Vol. 29 - August 2003

	Bringing Stories to Life Tackling a Shakespearean novel or any epic classic can often be a daunting task for most students. Incorporating a multimedia book report into the lesson can turn an overwhelming assignment into one that is engaging and fun. Every aspect of a story-from its structure, plot, characters, pace, and setting-can be visually explained through dynamic graphics, video, text, and animation. Students express their comprehension of a book's elements through a multimedia report that can then be presented to the class, promoting further student participation and understanding. Book Report Lesson Plan What's the Best Way to Use Media Masking in eZediaMX? Media Masking in eZediaMX is a powerful feature that can make your projects really stand out from the crowd. 'Mask' is a term used to describe a graphic or movie that is used to define the transparent areas of another graphic or movie. For example, a standard graphic can be masked with a black-and-white graphic to create the following effect: Masking can also be used to create drop shadows for objects with a custom shape. Try it, and see how simple it is to do! 1. Create a Graphic Object of your choice. 2. Create a rectangular Shape Object that is roughly the size of     the Graphic Object. 3. Change the Fill Color to black. 4. Adjust the transparency of the black shape to fade it out a little. 5. Mask the shape with the above example's black-and-white     mask graphic. 6. Send the shadow object to the back layer, and position it with     the Graphic Object. Don't forget that you can also mask an object with a movie to create some really spectacular effects - all in real-time! Download sample Masks Ask Mike eZediaMX: Media Objects The eZediaMX Media Objects are the starting point of any multimedia project. Media Objects let you create images and audio that will be seen and heard in your presentation. The Movie Object adds movies, sounds, VRs, and Flash animations. Any QuickTime compatible file can be brought into your project this way. Use the Record Object to instantly record voice-over narration to any frame in your project. The Graphic Object is used to add most graphic file formats into your project to create background images, photos, diagrams, charts, rollovers, and other interface elements. Use the Shape Object to frame your pictures or text with a colored, and even semi-transparent, box; or create the basic shapes you need to illustrate your point. The Text Object is great for - you guessed it! - creating text. Don't forget that you can set a custom color or transparent background. Click the Format Menu to access more text options. Learn More Wilmette Public Schools District 39 The Wilmette Public Schools District 39, in Wilmette, Illinois, is going through an exciting time. Not only is their district upgrading 1,300 computers to Mac OS X, but they are also redefining how they use technology in the classroom. With the recent purchase of six eZedia K-12 Site Licenses, all schools in the Wilmette Public School District will have eZediaMX and eZediaQTI running on each and every machine. eZediaMX and eZediaQTI are set to be used in grades 1 through 6, and throughout multiple curriculums. "The eZedia product line is the most promising set of new applications I've seen in years. eZediaMX allows students and teachers to create sophisticated multimedia projects while eZediaQTI 'unlocks' the advanced features of QuickTime and allows professional quality web sites to be created with very little extra effort and a low learning curve. These products take multimedia authoring a huge step forward from the products we have used in the past." Matt J. Fuller Director of Technology & Media Services Wilmette Public Schools District 39 Read More · December 2003 · November 2003 · October 2003 · September 2003 · August 2003 · July 2003 · June 2003 · May 2003 · April 2003 · March 2003 · February 2003 · January 2003 2006 Archives 2005 Archives 2004 Archives 2002 Archives 2001 Archives Back to eZedia e-Newsletter Feature of the Month Bringing Stories to Life Ask Mike Media Masking in eZediaMX Product Spotlight eZediaMX: Media Objects You're in Good Company Wilmette Public Schools District 39 eZediaMX Education Trade Up Is your school using legacy software? Teachers, schools, and districts can now take advantage of special trade-up pricing! Atomic Learning Contest Congratulations Marilyn Mossman of Farmington Hills, MI, July's eZedia and Atomic Learning Contest Winner! 1st Annual Media Perspectives on Student Understanding A National Talent Search Contest for Students-at-Work, proudly sponsored by eZedia Digital stock video from around the world. Compliments of WorldClips. Download clips today! Fast-loading tutorials, played over the Internet. Atomic Learning Smart Sound Special SmartSound Movie Maestro for only $29.95 USD with purchase of eZediaMX! Get Your Special Today (C) eZedia Inc. All rights reserved.