MULTIMEDIA
QuADEM project
The QuADEM project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This document reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
CONTENTS
1 2 3 4 5 6 Summary............................................................................................................................. 2 Fact sheet ........................................................................................................................... 3 Score................................................................................................................................... 3 Checklists............................................................................................................................ 3 Manual ................................................................................................................................ 5 Lexicon................................................................................................................................ 8
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SUMMARY
Definition In ICT the term “multimedia” refers to the (combined) use of all or a selection of the following within the same online environment.
audio video pictures animation interactive elements (i.e. games)
Scope
This matrix is suitable for online learning environments that use visual/audiovisual multimedia content. For text related queries, please consult the matrixes on
style & language content
It is important to take into consideration that the technical info within this document does not necessarily apply to those users with dial-up internet access (i.e. internet access via telephone modem with a maximum theoretical speed of 56 Kbit/s). Technical issues dealing with streaming or other processes requiring a fair amount of bandwidth will largely apply only to those online learning environments with user side broadband internet access. Even though animation and interactive elements can be a constructive element in an online learning environment, both are beyond the scope of this matrix.
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FACT SHEET
Topic Language NL EN FR DE ES IT Other: Name: Affiliation:
Assessor
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SCORE
After completing the matrix, please rate the module on a scale from 1 to 10 and explain your mark. Score Score Additional comments: …/10
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CHECKLISTS
2 = agree entirely 1 = mostly agree 0 = neither agree nor disagree -1 = mostly disagree -2 = disagree entirely N/A = not applicable
Images -2 1 The link between images and the text is clear. -1 0 1 2 N/A
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The images offer an added value. The images are clear. The images are of an acceptable size. The images do not confuse the users. The images are not offensive for the intended users. The images are copyright free.
Additional comments:
Audio -2 1 2 3 4 5 6 The link between audio and text is clear. The audio files offer an added value. The sound is clear. The streaming quality is reasonable. The download times are reasonable. The audio files are copyright free. -1 0 1 2 N/A
Additional comments:
Video -2 1 2 3 4 5 6 The link between video and text is clear. The videos offer an added value. Image and sound are synchronized. The quality of the video is reasonable. The streaming quality is reasonable. The download times are reasonable. -1 0 1 2 N/A
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The video files are copyright free.
Additional comments:
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MANUAL
Images Problem 1 The link between images and the text is unclear. Rationale / Solution Images can serve as an explanation, elaboration or contextualization of the learning material. If the link with the rest of the material is unclear however, it should be stated explicitly. If the image does not constitute as a valuable addition (informative, aesthetic…) to the learning material, it should probably be deleted. When the link between an image and the (con)text is unclear, it should be stated explicitly. If an image causes confusion, it should be omitted, explained or contextualized. Purely aesthetic additions can make a text more pleasant to read and can increase learning pleasure. These images should however remain in the background. Graphs can add meaning to the text or can stress otherwise subtle connections. It is a prerequisite however that any graph is easily understandable. 3 The images are unclear. If the image is in the uncompressed RAW format, it is easy to enhance contrast, white balance and clarity. Other formats (such as .gif, .jpeg) also allow for contrast and brightness enhancement. The possibilities for change in these formats are not as extended as those in RAW. Photoshop is the leading photo editing software. It allows for a myriad of applications. A freeware counterpart of Photoshop is Picasa (picasa.google.com). It offers quite an extended editing package. 4 The images are not of an acceptable size. Various sizes suit various purposes. Thumbnails are small images of anything from 80x80 tot 200x200 pixels. They are ideally suited as previews of larger images. For other images, anything from 500 pixels² (medium sized) to 1024 pixels²
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The images do not offer an added value
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(large) will do. The traditional 1024 × 768 (786k) resolution for images is still used quite often for websites, but as screen size and processing speed increase, the aspect ratio of 1920×1200 (2304k) is gaining momentum. However, these images will cause unacceptably long download times for users with a slow connection. 5 The images confuse the reader. If the image causes confusion (because it is intrinsically confusing or because the link with the context is unclear), it should be explained, contextualized or replaced. Unless the potentially shocking nature of the image is useful within the learning material’s context, pictures which might offend a learner’s religious, political or societal views should be avoided. The best option, next to asking for permission to publish the image, is to link to other websites which host the image without violating copyright laws.
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The images are offensive.
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The images are not copyright free.
Audio Problem 1 The link between audio and text is unclear. Problem solving Audio files can serve as an explanation, elaboration or contextualization of the learning material. If the link with the rest of the material is unclear however, it should be stated explicitly. If the audio file does not constitute as a valuable addition (informative, aesthetic…) to the learning environment, it should be deleted. When the link between an audio file and the (con)text is unclear, it should be stated explicitly. If it causes confusion, it should be omitted, explained or contextualized. If audio files serve as background material, this should also be stated. 3 The sound is unclear. Boosting the volume or changing the balance might help. It will however be hard to fully restore an unclear recording, so it might be better to replace the audio file entirely. Note: Free audio editing software is available on http://audacity.sourceforge.net/. Adobe Audition offers good tools for audio recovery, but it is not freeware. 4 The streaming quality is not reasonable. The playback stream should not be broken down. If the audio contains significant details that are lost because of streaming, downloading will most likely be a better solution for the file. Streaming files that are longer than 10 minutes should be either avoided or should be made available for downloading. 5 The download times are The larger the file, the more download time it requires. Especially users with a dial-up internet connection might find the download
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The audio files do not offer an added value.
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not reasonable.
time of large files unacceptably long. One minute of sound takes up 1 megabyte of disk space, which implies a download time of about 2 – 3 minutes with a dial-up connection. The same file would take a broadband connection 20 seconds to download. This leads to the conclusion that some applications are not suitable for dial-up connections.
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The audio files are not copyright free.
International copyright law concerning the use of existing audio material on websites is rather blurry. The best option, next to asking for permission, is to link to other websites which host the audio file without violating copyright laws. When you offer audio files under copyright protection for educational purposes, you can “quote” from them if you do not make the files publicly downloadable. For copyright protected audio files, streaming is the best option (if the copyrights are cleared), since it makes downloading less easy. If the audio files are of considerable length however, the listener might prefer to listen to the file as a podcast and save it to disk, in which case, you should probably not use them. When making home made podcasts public, make sure that its soundtrack does not contain any music which is copyright protected. It is wrong to assume that using copy written material for non commercial purposes will be considered as fair use.
Video Problem 1 The link between video and text is unclear. Problem solving Video files can serve as an explanation, elaboration or contextualization of the learning material. If the link with the rest of the material is unclear however, it should be stated explicitly. If the video file does not constitute as a valuable addition (informative, aesthetic…) to the learning environment, it should be deleted. When the link between a video file and the (con)text is unclear, it should be stated explicitly. If it causes confusion, it should be omitted, explained or contextualized. If video files serve as background material, this should also be stated. 3 Image and sound are not synchronized. If image and sound are not synchronized, this might be the result over over-editing. The easiest solution is to go back to the editor software and to reproduce the video. This does not imply reediting. To save on bandwidth or download time, most online videos are in a 320x240 pixel resolution. This image size does not allow for full screen viewing, which means that details will be lost. Subtitles too might become hard to read. A possible solution for the subtitle issue is to oversize the subtitles in the original file or to provide a full transcription of the video.
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The videos do not offer an added value.
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The quality of the video is not reasonable
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The streaming quality is not reasonable.
The playback stream should not be broken down. If the video contains significant details that are lost because of streaming, downloading will most likely be a better solution for the file. Streaming files that are longer than 5 minutes should be either avoided or should be made available for downloading.
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The download times are not reasonable.
Six seconds of video take up roughly one megabyte. Downloading one minute therefore requires about thirty minutes using a fast dial-up connection (i.e. a speed of 56 Kbit/s). The larger the file, the more download time it requires. Use MPEG2 as a standard compressed format.
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The video files are not copyright free.
Offering news broadcasts, films or other authentic audiovisual material is unadvisable. There are plenty of other websites (alluc, peekvid…) that offer copyright protected material. Providing links to these sites is not really illegal since you are not hosting the copyright protected material. Having said that, it is not really legal either. Using home made video avoids the issue of copyright unless you are quoting from copy written texts or using music under copyright. When making home made videos public, clear the copyrights of the copy written material (texts, music, images). It is wrong to assume that using copy written material for non commercial purposes will be considered as fair use.
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LEXICON
In animation the illusion of movement is created by rapidly displaying a sequence of 2D or 3D artwork (analogue or digital). Whereas the creation of video and animation differ fundamentally, the methods of transporting the files over the internet are similar, as is the software to play the data. In online learning, audio can be used to further clarify concepts or to offer background information through interviews or radio items. Audio can have a positive effect on learning if it complements a written
text or a diagram. However, “a non-essential explanatory text, presented aurally with similar written text contained in a diagram, hindered learning” (Leahy et al, 2003).
Broadband Internet access refers to high-speed internet access (minimum 256 Kbit/s) that transfers data via phone lines (i.e. ADSL) or cable. A dial-up internet connection provides internet access via telephone line. It differs from its broadband counterpart in terms of comfort (dial-up disrupts the regular telephone line) and speed (a dial-up connection has a maximum theoretical speed of 56 Kbit/s). In short it refers to internet access via telephone line with a maximum theoretical speed of 56 Kbit/s. To download means to receive digital data and to save it to disk. Fair use is a doctrine in United States copyright law that allows for limited use of copyrighted material without requiring permission from the rights holder. It provides for the legal, non-licensed citation or incorporation of copyrighted material in another author's work. (Source: Wikipedia).
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In ICT the term “multimedia” refers to the (combined) use of all or a selection of the following within the same online environment: text, audio, video, pictures, animation, interactive elements (i.e. games). Picture refers to a photograph or drawing that graphically clarifies, visualizes or illustrates the text or a concept from the text. Most of the research suggests that pictures have a positive influence on understanding, learning and vocabulary retention (i.e. when used as hypermedia), with text being remembered and understood better when the graphic additions support or clarify what is written. It is vital however, that diagrams, pictures and graphics which support the text are unambiguous (Crisp et al, 2003). Ideally each picture is labelled to allow for easier contextualization. The overuse of pictures “can in fact be counterproductive. What teachers should do is to select the critical points in a course or course unit in which the efforts required for multimedia are best placed to illustrate learning progress and the acquisition of knowledge.” (Peters, 2000). A podcast is a digital audio file, or a series of such files that can be played on a computer or a portable device such as an iPod or a generic MP3 player. An enhanced podcast is a podcast multimedia format that allows images to be displayed in time with audio. This can be an effective way to present information such as lectures with a PowerPoint-like slide show. (Wikipedia) “Streaming media technology uses “streaming” to deliver media content. Streaming means the client can render content while that content is being received over network without being downloaded first, which greatly reduces the waiting time and storage requirements of the client computer.” (Zongkai & Qingtang, 2005) Text is the raw material of the website giving meaning to the other multimedia elements or at least introducing them. Research (Chapelle, 2003; Sakar et al, 2005) shows that hypertext (clicking on one word yields its explanation or an elaboration of its concept)/hypermedia (clicking a word opens a multimedia file) increases retention. If users are given the option, they prefer audiovisual or graphical explanations or elaborations. Thumbnails are small images of anything from 80x80 tot 200x200 pixels. They are ideally suited as previews of larger images. Video refers to (digitally) capturing or showing a sequence of still images to create the illusion of movement. Video podcast (sometimes shortened to vidcast or vodcast) is a term used for the online delivery of video on demand video clip content via Atom or RSS enclosures. The term is an evolution specialized for video, coming from the generally audio-based podcast and referring to the distribution of video where the RSS feed is used as a non-linear TV channel to which consumers can subscribe using a PC, TV, set-top box, media centre or mobile multimedia device. (Wikipedia)
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