The Process

Students have been split up into groups of three. Each group member will be responsible for one phase of the project.

1. The first individual will need to analyze the animations at Bembo's Zoo and determine what technical steps will be necessary to create their example. This is the Application stage: observing the animations and inferring which of Flash's tools and techniques should be used on the project.

The second phase is the project Design and it has two aspects: The effectiveness and creativity of their solution.

2. The second member of each group will be responsible for deciding with the first member which of the tools and techniques will be most effective (that is, the simplest and closest to its appearance) for rendering the animal they choose.

3. The third group member will work with the first two to decide how Flash's features should be put to use in order to create something original and unexpected.

Before beginning work, students should proceed to the Evaluation page and use the rubric there to make sure they understand what is expected of each of them and how they will be able to judge the level of their success. They should meet with their counterparts from the other groups before beginning to discuss strategies and tactics for carrying out their part of the assignment.

Below is a short list of websites to help.

http://www.somers.k12.ny.us/SHS/web class/Tut.html
This website dedicated to Flash basics has the advantage of being designed by one of our own students. While the individual tutorials may not help with immediate goals, they can consult with its designer personally about what's on his site and any of the methods he used to get his results.

http://www.macromedia.com/support/flash/tutorial_index.html
The basic Macromedia tutorial site. This website can supplement any of the built in tutorials they might have tried that came with the program.

http://www.trainingcafe.com/members/mmf/
Another good set of fundamental tutorials designed by the Flash's originators.

http://www.flashbible.com/members/
This site has some more sophisticated tutorials with clever and funny examples that might spark their creativity.

http://www.mjau-mjau.com/
Home of some very sophisticated Flash examples and links. Use this primarily for the motivation it provides when it's seen how the program can really sing when used by someone who has mastered it. There are also links to some tutorials and lessons.

And finally, don't forget Google where they can find literally hundreds of thousands of Flash-related sites.

The Project's Structure

I've always approached this class in the traditional studio format as the sole instructor trying to lay out a linear program of skill-building processes. Unlike clay, paint or charcoal, computer software programs are constantly evolving tools that can be used in an infinite variety of ways and combined with a range of other programs to create a number of different end products. The basic skill building processes I can teach are severely limited compared with the endless number of online tutorials available. It's too difficult to provide the individualized instruction necessary to enable each student to attain his/her goal.

Since the lesson has to be based on a clearly articulated goal, (a "central question") I chose a specific task rather than a more open-ended objective. This seemed especially important with a Web-based plan because of the absolute saturation of information online. Without a very clear and finite objective everyone in the room would arrive at something entirely different including questionable image banks and game sites. Secondly, the links have to be well suited to the central question and up-to-date. The point of a Web-based experience is to put students in touch with a network of information sources that are current and relevant. The lesson is also meant to be structured with a logical sequence of steps that build information-gathering, -evaluation and -implementation skills into the process as needed.

This class meets once a day for 42 minutes and the lesson will take at least two five-day weeks to complete. It won't commence until the second quarter and by then I'll have a better idea of the individual skills of my students than I do now. I'll organize the groups according to that.

Obviously, the more you know about Macromedia Flash, the better off you'll be, but this is one subject matter you can always count on the kids to actively pursue.

Variations

Variations include lessons that create interactive pie-, bar- and flowcharts or graphs; and a full semester quest to design a computer game with Flash.