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eZedia and
Classroom Connect Project Overview Choosing one of the Destination activities from Classroom Connect: Locating the Destination activities on the Classroom Connect site is no small matter which is why I’ve provided the steps below. 1. Go to Classroom Connect at www.classroomconnect.com 2. Sign up to access the site. It’s free. Remember to keep track of your user name and password! 3. If you’ve already signed up, simply login. 4. Click on the Community Tab. 5. Click on the Connected Teacher. 6. Click on Connected Newsletter link. 7. Click on one of the “Destinations” links or one of the Exploring links. This will take you to one of the current links, probably posted within the last 3 months. From there, move to the middle of the page where you should see the start of the multi-part lesson plan. 8. Classroom Connect doesn’t seem to offer access to all of their collections when I last checked. For other themes, check out Jim Cornish's site as mentioned in the Project Overview. Selecting graphics for the background image on the title page and one to act as the background for each section of the project to signal the viewer that there are subtle changes in the overall project: 1. Spend no more than 15 minutes to cruise a couple of the recommended websites that were noted on the Destinations page to locate a graphic that you can use as a background image for your project. 2. Choose one that will be used on all frames of each section and one that is only for the title frame. 3. Establish a folder on your computer. 4. Download the graphic to the folder. Don't save the entire webpage - just the graphic. 5. Make sure you establish a text file that will be used to collect bibliographic information so you can keep track of from where you got your resources. You will want to give credit to the sources in a bibliographic information frame that will be part of your project. (Trust me on this, whether you are a student or a teacher reading this - keep track of the sources up-front and it will save you hours later! So speaks the voice of experience.) Creating the project in eZediaMX: 1. Start eZediaMX. Click on Start > Programs > eZediaMX > eZediaMX. Note: If you make a mistake and click on the eZedia Player at the final point instead of the editor (eZediaMX), the program won’t start up. You will see an open document dialog box where the player is asking you to locate the file you want to play. Just hit cancel and go back to the Start button and repeat the process. 2. Begin your first frame by opening up a new document file. Click on File > New > New Document. 3. Also, open up a new document well right after that. Click on File > New > New Object Well. (If you are using an unregistered copy of eZediaMX, you won't be able to save the Object Well.) Note: The following instructions assume you have handled bringing in a graphic object before. If not, use the step-by-step instructions provided in “Bringing in a graphic object for a project.” 4. Click on the graphic symbol and bring in your background graphic you saved earlier. For your title frame, we are having you use it in full, vivid color. 5. Size it to fit your frame. The program will do it for you automatically if you want. 6. Now, drag it into the well and then save the well. (Hold down the CTRL key and then using your mouse, click, hold, and drag on the picture and move it over the well until the interior of the well gets a gold line around it. Let go. The gold line tells you you’ve hit the right spot.) 7. Click on Frames > New Frame. This will bring up a new, white frame. We’ll now create the background for the Table of Contents and each of the subsections. The steps are the same each time. 8. In your new, white document frame, click on the graphic symbol in the toolbar and bring in the picture you will use for the background image for your Table of Contents. Note: The following instructions assume you have handled changing the transparency level of a graphic object before. If not, use the step-by-step instructions provided in “Changing transparency level.” 9. When the picture appears in your document frame, right click on the picture, choose Edit Picture. Click on the transparency option and reduce the color intensity of your chosen picture so it can work as a background watermark. 10. Now, drag this version of your picture into the well, also. 11. Save the well. 12. Drag the “watermark” version of your graphic into place on your frame and then click on Objects, Add to Background. You’ve now got your background image for your project established. 13. You’ve just finished putting the original graphic/photo into the well. It’s not a bad idea to also hold down the CTRL key and drag the background into the well, too. This could save you a couple of steps later on. Don’t forget to save the well. 14. Now repeat the necessary steps from #7 to create the frames for each of your subsections IF they have a different picture from your Table of Contents. The one advantage of a different background image is that it signals the viewer that they are now in a different section of the project. Creating an onion skin paper effect to frame text: Text boxes can be white or transparent. If we use patterned backgrounds for a frame that are visually interesting, they might be overhwelming to the viewer who won’t be able to focus on the print we might put on the frame. One way to get a nice effect is to use the shape tool to create a rectangle and then using the Edit Graphic feature, change the transparency level and even the colors to dress up your frame. Note: For complete, step-by-step instructions on how to create the onion skin paper effect to frame text, see “Creating onion skin paper effect to frame text.” It will walk you through the entire process. There are full-color examples and a compressed movie demonstrating the process at the following webpage: http://www.jmadden.info/eZedia_Techniques2.htm Creating your navigation buttons: eZediaMX has a Button object available on the tool bar. We’ll use that to make our buttons. It doesn’t get any simpler. Note: For complete, step-by-step instructions with pictures on how to create the buttons, see “Creating easy navigation buttons using the button object.” It will walk you through the entire process. 1. Have your document open in eZediaMX. 2. Have a list of the buttons you need to create. The one button that must be on every page is the Quit button. It is only polite to give people a way out of your project. 3. Click on the Button Icon in the toolbar. A button object will appear on the frame as a small rectangle with a button icon on the left. 4. Double-click on the button object to open up the dialog box OR right-click on it and choose Get Object Information. You’ll end up in the same place no matter which route you take. 5. The Button Object dialog box is open. The Quit button is a special situation. You have to click on Type and choose Quit as the type of button. When you create your other buttons, you will select the “GoTo Button” option. Note: A GoTo Button Object is NOT the same as a GoTo Object. 6. While you have the Button Object dialog box open, UNCHECK “This Frame Only” for each of the buttons that has to appear on every frame like Quit, Home, and Table of Contents. Also, click on Color and choose a color for your button. Later, when you’re back at your document frame, you’ll be able to choose a color for the text on your button. 7. When you are returned to your document frame, the button you’ve created should be the color you have chosen and should have the proper label showing. With the button selected (the handles are showing around it), go to Format > Text and choose the font you would like to use. You might want to start out with an Arial, 18, bold. Then, click on Format and Color to choose a color for your text. Make sure you use high-contrast so that your end-user will be able to read what you have on the buttons. 8. Place your buttons where you want them to go on the frame. Select them and then add them into the Document Well. (You should be using one.) The advantage of adding them to the well after you have them placed correctly is that they will “remember” where you had them when you drag them out of the well on another frame and it will save you time. Note: If you are not using a registered copy of eZediaMX, then you cannot save the well. |