Purpose

ShowTime is an ongoing project to simplify the production steps required in "repurposing" a recorded lecture presentation into an online multimedia presentation. The work has been continued over a number of years, and has been the object of discussion at a number of conference presentations, notably by its most prominent user, Dr. Ken Cramer (Psychology).

The latest modifications to the ShowTime system prove to make this repurposing even easier than before. After presenting a lecture using PowerPoint, and having recorded audio throughout the lecture, the slides and audio are converted into a "Flash movie": a very small and efficient file which is easily played in almost any Web browser. This new approach will make it easier for users with slower Internet connections and users with non-Windows computers to view these presentations. It also allows us more options in how we distribute the narrated presentations: for example, they could be e-mailed to students, or stored on a CD-ROM, as well as being made available on the Web.

ShowTime Software Extension

This software extension was developed by Terry Collins & Don Snider.  The focus of the project was to provide students with supplementary resource materials for reviewing lectures and revising lecture notes taken during class.  ShowTime is an Add-In for Microsoft PowerPoint.  The ShowTime Extension makes it easy for users to take PowerPoint shows and transform them into on-line readily available multimedia learning objects.  This provides a method for grouping smaller pieces of large presentations.  The result is a smaller, user-driven multimedia presentation within a single container.  To view these presentations, users only need the Macromedia Shockwave Player.  This is a free player and is available for download from the Macromedia website.

Different implementations of ShowTime and its extension will add to an Instructor’s pool of tools available to keep students interested in important topics.  It’s beneficial in supporting learning in classes with high enrolment numbers.  It may also support alternative methods in course delivery.

Presentation Features:

• May include audio narrations.

• May include simple animations.

• File size is reduced and pieces are not downloaded until needed.

• It is reusable and driven by a small file with presentation links.

• May reside on a local drive and viewed off-line or exist on a server and viewed on-line.

• May be distributed to students on CD-ROM.

• May contain up to fifteen links to related movies.

• Users may jump to various topics within a presentation at will.

• VCR controls making presentation navigation intuitive.

• The finished product is nothing more than a Flash movie containing

          links to smaller related movies.

View ShowTime Demonstration