PresenterModule
Manual for the Presenter Activity Module for Moodle
Introduction
The purpose of the Presenter Activity Module for Moodle is to create presentation activities based on rich media such as streaming video, audio and pictures.
Description
The rich media elements are combined into presentation chapters according to a layout. The navigation feature lets the user play through the chapters automatically or choose a specific chapter.
The media elements of a presentation
Video
There are two options for using video.
* URL to a YouTube movie * upload a Flash Video (FLV) file into your Moodle course.
If you choose to upload Flash Video files to your Moodle Course there are two options to send them to clients.
* progressive download * php-streaming
Progressive download works like an ordinary download. For php-streaming to work the Flash Video files must be injected with metadata determining the exact starting position in bytes and timecode of each keyframe. This can be done server-side by installing a software named Yamdi and configuring it's installation path in the settings for the Presenter Activity Module for Moodle. Information about installing Yamdi can be found in the file "How to install.txt" that comes with the distribution package for the Presenter Activity Module for Moodle. Download Yamdi from http://yamdi.sourceforge.net/
Since installing Yamdi might not be an alternative for everybody, metadata injection can also be done with Buraks FLV MetaData Injector, download it from
The video player used for YouTube movies is Googles native player. To play Flash Video files stored in your course, flowplayer free edition is used. More information abour flowplayer can be obtained at http://www.flowplayer.org
Limitations for video
Values for "Video start" and "Video end" can be used only with Flash Video files. This makes it possible to play a portion of a movie file.
YouTube movies accept only values for "Video start", the "Video end" must be set to the time value for the end of the movie.
Time values are entered in the format hours:minutes:seconds. If nothing is entered then it starts from the begining of the movie
Picture
Picture files can be of .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif and .bmp type. The files must be uploaded into the Moodle course.
Audio
mp3 files can be used for the audio option. The files must be uploaded into the Moodle course.
Limitations for audio
Start and End times for mp3 files can not be set. The audio will start from second 0 of the audio file.
Notes
Notes are usually comments or observation connected to a chapter. A HTML editor is provided to enter text notes.
Layout templates
Presentation chapters are created by grouping media elements according to six layout templates. There are 3 basic layout templates, by mirroring them in the vertical plane we obtain a total of 6.
Navigation-Video-Picture-Notes (and mirror)
Navigation-Video-Notes (and mirror)
Navigation-Picture-Audio-Notes (and mirror)
General settings
The size of the presentation area is set by the values of "Presentation width" and "Presentation height". In templates that include video the size of the video player is set by the values "Player width" and "Player height". The same values are used to define the size of the picture area in the templates including Navigation-Picture-Audio-Notes
