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Flash
Publisher: Adobe
Current Version: CS3
Description: Originally created by Macromedia, Adobe Flash has become perhaps the premier application for developing interactive multimedia on the Web.
Flash's ability to compress large files drastically and play them back quickly has made it a favorite of the educational technology industry. Many tools for developing online training (such as Captivate and Camtasia) now have the ability to output in Flash format. Flash's emerging video technology has also made it a favorite format among online video providers such as YouTube and Google Video.
Using pre-built templates or Flash "Learning Extensions," developers can easily make Web-based self-quizzes and presentations incorporating true/false, multiple choice, fill in the blank, drag and drop, hot spot, and hot object question types with full AICC and SCORM compliance.
Educational Advantages: With the ability to incorporate a variety of audio, video, and graphic file formats, to develop engaging animations, and to program sophisticated interactions, the authoring abilities of Flash are near limitless. In the hands of a knowledgeable user, Flash can produce educational games, simulations, self tests and more. Animation, complex interactivity, streaming (and non-streaming) video, and much more, are all possible using Flash. Flash produces highly compressed files (for low-bandwidth viewers). Presentations developed in Flash are cross platform, viewable by nearly any computer using the free (and near ubiquitous) Flash player.
Educational Disadvantages: Flash has a high learning curve and would not be appropriate for the casual user. Also, the high cost of the application often removes it from the realm of anyone but professional technicians.
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