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A Few Thoughts from Tim Beekman
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It fascinates me to see how technology has changed the learning experience
since computers first came into our educational system decades ago. Visual
learning first caught on when teachers on the cutting edge were no longer
confined to textbooks and the blackboard. Savvy educators started using
movies and film strips to get across their points, and it worked. Soon
thereafter, visuals were integrated with lesson plans to make them more
exciting and relevant, but we envisioned much, much more.
As 2006 approaches, a lot of what we envisioned back then is alive and well
today, but there’s still more to come. What motivates me now is how active
the students of today have become and how intuitively they can navigate
through new tools and resources. They understand quickly and have so much
more confidence in what they have learned – it opens up new doors and new
opportunities for all of us, making the future of eZedia and SAFARI Video
Networks very, very bright.
Tim Beekman
President,
SAFARI Video Networks |
Status on eZedia Product Updates
It's been a busy summer for us, full of changes and surprises. We have been
busy working our products into the strategic goals of
SAFARI Video Networks,
the new owner of eZedia.com and the eZedia product line.
Like eZedia, SAFARI Video Networks and Library Video Company each have an amazing product line
of learning solutions that you shouldn't be without in your classroom. As a
result of this new ownership, we have reduced the prices on our entire
product line.
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We have just released an update to eZediaQTI 2, fixing items that have been
reported by our end users. We have also been working to bring the feature
sets of the Windows and Macintosh versions closer together. You will find
significant user-friendly fixes and improvements in the release of eZedia
QTI 2.1.5 for Macintosh, as well as completed Image Editing tools in
eZediaQTI 2.1 for Windows. Both updates are now available for download from
the eZedia.com web site. Moving forward into next year, you can expect to
see new features, along with other exciting announcements from us, SAFARI
Video Networks and Library Video Company.
Creating an Email Link in eZediaQTI
An email link is a powerful way of helping your clients and website visitors communicate with you. A simple click on the link will launch their email client, fill in your email address and a subject line.
Here is how you set it up:
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Drop in a Goto object;
- Open the Attributes panel and select the Goto object;
- Click on the ‘Go to’ drop down menu and choose ‘Web Location’;
- In the URL field beneath, type the email address preceded by mailto:
mailto:support@ezedia.com
For this code to work, it's very important to keep spaces out of it. If you had, for instance, "mail to: support@ezedia.com", your browser would generate an error message, and I would not get your email.
Don't forget, you can dress up (or dress down) the Goto link by formatting the text and choosing one of the many styles from the Styles list in the Attributes panel.
Now, what if you wanted to include a subject line for the email? That is done by adding this: ?subject=(subject line)
For example:
mailto:support@ezedia.com?subject=Goto objects are cool!
When you export your project and click on the link, your email client will launch a new email message:
I invite you to try a Goto email link and look forward to hearing from you! Feel free to suggest
a scenario or object you would like me to discuss in an upcoming newsletter.
from the desk of Dr. Jane Madden
Just Add Water and Stir . . .
Recently, someone unfamiliar with eZediaQTI, asked me what you could do with it. I outlined a number of projects but that got me thinking further. eZediaQTI is a lot like a set of watercolor paints. What you might do with it is essentially endless. Individual creativity is quite boundless with the result that the potential list of ideas and projects will only go on and on. As an educator, my focus tends to be on using this tool as a way for students to communicate ideas, experiences, learning, imagination, etc. There is a plentiful supply of information on why this is a good thing from a teaching perspective so I’ll focus on sharing more practical ideas and uses in this article.
Let’s begin by getting some ideas on how we might use eZediaQTI in the classroom. I’ve put together two lists you might find useful. The first is a list that could be a springboard for your own ideas.. You’ll find suggestions such as digital portfolios, research projects, digital storybooks, e-brochures, etc. The second page I’ve created focuses on middle school English and social studies standards and the ways you can use eZediaQTI to meet those standards. For those of you who remember the “Choose Your Own Adventure” series of fiction books, check out the adaptation I’ve created using eZediaQTI. You can view the project and the general instructions for implementing it in the classroom here. Your students can create a digital version of their own take on these timeless classics.
So, now that you have a few ideas on what you want to do, you might want to know what some projects actually look like. I’ve created some “sampler” pages that give you a quick look at some possibilities. As you think about where you want to go with the software, do not limit yourself to only one avenue. The Internet is great and your eZediaQTI projects can go there quite simply, but you can also put them on a cd. The digital storybook project my students created last semester required them to have the project able to run on the Internet, as well as a CD, and be printed! The good part about eZediaQTI is that it really didn’t take any more effort to do it all. For student examples of the e-brochure mentioned earlier, click here. If you want to see how I used eZediaQTI to create a piano that you can play online, check this out. The piano is an example of a 1-frame project. You can also view my take on one of our local thunderstorms that also was produced as a 1-frame project with sound.
eZediaQTI projects can be done quite quickly. The secret is to assemble your resources ahead of time. Doesn’t that sound familiar? Is there anything you do in daily life where that rule doesn’t apply? Have you ever tried to bake a cake without checking first to see if you have eggs in the house? It takes a lot longer if you have to drive to the store in the middle of everything. Pull your ideas together and work out the plan for the project. Always have your students prepare in advance.
I’m not a graphic designer. To help me think about how I wanted a project to work, I started looking at the work of others! Here’s a link to a page I’ve posted that will show you in detail what I’m talking about and will walk you through the process of moving from someone’s design idea to create your own unique take on a different topic. To spur your own imagination, I’ve got a list of general ideas about what you might do with the background of your frame.
If you visit the site, you’ll notice that I like to use photos a great deal. One of our students did a beautiful job using only a single photo in the design of the background for a large project on Egypt. He made the photo rather transparent (easy to do in eZediaQTI) and then gave each section of the project a different background color that showed through the photo. As a result, viewers would be automatically signaled that the focus had changed as they moved from section to section.
If you think you’re ready to begin exploring but are wondering where to start, I have posted instructions that will guide you through the process of creating a photo album. There are two different levels to the project. Both the resources and the instructions are available online. You’ll find other photo album projects at the site, too. “A Visit to a Butterfly Garden” project also provides you with the resources to create it yourself. eZedia has produced an excellent software manual. It is another great resource that you’ll want to use as you get started. They even have a complete tutorial on how to use eZediaQTI to create your own website.
Some people prefer to see and hear how to do things, so I’ve posted “how-to” movies on various eZediaQTI techniques. Don’t forget that in addition to their print resources, eZedia also has a number of great movie tutorials at their site.
With a digital camera, camcorder, and a basic microphone, most of the resources you’ll need for projects are right at hand. My husband and I have established a library of photos, VR ’s, and very short movie clips that are available for teachers and students at our website: http://www.jmadden.info. I’ve also established a page of links to external resources. eZedia has a number of Media Libraries available for download at their site, too. If you are more comfortable using video in the classroom and are wondering how you’ll come up with ideas for projects, I suggest you look at the wide array of teacher guides that are now available. Schlessinger Media has developed a number of guides for their video clips that I’m certain will help you think about using multimedia. The guides are brief, to the point, suggest Internet, print, and video resources, as well as questions and activities for pre- and post-viewing experiences for students. Once you start experimenting, you’ll discover resources all around you that you just never noticed before!
Go ahead and explore. You’ll soon find you and your students creating self-running slideshows for assemblies, interactive exhibits for parent night, classroom yearbooks, digital compositions, multi-lingual science guides, career exploration projects, digital field trip reports produced by your students that your school board will love, digital glossaries with assessment components, performance-based assessment documentation, and so much more.
About the Author
Dr. Jane Madden is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at Francis Marion University and is the Director of the Grants Development Program on campus. No remuneration was received for the writing of this article.
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