From time to time, we recognize a specific hardware or software product as our timely topic. There are lots of great products available so a product we discuss here typically represents an exceptionally good fit with priorities we identify in "Integrating Technology for Meaningful Learning."

Microsoft Producer

Microsoft Producer is a FREE program you can use to greatly expand the capabilities of PowerPoint on the Windows XP platform. You must have PowerPoint 2002 to use this product. Producer allows you to capture video from a digital camcorder, edit this video, and then integrate the video (or just sound) with PowerPoint slides and images to generate a multimedia production. The product you create is displayed using a browser. This could mean the content is kept on a computer, distributed on a CD, or sent over the Internet.

Our demonstration - you must have a Windows OS to view.

When you create a product with Producer, you do not have to build the product from scratch. You can take advantage of templates and wizards. You can rely heavily on these tools or do most the work yourself.

Producer employs a timeline with multiple channels and the multimedia author drags objects (e.g., PowerPoint slides) to a channel. The positioning of the objective relative to the video controls when the object will be displayed. For example, you can use a series of slides to comment on what the viewer is watching in the video. You would edit the video, create the slides, and then position the slides along the timeline to match the video.

Images used with permission of Microsoft Software Corporation

7/9/03