Synopsis

Welcome to Basic Flash animation and interactivity workshop. "Dynamic visual display including animation has become a primary component of media-based instruction. Any type of pictorial or graphical movement during instruction is defined as dynamic visual display" or DVD in short. (Ok-choon Park, 1998) Strategic application of DVD is crucial to mediate learning. According to Peters and Daiker, 1998, "a strategic application of DVDs is to use motion in a visual display to focus student's attention on desired to-be-learned features" of a subject matter. Hence, animation can be useful to "illustrate structural, functional, or procedural relationships among components in a specific domain." (Ok-choon Park, 1998) Interactivity enhances those relationship by allowing learners through an inquiry process, construct knowledge, test hypothesis and validate assumption, for example manipulating variables of an virtual experiment (sometimes called microworlds) - the parts of an apparatus, variables of a equation, the valves of a crude oil furnace.  This creates an environment wherein learners learn through self exploration and discovery. However in instruction, it is important to use technology only to help students learn as Jonassen (1992) points out that "technology do not directly mediate learning. Rather, learning is mediated by thinking, and thinking is activated by learning activities, and learning activities are mediated by instructional interventions, including technologies." There are many ways that technology can mediate learning. This workshop gives you a glimpse into some ways DVDs can supplement instruction by drawing on the examples shown in some Websites; showing you the basics of creating animation and interactivity.

This course is brief and will not make you a flash prodigy overnight, in two weeks or more. Attaining competence requires lots of practice, patience and most of all, determination. This courseware uses CamAsia TSCC Codec, Flash, Shockwave and Authorware exhibits. To view the exhibits you will need to download and install the players. Insrallation is free-of-charge.

Click here to download Flash and Shockwave Player.
Click here to download CamAsia TSCC Codec and CamAsia Player.
Click here to download Authorware Player.

Also, you wll need to create a tutorial folder in your any of your hard drive to store your exercise files. Call that folder "flashTutorial";

Let's have a look at some interesting examples:

http://www.explorelearning.com/gizmos/
http://www.usd.edu/phys/courses/phys702/flash/
http://www.flashsim.com/flash_gallery.html
http://www.learnactivity.com/html/rlo.htm#/
http://www.moma.org/whatisaprint/
http://www.becominghuman.org
http://www.cleverpig.com/
Diagnosing Flat Roof Leakeages
http://www.nyhallsci.org/biochem/interactive_experiments.html
http://www.actionscript-toolbox.com/index.php
The mosquito story


Flash MX 2004

This workshop focusses on Flash MX, a popular authoring tool for animation and interactivity. Flash and its internal scripting language, Actionscript is required for building simulations, discovery Learning, case-based, problem-based learning objects. Depending on your level of expertise and creativity, you can develop from simple to highly sophisticated e-learning applications for delivery on the Web or as a standalone courseware that runs on a CD.

Prerequisite

Before you continue reading, please note that you must have the basic working knowledge of Windows. For maximum learning, attempt the exercises while you graze the content. To do this you can cascade this window and your Flash program and toggle the two. Read and attempt the exercises as you go along. Although not strictly necessary it will be advisable to view the pages chronologically by clicking the hyperlinks on the left from top to bottom. This way, there will be some kind of continuity. Good thing is - you can quit and come back anytime.

Duration

No predefined duration but you can expect to spend at least 15 to 30 minutes attempting each hands-on tutorial. There is no need to complete all tutorial in a single session. You can attempt one exercise each time and return for more. As subsequent tutorial calls for knowledge learnt and skill acquired in previous tutorials, you are advised to take short breaks in between.

Learning Goal:

By the end of the workshop, learner should be able to develop simple Flash animation, interactivity and publish movies for the Web or standalone playback.

Learning Objectives:

This section ends.