Multimedia Knowledge Presentations (Objects)

A Guide for Developers

July 2011

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Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 3 What are knowledge objects? ............................................................................................... 3

2. CREATION OF KNOWLEDGE OBJECTS ........................................................................ 8 Problem Identification .......................................................................................................... 8 Collection of Knowledge Materials ...................................................................................... 8 Logical Structure Design ...................................................................................................... 9

3. MULTIMEDIA TOOLS ..................................................................................................... 11

Text/Document Editors ....................................................................................................... 11 MSWord (2003 or higher) .............................................................................................. 11

MS PowerPoint (2003 or higher) .................................................................................... 13

Adobe Acrobat Professional (version 8 or higher) ......................................................... 14 Image Processing ................................................................................................................ 16 Audio Recording ................................................................................................................. 17 Video Recording ................................................................................................................. 17

Computer Animation .......................................................................................................... 18

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1. INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this guide is to provide simple instructions (step-by-step procedures) for

creating multimedia knowledge objects that can be distributed to telecentres and other

community-based facilities that have computers.

We mention other types of knowledge objects, for example printed materials, radio and TV

broadcast, and traditional communication means (e.g. street theatre, puppet show) but we do

not elaborate about their production and dissemination. The focus of this guide is the process

and tools for creating multimedia computer-based knowledge objects.

What are knowledge objects?

In today‟s world one can learn and acquire knowledge from many sources, but in most cases

we are flooded with information and not gaining enough knowledge at the time and place

where it is needed most. One of critical barriers for sharing knowledge is inappropriate form

of knowledge presentation to an intended audience. We describe and present knowledge in

forms ranging from documents, books and multimedia materials to oral stories, street

theatres, and poetry recitation events. For all forms to make a real impact, both the

knowledge object (content) and the process of its uptake are important.

Knowledge object is a presentation/description of a “chunk” of knowledge in a form that

allows for building capacity to take effective action by those to whom the knowledge object

is communicated. One of the functions of knowledge management is to deliver needed

knowledge objects at the right time and place.

The process of development and delivery of knowledge object encompasses:

• defining the scope and objectives of knowledge object;

• understanding of information internalization capabilities and existing sources of

knowledge of target audiences;

• exploring formats of delivery (contextualization, localization, media);

• testing the method of learning and sharing knowledge by intended audience;

• creating knowledge objects and facilitating their sharing.

Examples:

A document (in electronic or paper format) describing the operation of a steam engine. The

knowledge entity is the knowledge on how the steam engine works. This kind of knowledge

object is appropriate for literate people who are used to study printed materials and have

sufficient understanding of technical terminology relevant to engine operations.

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A map presenting the distribution of health care centers is an encoded representation of an

entity of knowledge from the field of the health care in a country. A capability to read and

understand maps is needed in this context.

A video film that shows how to build a bee hive is a knowledge objects for those who

understand the language used in the video and are able to understand and replicate the

operations shown in the video.

Knowledge is what a person knows. It means that the main purpose of knowledge objects is

to enable to gain knowledge - to know more or to know better.

The intended user/recipient of knowledge object is one of main attributes of the knowledge

object. The ability of the recipient to absorb the knowledge represented by the knowledge

object is the characteristic that distinguishes the knowledge object from data or information

objects.

For example, a knowledge object describing a bio-sand water filter and intended for a literate

farmer in Nepal could be a leaflet with a sequence of pictures and short texts in Nepali. The

purpose of this object is for the farmer to gain knowledge on how to assemble the filter,

where to find needed materials, and how to obtain financing (microcredit?). Therefore the

attributes of the bio-sand water filter knowledge object (leaflet) must include values

(context) such as:

- the problem addressed by the knowledge object (better drinking water)

- intended users (characteristics of the users – Nepali farmers)

- language (Nepali or perhaps one of many dialects)

- geographic location for usage (mountain regions where water in rivers is muddy)

- links to complementary knowledge objects (e.g. concerning market and suppliers of

filter components))

- links to comments from other users of the knowledge object

- format of knowledge presentation (in this case – the leaflet).

In addition, the creator or distributor of this knowledge object should be able to check if the

receiver of the knowledge object was actually able to use the acquired knowledge and

assemble the filter.

A knowledge object is considered as a triad:

- presentation entity (e.g. book, multimedia material, oral story, live show)

- context (collection of attributes mentioned above)

- process (absorption and application of knowledge and its results).

The analysis of knowledge objects is a very complex issue because it involves the

consideration of:

- the actual knowledge represented by the object (the knowledge that is valid and

verified),

- the cognitive and learning capacity of users,

- the suitability of the presentation format,

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- the process of applying the knowledge and its effects.

A picture below shows a knowledge object – live demonstration of new varieties of grass to

be used as a fodder for cattle. The receivers are illiterate farmers engaged in a government

programme of re-cultivation of wastelands.

A multimedia knowledge object could be a combination of video clips from this

demonstration supplemented by recorded comments from farmers and additional

explanations written or recorded in local language.

Fig. 1 Knowledge object in the format of live demonstration (technical briefing for

illiterate audience)

In the following sections of this guide we will describe the process of creating a multimedia

knowledge object.

A multimedia knowledge object is a computer-based presentation of a structure of elements

such as texts, photographs, video clips, audio clips, maps, animations, and graphics designed

to share knowledge with intended audience.

Following the determination of the problem to be addressed by the knowledge object and

intended audiences/recipients and their characteristics, and other attributes mentioned above,

the process of development of the multimedia knowledge object includes:

a) Deciding which topics relevant to the problem must be included in multimedia

presentation, for example, the knowledge object about candle may include topics

such as materials for candle making, preparation of wax, candle moulding procedure,

and packaging of candles;

b) Design of a logical structure of particular topics (browsing through the elements of

the presentation) covering the problem area;

c) Collecting of multimedia materials to be used for presentation of specific topics;

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d) Selecting and formatting multimedia materials to be included in the presentation;

e) Selecting the software tool and compiling the multimedia presentation;

f) Testing the presentation and if possible obtaining some feedback/evaluation of the

knowledge object from intended users;

g) Producing the multimedia presentation (knowledge object) in delivery format.

A multimedia knowledge object can be a relatively small structure addressing very specific

problem, for example - the preparation of fruits for juice making or candle making, or a

complex multilevel structure, for example - the beekeeping manual.

A computer-based presentation of candle making is a knowledge object that can be delivered

by village telecentres or development workers/project staff equipped with a laptop. For

example, a PowerPoint presentation showing slides with pictures, voice explanations and

short video clips can explain how the candle works, what materials are needed to make

candles, how to prepare materials, how to make candles and package them for the market. A

picture below illustrates the concept of candle making knowledge object.

Fig. 2 Knowledge object in the format of PowerPoint presentation

Another example of knowledge object is the presentation about beekeeping developed using

the experimental software produced by Canadian company Solanta Technologies Inc. The

software allows generating a browser of multimedia materials in any language. Only basic

skills in computing are needed to compile the presentation that includes text, audio and video

clips, images, and slide collections. Users of the browser do not need training. They only

need to know how to use a pointing device (mouse or touch screen).

The picture below shows the screen of the beekeeping browser.

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Fig. 3 Knowledge object in the format of multimedia presentation generated using the

Solanta Editor

We believe that in time the availability of tools for making and sharing knowledge objects

(digital cameras, voice recorders, mobile phones, easy-to-use authoring software) will allow

for participatory creation of knowledge objects including farmers, women groups, young

people, i.e. knowledge sharing among users-creators of knowledge objects.

In this guide we will use small examples of multimedia materials in Bangla and English

concerning candle making and elements of beekeeping browser to illustrate the knowledge

object development process.

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2. CREATION OF KNOWLEDGE OBJECTS

The main purpose of creation of knowledge objects is to share knowledge using the

presentation formats most suitable for intended audiences. The value of a knowledge object

can be measured by the effects of activities undertaken as the result of gaining the

knowledge.

The emphasis on the internalization of knowledge and effective action leads to the

requirement that creators of knowledge objects must possess high expertise in the subject

matters and be familiar with diverse methods of knowledge presentation – both traditional

and using advance technologies. At the same time, knowledge object creators must be able to

identify real needs for specific knowledge in target communities.

In the case of multimedia presentation the main challenge is to collect source materials

(texts, images, audio recordings, video clips, and drawings) and design a structure of selected

elements that will be presented to the user in the format appropriate for the effective

absorption of presented knowledge.

Problem Identification

We are discussing knowledge objects development in the context of development projects

and needs of poor communities that need additional knowledge to improve their livelihoods.

The need for knowledge about beekeeping in the case of development project at ICIMOD,

Nepal was identified when the means for additional income were considered for poor

mountain communities.

In many areas of Himalaya – Hindu Kush there is no much possibility to increase

agricultural production from small plots of arable land. Beekeeping and cultivation of

medicinal plants provide an opportunity to respond to market demands, but for many

smallholders it means acquiring new knowledge. They also need knowledge about markets

for new products, packaging and quality requirements, transportation, and financial

arrangements (e.g. small credits for equipment and starting new business).

It is very important that potential users of planned presentation participate in the process of

identification of real needs for knowledge materials. It allows not only for setting up the right

priorities but also for finding out what local knowledge can be included in the presentation.

Collection of Knowledge Materials

Many information materials concerning the knowledge needed in development projects were

produced and disseminated in the past. Most of them were in printed format, usually in

English, French, or Spanish and using scientific terminology. They were addressed mainly to

academic environments, government officials, and educated development activists in

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developing countries. They were also a source for creating printed materials (brochures,

posters, cartoons) and radio ad TV broadcasts in vernaculars.

Recent developments in electronic technologies and channels of communication allow for

transformation of existing knowledge materials into contents and formats most suitable for

people with little educations or illiterate who know only their mothers‟ tongues. They also

make possible the capturing and sharing of traditional indigenous knowledge, thus making

knowledge materials more relevant to concrete local problems and available to all members

of the community.

The use of text, voice, images, video, and computer animation (multimedia) allows for

presentation of complex issues in the format and language appropriate for diverse

communities of users of knowledge materials, from illiterate farmers to development

workers and administrators. One of the critical processes in the preparation of multimedia

presentations is the selection of source materials that will be assembled into the presentation

addressing specific audience.

For example, the beekeeping team at ICIMOD had a large library of hundreds of articles and

books, over 1,000 photographs, and a few video and audio recordings, almost all of them in

English. Some materials were available in Nepali and Hindi. The presentation was developed

in English with some elements translated into Nepali in a pilot project. The main issue was to

select appropriate materials from the existing libraries and identify what additional elements

were needed to make the presentation to cover all subject areas. Additional video clips were

needed to present better the construction of bee hives and bee colony inspection.

The identification of local materials (stories from people, photographs) is very important for

making the presentation more relevant and creating a sense of ownership and empowerment

in the knowledge sharing process.

Logical Structure Design

The design of logical structure of multimedia elements is the critical step in the process of

creation of presentation. Different people have different capacity to absorb information

presented in text, pictures, voice, and video clips. Reading of a long complex text may be

beyond the capacity of people not used to study, a photo with unfamiliar objects may require

too much explanation in text or voice. Audio or video clips, if are too long or covering too

many issues, may be too difficult to follow. The creator of a multimedia presentation must

remember all the time not about her/his absorption capacity but that of the target audience. If

possible the process of selection of information materials and creating the logical structure

should involve local specialists and potential users. The navigation through the presentation

structure (i.e. moving from text to pictures and voice and audio recordings) should be easy

and if possible tested with potential users before producing the final delivery version.

In the case of beekeeping, four domain experts prepared over 100 questions that after several

iterations were combined into 11 topic clusters. This was a very important stage in system

design, since the navigation through tree-like structure of knowledge objects should allow

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finding of relevant knowledge objects in no more than 2-3 steps (selections on the screen).

Domain experts also identified a collection of relevant publications and thousands of

photographs. They recommended the places in the structure where it would be useful to have

video and audio clips (produced for the project or selected from existing materials).

A delivery of an effective knowledge presentation in a computer environment requires:

- deep expertise in a knowledge domain (e.g. beekeeping, ecoturism, soil erosion); the

expertise is needed for structuring and presenting the domain knowledge at the level

of cognitive capabilities of target users,

- participation and cooperation of all stakeholders (domain experts, computer experts,

training specialists and users) in system conceptualization, design, implementation,

deployment and operation,

- top level expertise in computing technologies and information system design.

It is very important to meet all three of these requirements. Domain experts, even with a

solid training in computer technologies and computer programming, will usually spend much

more time solving computer technical problems than on concentrating on knowledge

structuring and analyzing user needs and capabilities. On the other hand, if computer

specialists are assigned to design the logical structure of the knowledge delivery system, they

concentrate more on finding „elegant‟ technical solutions than on effective knowledge

structures. They usually do not have sufficient in depth experience in the given knowledge

domain to identify knowledge sources or the best means for presenting specific issues and

assess if the system covers the knowledge domain properly and corresponds with the

cognitive capabilities of its users.

Participation of all stakeholders ensures that the knowledge delivery system will meet the

needs of intended users and allows for corrective actions at each stage of system

development.

The process of preparing the input data (simple information materials) structure by domain

experts is as follows.

- Domain experts prepare a collection of questions (if possible together with target users) that

can be asked by potential users.

- Questions are analyzed to determine if they cover the entire intended subject area.

- Experts cluster the questions to cover specific topics.

- Clusters of questions are the basis for selection of information materials, building the

structure, and forming knowledge objects of manageable sizes.

- Domain experts create knowledge objects and locate them in the input data structure

(computer directory).

When the collection of knowledge objects (simple objects in the form of documents, audio

and video clips, animation clips, etc.) have been prepared and stored as a computer directory

structure, the presentation developer can select a proper software tool (authoring package

such as Adobe Acrobat Professional, PowerPoint, or Solanta Editor) for the implementation

of the presentation and production of a delivery media (e.g. CDROM, Internet server).

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3. MULTIMEDIA TOOLS

There are many computer tools (authoring software packages) that allow for combining

different media elements into multimedia presentations/documents. For example, using the

Microsoft document editor (MSWord) one can create a document that contains text, audio

and video clips, and images. Adobe Acrobat Professional and Microsoft Power Point also

allow for combining multimedia elements. There are many website creation tools such as

PageMaker, HTML Editors, Dreamweaver that support development of multimedia web

pages.

This guide is just an introduction to the world of multimedia. Its purpose is to describe

concepts and skills needed to create a multimedia presentation at the level of basic computer

literacy.

We will use the most common software MSWord, Adobe Acrobat and PowerPoint to

compile simple knowledge objects and simple media processing software for preparation of

audio and video clips, and images. The development of animations and websites is beyond

the scope of this guide.

We will use files in the following formats:

Printable (text, graphics, images, diagrams, tables, etc. (.DOC, .PDF, .TXT,

.PPT)

Media (audio - .WAV, .MP3 and video clips - .AVI, .MPEG, .WMV, .FLV), and

animations - .FLA, .FLC, .FLI, .GIF, .SWF)

Creation of computer-based animations will be the subject of separate guide. For the purpose

of knowledge object creation the user of this guide will use the animations prepared by

specialists in computer programming and animation.

Text/Document Editors

MSWord (2003 or higher)

In addition to editing text in many languages the MSWord document editor allows for

inserting in the text the objects such as drawings, images, audio and video clips, and other

objects created using applications compatible with the Microsoft environment.

Inserting a picture

(1) To insert a previously prepared image from a file position the cursor in the place you

wish to insert the picture. You may create a table if you wish to insert several pictures side

by side in table cells.

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(2) Select in the MSWord menu:

Insert -> Picture -> From File

(3) In the dialog box „Insert Picture‟ select in a directory the name of image file, usually the

file name with .jpg suffix. Other popular image file formats are: .bmp, .gif, .tif).

(4) Click on Insert button

The size of pictures to be inserted

Today‟s digital photo cameras produce high resolution pictures (usually over 7MegaPixels).

This large size/resolution is not needed when the picture is inserted into the document. It

makes the document size unnecessary large. Therefore it is recommended to resize the

picture to the size in the range between 640x480 and 320x240. Then the picture can be

further resized by simple dragging the points in the picture frame. Please see the section

„Image Processing‟.

Inserting an audio file

To insert previously prepared audio file (Please see the section „Audio Processing‟) follow

these steps:

(1) Position the cursor in the line in which you want to insert the audio file.

(2) In the MSWord menu select:

Insert -> Object

(3) In the dialog box „Object‟ click on „Create from File‟ and then click on the Browse

button and select the prepared audio file (.wav).

(4) Click on the OK button

A small loudspeaker icon appears in the document at the cursor position. When double-click

on the icon the computer will play the audio recording. The audio file has been embedded in

the content of the document.

(5) Save the MSWord document

Inserting a video clip

To insert previously prepared video file (Please see the section „Video Processing‟) follow

these steps:

(1) Position the cursor in the line in which you want to insert the video file.

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(2) In the MSWord menu select:

Insert -> Object

(3) In the dialog box „Object‟ click on „Create from File‟ and then click on the Browse

button and select the prepared video file (.mpeg). Select the box „Display as icon‟.

(4) Click on the OK button

A small icon and the path name of selected video file appear in the document at the cursor

position. When double-click on the icon the computer will play the video clip. The video file

has been embedded in the content of the document.

(5) Save the MSWord document

MS PowerPoint (2003 or higher)

Inserting a picture

(1) Select in the PowerPoint menu:

Insert -> Picture -> From File

(2) In the dialog box „Insert Picture‟ select in a directory the name of image file, usually the

file name with .jpg suffix. Other popular image file formats are: .bmp, .gif, .tif).

(3) Click on Insert button

The size of pictures to be inserted

Today‟s digital photo cameras produce high resolution pictures (usually over 7MegaPixels).

This large size/resolution is not needed when the picture is inserted into the document. It

makes the document size unnecessary large. Therefore it is recommended to resize the

picture to the size in the range between 640x480 and 320x240. You may adjust the size of

the picture by dragging one of the drag points in the frame of the picture. Please see the

section „Image Processing‟.

Inserting an audio file

To insert previously prepared audio file (Please see the section „Audio Processing‟) follow

these steps:

(1) Position the cursor in the line in which you want to insert the audio file.

(2) Select in the PowerPoint menu:

Insert -> Object

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(3) In the dialog box „Object‟ click on „Create from File‟ and then click on the Browse

button and select the prepared audio file (.wav).

(4) Click on the OK button

A small loudspeaker icon appears in at the cursor position. When double-click on the icon

the computer will play the audio recording. The audio file has been embedded in the content

of the slide.

(5) Save the PowerPoint presentation.

Inserting a video clip

To insert previously prepared video file (Please see the section „Video Processing‟) follow

these steps:

(1) Position the cursor in the line in which you want to insert the video file.

(2) Select in the PowerPoint menu:

Insert -> Object

(3) In the dialog box „Object‟ click on „Create from File‟ and then click on the Browse

button and select the prepared video file (.mpeg). Select the box „Display as icon‟.

(4) Click on the OK button

A small icon and the path name to selected video file appear in at the cursor position. When

double-click on the icon the computer will play the video clip. The video file has been

embedded in the content of the document.

(5) Save the PowerPoint presentation.

Adobe Acrobat Professional (version 8 or higher)

An Adobe document can be created by scanning printed pages or by converting an MSWord

document into Adobe .pdf format. We recommend that you prepare the text document with

embedded images and graphics in MSWord and then convert it into .pdf format and then add

audio and video clips using the Adobe Acrobat Professional version 8 or higher.

Inserting a picture

To insert a previously prepared image follow these steps:

(1) Choose Tools > Advanced Editing > TouchUp Object Tool .

(2) Right-click/Control-click the page and choose Place Image.

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(3) Choose one of the following file formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, or TIFF.

(4) Select an image file, and click Open.

A copy of the image file appears in the center of the page, at the same resolution as the

original file.

(5) You may adjust the size of the picture by dragging one of the corners of picture frame.

The size of pictures to be inserted

Today‟s digital photo cameras produce high resolution pictures (usually over 7MegaPixels).

This large size/resolution is not needed when the picture is inserted into the document. It

makes the document size unnecessary large. Therefore it is recommended to resize the

picture to the size in the range between 640x480 and 320x240. Please see the section „Image

Processing‟.

Inserting an audio file

To insert previously prepared audio file (Please see the section „Audio Processing‟) follow

these steps:

(1) Choose Tools > Advanced Editing, and select the Sound tool.

(2) Drag or double-click to select the area on the page where you want the sound icon to

appear.

(3)In the dialog box that appears, select a compatibility setting for your clip:

* Acrobat 6 (And later) Compatible media

(4) To specify the clip, type the path or URL in the Location box, or click Browse and

double-click the audio file.

A small loudspeaker icon appears in at the cursor position. When double-click on the icon

the computer will play the audio recording. The audio file has been embedded in the content

of the slide.

(5) Save the .PDF file

Inserting a video clip

To insert previously prepared video file (Please see the section „Video Processing‟) follow

these steps:

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(1) Choose Tools > Advanced Editing, and select the Movie tool.

(2) Drag or double-click to select the area on the page where you want the movie frame to

appear. For movies, the play area is the exact size of the movie frame (if Acrobat can read

the movie clip‟s dimensions).

(3) In the dialog box that appears, select a compatibility setting for your clip:

* Acrobat 6 (And later) Compatible media

(4) To specify the clip, type the path or URL in the Location box, or click Browse and

double-click the movie file.

If you selected Acrobat 6 (and Later) Compatible Media, you can include the clip with

the PDF by selecting Embed Content In Document. This option will increase the file

size of the PDF.

To display an image in the play area when the movie isn’t playing, select a poster

option, and then click OK. After you add the movie to the PDF, you can specify

additional properties that determine how the clip appears and plays.

(5) Save the .PDF file

Image Processing

Popular digital photo cameras allow taking pictures of acceptable quality for creating

multimedia documents. We recommend photo cameras of known brands Canon, Olympus,

Sony, Pentax in the price range $250USD - $500USD. Digital photo cameras are supplied

with the basic software for downloading the pictures to computer and simple processing of

photographs.

The main processing functions needed for creation of multimedia documents are:

- resize

- crop selection (extracting selected portion of the picture)

- rotate

- changing brightness

- changing contrast

- Save as (allows saving the image in selected format, e.g. .jpg, .tif, .gif, .bmp)

These operations are very easy to perform and can be learned using one of the available

application. We recommend the free software package IrfanView, that can be downloaded

from the website: www.irfanview.com.

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Audio Recording

Voice recording can be done by using digital voice recorders that can be connected by the

USB port to computers for downloading the audio files or by using one of many software

applications installed on the computer. Most laptops have built-in microphones and

applications for audio recording and processing. You may also plug in an external

microphone for better quality recording.

In Windows XP you may open the voice recorder by the following menu selection:

Start->All Programs->Accessories->Entertainment->Sound Recorder

The use of this software does not require much training. The menus are intuitive and after a

few trials you will be able to record the sound you may need for the multimedia presentation.

You may ask you IT specialist to check your computer if the microphone and speakers work

correctly.

You may do simple editing of the recorded voice session using the MS Sound Recorder and

these simple operations:

- Delete before current position

- Delete after current position

- Insert file.

Video Recording

Popular digital video cameras allow video recording of acceptable quality for creating

multimedia documents. We recommend the video cameras of known brands Sony, JVC,

Panasonic, Canon in the price range $450USD - $1,000USD. Higher price cameras of in the

price range $1,000 - $2,000USD would allow recording better quality full screen movies in

DVD format, but for production of multimedia documents the smaller size windows are

preferred in order to make the document size smaller and manageable if many video clips are

used.

Digital video cameras are supplied with the basic software for downloading the video

recordings to computer and simple video processing.

We do not discuss in this guide the video processing. A separate training will be needed to

develop basic skills in video processing. At the beginning the creators of multimedia

materials need to know how to use the software for viewing video clips, for example the

Microsoft Media Player in order to decide which video clips they need to be extracted from

the recording downloaded to the computer, i.e. simply to note the start and the end time of

the required clips.

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At the multimedia training courses we will provide basic training and demonstrations of

video processing. The users of this manual may experiment with video processing using the

Microsoft Windows Move Maker:

Start->All Programs->Windows Movie Makers.

A video recording downloaded from the video camera to the computer can be imported to

the Windows Movie Maker and then processed using the functions selected in menus, for

example the user can extract (cut) selected portions of the recording.

<Additional training on video processing will be provided for Practical Answers staff and

local knowledge agents>

Computer Animation

< to be added in next version>

<Additional training will be provided for local staff>