Abstract:

A common issue within the development of interactive multimedia for education is the need to employ scripting or programming techniques whether the design is for a CDROM based title, or an interactive website. In addition, the delivery method for the interactive multimedia often dictates the methods of image and audio / video footage preparation, and knowledge of compression techniques, and file formats suited to the medium and the target users computing environment. This paper discusses the use of "consumer technology skills" which are well within the domain and skill set of the current generation of new teaching graduates, and the adoption of digital technology and simple web archiving tools and video transfer software by "older generations" of educators not within their professional activities, but as digital consumers.
A simple reusable DVD based tool for groups of first year students has been developed, as part of their induction experience, with the aim to foster identity within their respective awards, to overcome the disorientation of meeting new peers and navigating the university campus. A group "paper chase" type game was constructed using DVD playback on computers spread across the campus, with a set of ten tasks introduced by ten segments or chapters within the DVD. On completion of the task, a pass code or PIN number was revealed which gave access to a locked segment of the DVD which in turn shows the location of the next task. The challenge of the project lay in the minimizing of skills required to build a new DVD title from the existing template, with a learning process which would span no more than a one day seminar.

Keywords:

multimedia, scripting, dvd, teaching, interactivity, digital-divide.