IGCSE ICT Communicating Ideas

 identify the advantages and disadvantages of using common applications to communicate ideas:  Multimedia presentations  Printing flyers and posters  Websites  Music production  Cartoon animations

'Multimedia' refers to documents / software applications that contain a mixture of:  text  images  animations  video  audio Multimedia Presentations 1:

 Multimedia applications are commonly used for training / education.  Compared to learning from a textbook, multimedia applications allow students to see animations, videos, etc. This can bring a subject to life and make it much easier to learn. Multimedia Presentations 2:

Presentations using animations, video and sound are generally much more interesting than a presentation done on slides or on paper. Presentations are generally used with a multimedia projector so that many people can see the presentation at the same time. Multimedia Presentations 3:

 Can use sound, animation and video to engage the audience & enhance the experience  Interactivity & hyperlinks can be built in  More likely to hold an audience’s attention than a static presentation Advantages

 Need special equipment which may be expensive:  Projector  Screen  PA system  Need live internet access if hyperlinks are used Disadvantages

 Multimedia presentations can be produced in hard copy (paper) format  Speaker’s notes  Handouts  Slides Paper-based presentations

 Disabled people do not have to go to the venue to see the presentation  It is possible to print it in Braille for the benefit of blind people!  Audience can read the presentation again any time they want  Permanent copy Advantages

 Distribution – will copies be given out individually, or left for people to pick up?  No special effects/transitions/sound etc  Printing costs – paper, toner Disadvantages

 These are usually produced using Desktop Publishing software. DTP is a system of software and hardware that allows a user to create and print documents such as: books  posters  flyers  Magazines & newspapers  Business cards & tickets  etc... Flyers and posters 1

 DTP software is WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get - meaning that the document looks the same on the screen as it will when it's printed). Flyers and posters 2  Most web authoring packages are WYSIWYG, too.

 Document layout is produced using 'frames' - areas of the page that can contain text or images. Flyers and posters 3  Text in frames can 'overflow' into other frames. Images can be added from scanners or digital cameras, then cropped, rotated, resized, etc. Where text and images overlap, text can be 'wrapped' around images.

 Can be used to raise interest/publicity  Colourful  Flyers – can be given to people to take home  Posters – one poster can reach 100’s of people

 Many flyers need to be printed – cost  Litter  Limited audience  Posters: graffiti & cost  Limited audience  Both: Limited space, so need to limit information that is included Disadvantages

1. Open application 2. Create frames, boxes and text boxes 3. Take/import photos 4. Edit photos if necessary 5. Insert photos into document 6. Crop/resize 7. Enter or import text 8. Format text 9. Layout/wrapping etc

 Rather than producing flyers and posters, it is possible now to use websites for advertising and communication.  A website is a collection of web 'pages' that provide a mixtures of content:  Text & Images  Animations  Video & Audio  Hyperlinks (to jump to other content)

 Can be accessed by literally millions of people, all over the world, 24 hours a day  Ability to add sound/video/animation  Links to other websites  Hot spots  Navigation  Hit counters/stats  Web sites never close/get covered in graffiti/thrown in the bin Advantages

To view a website, you need:  a computer (expensive)  Internet connection (not always available, and it can be expensive)  training to know how to use a computer (you don't need training to use paper!)  Websites can be hacked into/contain viruses  Websites need maintaining once they have been set up  A website is not as portable as a flyer Disadvantages

 Go to bbc.co.uk/bitesize  Make notes on the features of presentation software:  Slide master  Transitions  Animations  Notes  Complete the Activity and the Test  Work through the Presentations PowerPoint