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Overview of Multimedia Authoring Software

What is Authoring Software?

Multimedia Authoring Software allows users to integrate a variety of options (e.g. animation, sound, text, video, graphics, and images) into a story or software program. The software is adaptable to the child and curriculum when implemented by the teacher or family.

Authoring Software can be used in many ways. A common approach is to tell a story based on meaningful experiences of the child or children in the class. Children can share pictures of family members, add sound and sound effects to describe a photo with corresponding speech to match the text, and create their own stories. Children can author an animated story and send the corresponding hard copy (or a burned CD or DVD) of the story home to share with their family members.

The Center for Best Practices in Early Childhood has seen educators successfully integrate multimedia software into the classroom. HyperStudio, BuildAbility, IntelliPic Studio, and eZedia are a few multimedia authoring programs available to early childhood educators.

Classroom Products Using Authoring Software

Multimedia Authoring Software can be used in the classroom to integrate children's experiences into products which can be shared with parents, other teachers, or administrators, such as:

• Documenting growth of the individual child or classroom
• Providing current and easy to use products for teachers to allow them to reflect on their teaching
• Creating products to share with others their insights into children's growth (to examine the end product and the process)
• Inclusion of writing and art samples (when selected for a particular purpose) and accompanied by thoughtful written documentation explaining their significance to the subject

Some specific examples of projects which can be created using Authoring Software include:

• Classroom Books
• “All About Me” Books
• Presentations
• Interactive CD-ROMs
• Digital Photo Albums
• Observation Journals
• Skill Attainment Books
• Portfolios
• Slide shows

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