It is important to understand some basics about symbols and instances. Symbols are elements that you can reuse in Flash. They can come in many different forms like a graphic, video, audio, and animations. Symbols are stored in the library and you can drag symbols from the library to the stage. An instance is the reference to the symbol. The instances are stored on the stage and not the library. It is pretty confusing but the more you practice it the more it starts making a little more sense.
Now that we know what a symbol is lets create one. You can see a demonstration below.
These tutorials and Flash have been a whole new experience for me. The next class of DAE is going to be very interesting. There are many confusing elements in Flash but I hope with patience and dedication I will understand it.
In Flash a critical component to comprehend is working with text. You would think text is text but in Flash there are three types static, dynamic, and input. With static text that is embedded into the Flash movie and you can use any text that you would like. You do not have to worry about the person on the other side having the same font installed and you cannot edit it in ActionScript (the programming language of Flash). There is an example below of static text.
The next type of text is dynamic text and it is not embedded in the flash movie but it can be. The person viewing it usually must have the font installed on their computer to view it in the movie. Input is a type of dynamic text that accepts input from the user. This could be used if you are making a web site with a Contact Us section to collect information from the user. Stay tuned for the my next entry on working with symbols.
I plan on learning more about Flash. This is important to me since the next class I am enrolled in is Digital Media & Education Applications, which is a Flash based class. I know what Flash because I see it on web pages but that is as far as my knowledge goes. Yesterday, I started going through the Flash CS4 tutorials on Lynda.com. I also opened up the Flash application for the first time just to see what it looked like. Some parts of it resemble Adobe Photoshop so it was not completely unfamiliar to me. Before I officially started the tutorials I downloaded the exercise files. These files are not required to follow along on the tutorial but I thought it may help to see this application in action. It is a pretty large folder but the one thing that I can appreciate about these files is that there are files that will show the project in progress and a final project file too.
Another feature that I enjoy is the “Play the whole chapter” option in the Lynda.com player. Once you click this button you can watch the watch the whole chapter through. Most of the time there are sub sections under each chapter and it is nice to watch a chapter straight through without having to click the next section.
Transcripts are also available in Lynda.com. If you miss a part in the tutorial or if you need to read what the instructor is saying that option is very helpful.
I am so excited to get started on this Flash journey and I’ll be posting soon to update you all on my progress.
Explorra is a Web 2.0 tool that I believe can be heavily utilized in the Hockaday Residence Department. Explorra is a site that helps you explore different countries and brings the world to your fingertips. Currently, we have students that come and study from about 10 countries throughout the world. With this tool the staff and domestic students can learn more about the homes of the international students. Sometimes when girls first arrive to our boarding program they are a little shy about sharing about their home countries because they think we may have preconceived opinions. I have not had a chance to visit any of their countries but anything that gives me a chance to learn more about the girls and connect with them is wonderful to me. The main parts that I enjoy on the site are the vivid pictures, the sections on etiquette and national holidays, local foods.
From Jamaica to Japan it is great to actually “see” some of the beautiful places the girls are from since I have not been about to travel to those places yet. It is pretty huge to understand some of the etiquette from the girls’ home countries. It can help you understand where some of the students’ behavior is coming from. Many things that I have observed from the girls from South Korea made since to me after reading about that country. Another way we like to connect with the girls is with their national holidays. For example, some of the Chinese girls will like to celebrate Lunar New Year. That is usually a holiday were families get together and since they are so far from home it can be fun to bring a piece of home to them in Dallas. It is always great to read about their traditions and customs. Another way to connect with the girls is with food. The girls also love cooking their traditional dishes and sharing them with the community. It is interesting to read about difference in cuisine around the world.
The great thing about this site is that the users can contribute information about the different countries and that some of the pictures are coming from Flickr. On Explorra there is interaction and sharing and that continues to supply information in real time.
