Multimedia in the Classroom

Multimedia Software -- Defined

Do you want to jump into the multimedia game but aren't sure where to start? Ever been stumped by elusive software titles? Here are some of the common multimedia software titles used in education. There are many more, of course, but this should give you an idea of some of the things available for you to use here at Carleton.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a presentation software included with Microsoft Office for both Mac and Windows. With PowerPoint you can create a series of slides to present information in text or multimedia form. It's easy to use and includes a number of templates offering attractive backgrounds for your slides. Features include slide transition effects, support for audio or video clips and the ability to create automatic slidshows. It's a great medium for showing a series of photos or presenting outlines to your classes.

iMovie

iMovie is a simple video editing program designed for the Macintosh. It comes packaged on all new Macintosh computers and is the perfect software for the video novice. It allows you to import video from a digital video camera, edit that video by cropping, cutting or rearranging the clips and then export your new movie to a video tape, or into QuickTime format. Once in the QuickTime format, your movies can be inserted into PowerPoint or web pages. iMovie includes simple features such as transitions, a separate audio track, and some special effects.

Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro is Apple's high-end video editing software. It's the next logical step when you've outgrown iMovie and offers much more control over the video editing process, including infinite editing options and more control over compression of the final product. It's a bit harder to learn, but a wonderful tool for the serious video editor.

iDVD and DVD Studio Pro

iDVD and DVD Studio Pro are both new software for the Macintosh that allow you to create your own DVDs. iDVD is a simple version that comes on all new G4s with DVD writers and allows you to create 1-hour DVDs that can be played on any DVD player. DVD Studio Pro is the high-end version which is purchased separately, and used for more advanced options for DVD creation. Your computer must have a DVD writer to use these packages. These applications do not allow you to edit your video (you would iMovie or Final Cut Pro to do that), but they allow you to collect your clips and organize them into an easy to use DVD.