Using Multimedia in Interactive Educational Software for Kindergarten Stage-ED-MEDIA - Lisbon: June 27 - July 1, 2011

Using Multimedia in Interactive Educational Software
for Kindergarten Stage
“Success Stories; Design and Develop”

ED-MEDIA - Lisbon, Portugal: June 27 - July 1, 2011

• Nader Marafie
Director General
nmarafie@redsoft.org ; nader-marafie@hotmail.com

• Mohamed Gehad Dorgham
e-Learning Projects Manager /e-Learning Expert
mdorgham@redsoft.org ; mdorgham2@hotmail.com

Regional Center for Development of Educational Software (ReDSOFT)

Using Multimedia in Interactive Educational Software for Kindergarten Stage

Presentation Points:

•About ReDSOFT
•Main Goal
•Project Main Design
•Success Stories
•Standards
•Production
•Final product
•Other Features

Historical Background…

Based on the agreement signed in New York city, June 13, 1989,
between the government of Kuwait and the government of Egypt, the
United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the Arab Fund
for Economic and Social Development (AFESD),The Regional
Center for Development of Educational Software (ReDSOFT) was
established by the Amiri Decree 1996.

Vision …

ReDSOFT® vision is to serve as a pioneer center in the Arab
region aiming at improving and enhancing the educational
process in schools in this region through the development and
use of ICT .

Abstract

Recognizing the importance of the kindergarten as a foundational
transition stage, guides child behavior and habitude, as builds integrated
and balanced character, to prepare children for the primary school. Using
learning through play theories and the potential of multimedia in the
delivery of information with an interesting way, as the multimedia
educational software becomes a basic component of the educational
processes. Depending of that ReDSOFT designed and developed three
projects of rich interactive multimedia software related to Kindergarten
stage. As this paper describe project phase’s processes including the
project design details and ticks (graphics and characters design, control
panel, login and teachers menu). Also describes project technical and
educational standards, ending with project implementation description and
browsing samples of final work. Hoping to add a valued input in this field.

Success Stories

ReDSOFT had three main projects on rich interactive
multimedia software related to Kindergarten stages as
follows:

Success Stories

Kindergarten stage for Ministry of Education (State of Kuwait), 2002.

•This project was carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of
Education in Kuwait, funded by ReDSOFT and the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP)
•Currently used in all kindergarten schools (more than 190 schools).
•Designed and developed in 24 interactive CD’s covers all educational
experiences of kindergarten for the first and second levels and used
by children in the classroom.
•200 teachers in kindergarten were trained for the optimal use of the
software and ways to take advantage of them in the classroom.
More details and sample of project at the link:
http://www.redsoft.org/en/Projectdetail.aspx?id=12

Success Stories

Kindergarten stage, Ministry of Education
(Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan), 2009.

•This project Developed in cooperation with the Ministry of Education
in Kingdom of Jordan, and funded by the Arab Fund for Economic and
Social Development.
•The project covers all modules of kindergarten stage in the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan.
•Implementation of the educational software in the Kingdom
kindergarten schools started the year 2009-2010, as software
distributed for all kindergarten classes in the Kingdom.

Success Stories

New Version of Kindergarten stage, for Ministry of Education, State of
Kuwait. The project is currently running.



The main goal is to design and produce of interactive educational
software covers the educational goals of kindergarten, which can be used
by the child, either in school or at home, through CDs or through
educational portals, to be an enrichment technology educational tool
supports the teacher and parents.


Intelligent design considered children several learning areas as social,
mental, emotional, spiritual, aesthetic … etc. Kindergarten framework,
syllabus and goals were also taking into conceder action, even local
environment specialist, ethics and religious considerations.


By several brainstorming sessions, project team arrived
to the final project idea as user will plays with 4 main
characters:
Omar: an active child in kindergarten age likes
games and activities.
Salma: a nice quiet girl in the age of kindergarten,
she loves stories, songs and coloring.
Arnobi: a smart rabbit suitable for user age,
executable with multimedia, likes numbers and
arithmetic.
Zaitona: an olive (from the Environment), likes
letters and words.


Main 4 characters also arrived to their final design with finalizing the
colors guide


The main frame design includes control panel icons as follows:

Home
Next
Back
Replay
Print
Exit
Sound Control
Character Icon


Software developed within two versions:

• CD Version (Offline Version):
As user register his name on login and software follow up his actions and
register his answers and gives him an accumulative score.

• LMS Version (Online Version):
In this version each LO follows up user actions and sends his scores and
actions to the Learning Management System (LMS).


By click on Home key a teacher/parents menu opened which includes:
•Kid name
•Unit Name
•Unit Activities
•Activities Type
•Certification
•Achievement Activities
•Kid Score


Depends to instructional Designers ideas we had deferent types of kid’s activities:
•Educational Games ‫ﻗ آن ﻛرﻴم‬
‫ر‬
•Trainings
•Experiments ‫أﻨﺎﺸﻴد ﺘﻌﻠﻴﻤﻴﺔ‬
•Interactive Stories
‫ة‬
‫ﻗﺼﺔ ﻗﺼﻴر‬
•Meaningful Songs
•Videos Clips ‫ﻟﻘطﺎت ﻓﻴدﻴو‬
•Dialogues between characters.
‫ﺤﻝ اﻟﻤﺸﺎﻛﻝ اﻟﻌﻠﻤﻴﺔ‬
•Solving problems.
•Presentations
‫أﻟﻌﺎب ﻫﺎدﻓﺔ‬

‫ﺘدرﻴﺒﺎت ﻋﻤﻠﻴﺔ‬

‫ﻤوﻗف وﺤوار‬


Project team follows the project standards and specifications; developed
within 10 years experience, which divided as follows


In presenting the educational multimedia software take into account the following
general standards:
Presentation Style take into account that:

Interesting, consistent and with appropriate speed.

Depending on the integration of rich multimedia.

Be characterized by the interdependence between the elements
of multimedia (graphics, animation, text, narration, sound
effects, ...etc)

Using the principles of choices randomizing.

User able to re-listen to the required interaction.

Giving the student a certain number of attempts to resolve the
training and in the event of failure of the student in solving the
training, program will guide how to do that.

Text Written in clear handwriting.


In presenting the educational multimedia software take into account the
following general standards:
For the Illustration take into account that:

Consistent with the principles of religions.

From the environment.

Compatible with the target age group.

Produced specifically for the software.

Acceptable and not burdensome to the eye.


Software Characters used should be:

Friendly for student.

Appropriate for the age group targeted.

Selected from the environment.

Character's expressions to be interacting with the
event.


In presenting the educational multimedia software take into account the following
general standards:
Take into account that narration and sound effects should be:

Recorded in clear, expressive and interesting phrases.

Commensurate with the form of the characters drawn.

Recordings error-free of verbal and language skills.

Can be disabled or reduced when needed through the program.

Volume can be controlled from the operating system.

Phrases used to enhance the student's answer commensurate
with the question.

Synchronized with the narration.

Real whenever possible.


Taking into account when writing the instructional
design that ideas should be:

Compatible with the target age group.

Ordered from easy to difficult.

Diverse and integrated.

Clear.

Innovative and non-duplicate.

Deductive and far from indoctrination.


General Technical specifications:
Employment and good use of multimedia as drawings, animation, sounds,
sound effects, video clips and texts.
Using the appropriate techniques to achieve the best results.
Adoption of the normative standards of the known method "ADDIE
Instructional Design Phases" in the field of design and development of
educational software.
Employ the latest multimedia technology and means of implementation
and its high quality.
The ability to host the educational software within the e-learning portals.
Learning Objects should be Sharable Content Object Reference Model
(SCORM) compliant.
The ability to add or modify any objectives or activities introduced in the
curriculum.
Easy to download and use educational software by all users.


Illustration:
Be sure to use the main characters with same size rates.
Main characters animation library needs to be done.
Be sure to use the main characters clothes schema, sometimes they can
use other clothes depending to activities.
Be sure to adjust activities to be within work main frame
Document Dimensions :1024 x 768 pixels
Background Outline :Without Outline
Keys Outline : Hairline Outline
Use attached colors template for Characters and Backgrounds, bright and
strong colors proffered.
Gradient Colors (Flat Only) not preferred, unless it’s requested in
storyboard.
Illustration needs to be simple and same with attached samples style.


Animation:
Animation needs to be fun and suitable to KG age.
Adding suitable sound effects depending to activities and KG age.
Document Dimensions :1024 x 768 pixels
Frame Rate :12 frames per seconds
Learning Object Max. size :750 KB
Palette :Web safe 216
Publishing Format :Flash Player 9
Load Order :Bottom up
Compress Movie :Yes
Quality : JPEG, 80%


Development:
LO work will be inside a folder named by the LO name includes:
Main.swf controls LO's,
Data.xml to send data (LO name, LO type, LO objectives, Branch …etc) to CD-Main and LMS.
redsoft.txt to send data to Main and LMS includes:
flashFile=J3A9312S02.swf
&levels=2 Where flash File is to call the LO file.
Level is to determine if there are 1 or 2 levels in LO.
A folder named flash contain LO works (flashes, sound, video …etc)
Randomizing in training is a must.
Code must be cleared by notes for each function.
LO to be one flash file otherwise could be one main flash which calls all other flash files related to LO.
Narrations and Sounds needs to be outside as MP3 and to be called by flash to reduce files size.
Main.swf needs to pause LO's while running by pressing space bar, so:
Put all the work in the stage timeline to be paused.
Sound files in flash must be Stream Sync.
Main.swf sends a variable _global.dbLevel to LO to run the selected level of LO.
Main.swf has a variable named _global.dbUserName to identify the user name if needed in LO.
 A code needs to be added at the end of the LO which is:
_global.endObject (score) [where score from 0 to 100] depending to user interactivity.
Controlling of sound level will be by main.swf, so don't use any control of sound level.


In presenting the educational software take into account the following
educational standards:
Growth characteristics of students.
The nature of ethics and privacy of the community and environment.
Moral and religious values and social attitudes in handling activities.
Adoption of the theory of learning by playing (Edutainment) in educational
activities of the early stages.
Follow-up and recording responses and the performance of the user through
the database, to help track and evaluate the user performance by the teacher or
guardian, and draw statistics and reports.
Taking into account the individual differences among students.
Taking into account the innate tendencies of children towards inquiry.
Randomness and diversity in presenting exercises and activities.
Adopt interactive approach and keep away from indoctrination.


Video:
Video format :Windows Media Video WMV
Data Rate :Min. 300kb total.
Frame Rate :( 15 -25) fps.
Streaming method : Progressive.
Streaming format : Web server.
Color System : PAL.
Video effect : De-interlacing.
Video Time : Max 3 Min.
Average file size : 1.6 M.B. per minute (subject to
content).


Sound:
Compression :Default
Compression Type :MP3
Bite Rate :24 Kbps
Audio Type :Stereo
Sync :Stream


The production adopted within normative standards of the known
method "ADDIE " as we developed our Project Quality Plan, below
diagram clarify the project production operations.


Implementing of parallel studies include field research to study the
reactions of the beneficiaries of software including:

Guidelines for Designing E-learning Programs for Arab Children.
Usability Evaluation Methods for Child E-learning Programs.
Arab Children’s Reading Preferences for E-Learning Programs.
Use of Survey Techniques as Usability Evaluation for Child e-Learning
Programs.


Outcomes
Visiting KG Schools to follow up and gathering data


Production Stages
Analysis

1. Analysis
2. Design Implementation Evaluation Design
3. Development
4. Implementation
5. =Evaluation
Development

Using Multimedia in Interactive Educational Software for Kindergarten Stage-ED-MEDIA - Lisbon: June 27 - July 1, 2011

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