Interactive illustrations on computer?

[Mia Kalish]

Hi, Don, 
I've been doing something like this, with Macromedia Flash, but all my stuff
is interactive and dynamic. The sounds, text, and pictures for nouns,
animations for verbs all display simultaneously. I don't use the format of
textual reference to drawings that is typical of textual materials. 
It's pretty easy to attach a sound file to a graphic in html. 'Course
download issues begin to loom at that point, with the combination of the
graphic + the sound file. 
Lastly, how do you imagine doing the cultural implications? In the graphics
themselves? As an explanation in a language other than the cultural one,
like English? As a voice-over or a story in the cultural language? 
Mia

-----Original Message-----
From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]
On Behalf Of Don Osborn
Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2006 5:40 PM
To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU
Subject: [ILAT] Interactive illustrations on computer?

It's cliché (and true) that a picture is worth 1000 words, but I've
been given to thinking about how putting at least some of those words
on the picture might be used in to a greater degree, and if possible
in an interactive format. One goal would be a kind of "WikiDuden" that
might be especially useful for less widely spoken languages - for
recording, sharing and teaching.

Has anyone on this list been doing that in an ICT environment? 

It seems to me to be a great idea but its implementation, starting
with developing a bank of drawings & diagrams (a staggering number
might be implied), and then considering the cultural and perceptual
nuances that can be understood and accepted in various contexts. 

Any info on projects or thoughts on the concept are welcome.

Don




Fwd:  Re: [afrophonewikis] Diagram/illustration strategy for Wikipedia?

--- In afrophonewikis at yahoogroups.com, "Samuel Klein" <meta.sj at ...> wrote:

Agreed wholeheartedly.  I don't know of any projects currently doing this.
SJ

On 11/9/06, Don Osborn <dzo at ...> wrote:
>
>   Wikipedia / Wikimedia have some collections of pictures, maps,
> illustrations, drawings, diagrams, etc., but has any thought been
> given to expanding this collection more systematically to include a
> range of basic ones, like anatomy / parts of the body (human, but also
> for major animal species), features of diverse landscapes, solar
> system, ...
>
> The object would be to provide something like the �y� Ara (Parts of
> the Body) item at the bottom of
> http://yo.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%88d%C3%A8e_Yor%C3%B9b%C3%A1 with a
> visual reference. I realize that providing an easy way to add text to
> illustrations may not be easy, but the payoff could be a very useful
> and attractive "WikiDuden" type presentation for basic level articles
> across many languages. It could be of educational use, e.g. on
> Wikipedia CDs or with projects like OLPC.
>
> In fact it could make a very powerful "education for all" / ICT4E
> project. Goals would be to expand the bank of basic science & nature
> illustrations and develop an easy (WYSIWYG?) way of adding text tags
> to the illustrations. Along the way, accommodation of potential
> cultural sensitivities and different ways of seeing things would have
> to be accounted for, etc.
>
> Anyway, the extent to which interactive illustrations can be
> incorporated in the Wikipedia concept is, IMO, the extent to which it
> will gain a lot more utility for a range of uses and users around the
> world. And of course this doesn't take anything away from pure text
> approaches.
>
> Don
>
>  
>

--- End forwarded message ---