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From WikiEducator

About the slideshow demo

This slide show demo is intended to illustrate how WikiEducator could potentially incorporate slide shows with synchronised audio, not unlike technologies like Slideshare. However, with a difference - because in WikiEducator, we can distribute the source file used to create the slide show for teachers to edit and modify. Click on the paper clip and you can download a copy of the OO source file used to generate the slide show.

Using Open Office, I exported a slide show as flash (.swf) which is used by this neat slide show controller shell developed by Bruce Webster. The flash object which controls the open office generated flash file as well as the source files were developed under the GNU GPL as an early experiment on the eXe project. This tool also has the capability of using individual image files (jpg and png formats. The user is required to record an mp3 file for each slide - which is then synchronised with the play back.

However, the syntax to get this running is not what I would call user friendly and the average WikiEducator user would prefer jumping off a bridge rather than grappling with this syntax.

I'm interested to find our if educators would find this slide show feature useful - if so, I could explore options for developing a MediaWiki extension to develop a user friendly user interface to upload their own presentations.

Demo

Have a play with the controls - a broadband connection will help.

Links

• Source files and FlashVars for this object are available here