, Marsha Jordan, has all of their projects posted on her Web site. The day we showed the kids their projects on her Web site was nothing short of amazing. They were so excited, and couldn’t wait to go home that night to show their parents. Talk about engaging students in the learning, WOW!

eZediaQTI is an amazing program, and the best part is that every time I use it, I discover something else I can do with the software. I may never use PowerPoint again!

About the Author: Cyndi Danner-Kuhn is an Assistant Professor in the Technology Studies Department at Fort Hays State University, Hays, Kansas.
No remuneration was received for the writing of this article.