[Xerte] Interface Volume Control -> a
wider considerationofnavigation in Xerte
Peter Snowball
southman at internode.on.net
Thu Mar 11 12:34:23 GMT 2010
We were going to approximate a sort of nonlinear navigation by hiding
certain icons in a number frame work(s) depending on the choice (say a
button) which the users make as the content is substantialy the same but
modified depending on the user choice (eg same frame work - different
navigation). We would like to store this choice in some variable so the
user is reminded of the choice made and have the hide/show code related
to the frame work as can see it would get very tricky if you allow
layers of choices or changes to a number of frameworks . This would
avoid breaking into several learning objects with essentially duplicated
content and avoid duplication of the choice. Forward and Back option
would allow navigation to follow a certain path depending on user choice
or based on a variable storing a previous choice. Havent tried this yet
(storing a variable to hide icons etc ) so appreciate comment.
Peter Snowball
Dept Of Economic Development
Tasmania
On 11/03/2010 10:12 PM, Johnathan Kemp wrote:
> I appreciate the points you make. Whatever facilities you build into
> Xerte there will be some people who use them inappropriately.
> A large learning object which is non-linear may not be completed at
> one sitting and there is no save facility in Xerte to get you back to
> where you were. A page that has an input box, that allows you to type
> in a page name or keyword, which Xerte then uses to take you to the
> page referenced by that name or key word might be one solution. A
> non-linear project could offer this at the start, to enable you to
> jump in at a point that you had previously achieved. Alternatively you
> just keep the non-linear bits of a project relatively short, so that
> starting from the beginning is not much of a hardship.
> It rather depends on the learning experience you are trying to create.
> I agree there are times when you definitely want to be able to access
> every / any page of a learning object in any order or sequentially and
> Xerte works well for that.
> There are times though - maybe as part of a learning exercise, when
> you want to set the user challenges and direct their route through the
> learning object based on their responses. Additionally such sequenced
> learning objects can perform less as learning objects and more as
> performance support resources, e.g. to guide a support person through
> a trouble shooting process. In such cases you don't necessarily want
> the user to be able to get at every page, just the right page at the
> right time.
> Right now, I would suggest creating a template that creates a
> navigation structure, with links to learning objects created using the
> existing templates. Then you can separate the navigation from the
> content - a good thing in my view.
> If I understand you correctly this is seeking to create something akin
> to a contents page in a book, where you could have chapter headings
> and sections within chapters, each section of which would link to a
> learning object created in Toolkits (or Xerte). I agree this separates
> the navigation from the content. This also facilitates the re-use of
> content. A learning object that shows how to crack an egg, can be
> included in separate courses on how to make pancakes and how to make a
> victoria sponge (high level courses these!). It doesn't resolve the
> situation in which the navigation is a core part of the learning
> experience.
> I remember a Chess tutor book by Lasker that worked that way. It
> explained a concept then gave you a game problem to solve, after which
> you were given a number of possible responses. Depending on the
> response you chose you were directed to a different page of the book.
> Correct responses lead you to an explanation of why the response was
> correct and to the next concept. Incorrect responses lead you to a
> page that explained why your solution would not work and then
> redirected you back to the problem.
> You can remove the various controls as you need -- you just need to
> know how to get at them from your code.
> Is this a trade secret or would you like to reveal more :-)
> I know the code I need to support a back button and a home button. How
> feasible would it be to add them to the desktop Xerte interface as
> additional options? How could this be done?
> Kind regards
> Johnathan
>
> Johnathan Kemp
> ICT Development Coordinator
> Connexions Staffordshire
> www.cxstaffs.co.uk <http://www.cxstaffs.co.uk/>
> 01785 355714
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Julian Tenney [mailto:Julian.Tenney at nottingham.ac.uk]
> *Sent:* 11 March 2010 10:04
> *To:* Xerte discussion list
> *Subject:* RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control -> a wider
> considerationofnavigation in Xerte
>
> Hmm. Many questions. When things start getting non-linear it becomes
> very easy for someone less skilled to create a real dogs dinner, and
> there are many interface considerations: to ensure the user knows
> where they are in relation to the rest of the content; that they can
> easily get to the other bits; and that they know what else the
> learning object contains and don't miss bits; and that they can easily
> return to points of interest they've visted before.
>
> I think there are probably two types of interface that would suit
> toolkits; the linear one we have now; and a tree based structure where
> the user drills down into the content, which could be n levels deep.
> How the user navigates this is possible in many ways (a tree-based
> TOC, or menu pages, or by answering MCQs or... well, you see the
> problem. How to do it?
>
> Right now, I would suggest creating a template that creates a
> navigation structure, with links to learning objects created using the
> existing templates. Then you can separate the navigation from the
> content - a good thing in my view.
>
> You can remove the various controls as you need -- you just need to
> know how to get at them from your code.
>
> *From:* xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
> [mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] *On Behalf Of *Johnathan
> Kemp
> *Sent:* Thursday, March 11, 2010 9:48 AM
> *To:* Xerte discussion list
> *Subject:* RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control -> a wider
> consideration ofnavigation in Xerte
>
> There are probably many Xerte users out there who do not have access
> to Flash or lack skills in using Flash. They also lack actionscript
> skills. The whole idea of page templates appears to be to make things
> easy for the none technical user.
>
> How about if the navigation could become more flexible so as to allow
> none technical users the facility to customise their navigation
> options, both in Xerte and in Xerte using project wide templates?
>
> At present the navigation options in Xerte out of the box are limited,
> kind of an all (visuals =1) or nothing (visuals = 0)
>
> I am just finalising a page wizard that includes the capability to add
> individual exit points i.e. in this case radio buttons, each of which
> has a page name assigned to it in the wizard. When the learner clicks
> on the radio button they are taken to the assigned page - instant
> non-linear learning objects. However with the current navigation
> options I have had to turn off visuals. Previous and Next buttons have
> little sense in a non-linear learning object. However what are really
> useful are Home and Back buttons (Back based on a LIFO queue). So to
> support my wizard I have had to create a model based on an Entry
> Frame, that provides user switchable navigation components (Page n of
> m, Home, Next, Previous, Back, TOC, Last). The learning object creator
> can thus select which navigation options are appropriate to their
> learning object.
>
> If the navigation in Xerte could be set as configurable on a per
> button basis, and include the volume control and also buttons for Home
> and Back (I am not sure of the case for a Last button, I added it to
> my model for completeness), then there would be no issue of the design
> of the volume control failing to match the other controls in a custom
> navigation.
>
> The next step would be to add options to page templates that would
> allow as many individual page templates as possible to have one or
> more of their own specified exit points which each lead to a specified
> page based on the page name.
>
> If a similar customisable navigation were added to the simple
> navigation available in Frameworks then just think of the
> possibilities, e.g. a linear learning object with non linear sections
> based on Framework pages; Whole learning objects that had a non-linear
> structure; Non-linear learning objects with some framework based
> sections that were linear.
>
> What do others think?
>
> Kind regards
>
> Johnathan
>
> Johnathan Kemp
> ICT Development Coordinator
> Connexions Staffordshire
> www.cxstaffs.co.uk <http://www.cxstaffs.co.uk/>
> 01785 355714
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:* Mark Tomlinson, AC&S Ltd [mailto:mark.tomlinson at acns-group.com]
> *Sent:* 10 March 2010 10:36
> *To:* 'Xerte discussion list'
> *Subject:* RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control
>
> If you are using a custom interface, then it won't likely 'fit in'
> will it? We use a custom interface and have coded our own volume control.
>
> Mark
>
> *From:* xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
> [mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] *On Behalf Of *Johnathan
> Kemp
> *Sent:* 10 March 2010 09:21
> *To:* Xerte discussion list
> *Subject:* RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control
>
> If there are a number of sound or movie files with different audio
> levels then having one global sound control will not solve the problem
> of having to adjust the sound each time you play one of the movies. I
> don't know whether there is any way to pass a parameter to the swf
> that plays the movies to adjust the initial sound level either louder
> than default or lower than a default volume, though that could get
> complicated.
>
> It would be useful to have a volume control, but if it becomes part of
> the controls displayed when visual is set to 1 on the interface, then
> anyone not using the default interface will have to also introduce a
> volume control into their interface.
>
> If the volume control could become part of the media control bar that
> is displayed when a movie or sound file is played, then this would
> ensure that it was available even when the default interface was not
> used. The snag here is that it would not be available for swfs where
> Interactivity was set to Native swf.
>
> Perhaps the optimum solution would be to include the volume control in
> the default interface, but to provide an easy way to embed the volume
> control into any custom interface that was being used when
> interface.visuals = 0.
>
> Kind regards
>
> Johnathan
>
> Johnathan Kemp
> ICT Development Coordinator
> Connexions Staffordshire
> www.cxstaffs.co.uk <http://www.cxstaffs.co.uk/>
> 01785 355714
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:* Adam Read [mailto:aread at marjon.ac.uk]
> *Sent:* 10 March 2010 08:45
> *To:* 'Xerte discussion list'
> *Subject:* RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control
>
> I use the continue button, bottom right is indeed the logical place I
> think.
>
> Adam
>
> *From:* xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk
> [mailto:xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk] *On Behalf Of *Julian Tenney
> *Sent:* 09 March 2010 21:52
> *To:* Xerte discussion list
> *Subject:* RE: [Xerte] Interface Volume Control
>
> Could it go in the bottom toolbar, between the combos and the continue
> button? I could remove the text from the continue button, to make some
> space and replace it with a tooltip, and then put a volume slider in
> there? Does that work?
>
> Do people use the continue button, or the next button in the top right
> more? I think the continue button is in a very logical place in the
> bottom left, but I tend to use the next button. The continue button
> will lose something if it gets too cramped with the other controls I
> think.
>
> Not sure where else the volume control could logically go? I'm not
> sure I want to interfere with the standard media controller too much -
> I'd prefer one control for global sound control..?
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> *From:* xerte-bounces at lists.nottingham.ac.uk on behalf of Peter Snowball
> *Sent:* Tue 09/03/2010 12:03
> *To:* Xerte discussion list
> *Subject:* [Xerte] Interface Volume Control
>
> Is it possible to add a volume control to the interface (preferable) or
> movie or sound icons. I havew a few movies and the audio volume varies.
>
> Peter Snowball
> Dept Of Economic Development
> Tasmania
>
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> reject, return, remove attachments or delete if considered to be
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> or damage arising from this email (or any attachments) or from scripts
> or any virus transmitted.
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> Staffordshire. If you are not the original recipient or the person
> responsible for delivering the email to the intended recipient, be
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--
Peter Snowball
Dept Of Economic Development
Tasmania
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