Information extraction from multimedia web documents: an open-source platform and testbed

The LivingKnowledge project aimed to enhance the current state of the art in search, retrieval and knowledge management on the web by advancing the use of sentiment and opinion analysis within multimedia applications. To achieve this aim, a diverse set of novel and complementary analysis techniques have been integrated into a single, but extensible software platform on which such applications can be built. The platform combines state-of-the-art techniques for extracting facts, opinions and sentiment from multimedia documents, and unlike earlier platforms, it exploits both visual and textual techniques to support multimedia information retrieval. Foreseeing the usefulness of this software in the wider community, the platform has been made generally available as an open-source project. This paper describes the platform design, gives an overview of the analysis algorithms integrated into the system and describes two applications that utilise the system for multimedia information retrieval

Multimedia and e-Learning integration for supporting training programs in agriculture by MOODLE

The NODES project aims at facilitating, for adult training / lifelong training, the use of multimedia knowledge to improve competitiveness employability and mobility of handicapped adults (physical and sensorial) and of adults victims of the digital divide or of some of its components such as distance, initial level of knowledge, language, use of complex technologies. The NODES project is focused, on the wide sense, on the production and diffusion of knowledge created within public and private organizations dedicated to adult training or by individuals, through Europe. Within the project the MOODLE e-Learning system was selected and more multimedia content will be integrated into the knowledge base. The EU-Index metadatabase collects content sources for the project partners. Another target is to integrate video files into the systems. This parts are integrated by the logical and physical architectures of the NODES

A Multimedia Approach to Enhancing School Leaders’ Reflective Thinking and Decision Making

This article presents an overview of one multimedia project—the Administrator Case Simulation (ACS) Multimedia Library—focusing on the professional development of school administrative leaders involved in collaborative school leadership. The article provides an overview of the multimedia case simulation concept and describes multimedia case design features. The ACS simulations’ integrated professional learning approach to enhancing the reflective thinking and decision making abilities of school leaders is highlighted.This article presents an overview of one multimedia project—the Administrator Case Simulation (ACS) Multimedia Library—focusing on the professional development of school administrative leaders involved in collaborative school leadership. The article provides an overview of the multimedia case simulation concept and describes multimedia case design features. The ACS simulations’ integrated professional learning approach to enhancing the reflective thinking and decision making abilities of school leaders is highlighted

A Multimedia Approach to Enhancing School Leaders’ Reflective Thinking and Decision Making

This article presents an overview of one multimedia project—the Administrator Case Simulation (ACS) Multimedia Library—focusing on the professional development of school administrative leaders involved in collaborative school leadership. The article provides an overview of the multimedia case simulation concept and describes multimedia case design features. The ACS simulations’ integrated professional learning approach to enhancing the reflective thinking and decision making abilities of school leaders is highlighted.This article presents an overview of one multimedia project—the Administrator Case Simulation (ACS) Multimedia Library—focusing on the professional development of school administrative leaders involved in collaborative school leadership. The article provides an overview of the multimedia case simulation concept and describes multimedia case design features. The ACS simulations’ integrated professional learning approach to enhancing the reflective thinking and decision making abilities of school leaders is highlighted

Processing and Linking Audio Events in Large Multimedia Archives: The EU inEvent Project

In the inEvent EU project [1], we aim at structuring, retrieving, and sharing large archives of networked, and dynamically changing, multimedia recordings, mainly consisting of meetings, videoconferences, and lectures. More specifically, we are developing an integrated system that performs audiovisual processing of multimedia recordings, and labels them in terms of interconnected “hyper-events ” (a notion inspired from hyper-texts). Each hyper-event is composed of simpler facets, including audio-video recordings and metadata, which are then easier to search, retrieve and share. In the present paper, we mainly cover the audio processing aspects of the system, including speech recognition, speaker diarization and linking (across recordings), the use of these features for hyper-event indexing and recommendation, and the search portal. We present initial results for feature extraction from lecture recordings using the TED talks. Index Terms: Networked multimedia events; audio processing: speech recognition; speaker diarization and linking; multimedia indexing and searching; hyper-events. 1

Integrating ICT through multimodal discourse in a primary classroom

Most children talk to their parents about what they learned at school. Parents hear about books read, pictures drawn, stories written and games played. But how often do parents hear of children using ICT to make multimedia stories with a mathematical focus? In this paper the term “multimodality” will be used to describe such activities. Kress (2004) states that multimodality “deals with all the means we have for making meanings – the modes of representation – and considers their specific way of configuring the world.”Although digital technology is now available in most Australian schools, classroom use of such technology is not always creative and meaningful for learners. Recent state and federal government initiatives provide teachers with opportunities to integrate various digital technology applications into their classroom practice. In late 2011 a small research project was conducted with a class of Grade 4 students from an outer suburban Melbourne government school. As part of the project students planned and produced a multimedia artefact that explained some aspect of mathematics they had learned during the year.This paper outlines the planning and production of the multimedia artefacts created by the students, together with a brief discussion of some impediments to teacher use of technology that were identified by teachers at the school. Other issues considered include assessment and reporting in multiple subject areas based on one piece of student work, and the balancing of the relative importance of subject areas in integrated projects and tasks. The authors argue for the development and deliberate inclusion of integrated multimodal activities throughout the primary school curriculum

An Integrated Approach to Teach Communication Skills Using Educational Technologies

The purpose of this pre-experimental pre-test/post-test design was to identify a group of agricultural education students’ knowledge and perceptions towards the use of integrated educational technologies in the classroom. The population was 17 agricultural education students enrolled in an agricultural communications course over a two-year period. A multimedia content development touch screen resource was integrated into the course as a capstone project. Pretest and posttest evaluations showed 6% to 57% changes in knowledge as a result of the digital capstone project. The most significant changes were seen in storyboarding, multimedia project development, and graphic design principles, indicating that students require additional education in these areas. The lowest percentage changes were seen in the same three competencies each year; revealing that students were most knowledgeable in interviewing, technical writing, and giving public presentations. The findings revealed that students gained the most knowledge in technology development, integration and application, rather than interpersonal skill building. This integrated course provides an example of how educators can design courses that not only increase students’ communications knowledge and skills, but also gain realistic experience by creating their own multimedia content for public communication

Multimedia as a Means of Integrating Professional and Linguistic Activity of Non-linguistic College Students

The paper aims at trying to justify the idea of integrating linguistic and professional training in non-linguistic colleges by means of multimedia. The data are taken from the experiment conducted within the framework of the project by a team of teachers from Kazakhstan. It particularly describes the multimedia complex «English for IT-specialists», designed for the development of professional trilingual competence in students of non-linguistic colleges. The achievement of the article will be a better understanding of the ways of using multimedia in training specialists in various fields creating integrated linguistic-professional environment.

NOAA Ocean Acidification June Teacher Workshops in South Florida (stipends provided)

NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program cordially invites teachers in the south Florida area to attend a one-day workshop on ocean acidification, introducing our new OA Data-in-the-Classroom NODE module. Teachers will learn to use real data from NOAA to teach ocean acidification and how it affects coral reefs and other marine calcifiers, using integrated scalable lesson plans associated with this module. Workshop will include demos and multimedia to use in your classroom, a background science presentation on ocean acidification, and a walk-through of the five scalable lesson plans and data exercises that are part of this Data-in-the-Classroom project. Teachers will receive $75 stipend for workshop participation and$25 stipend after follow up survey. Teachers will also receive additional educational materials on coral reefs and ocean acidification, including posters, OA teachers guide, and multimedia DVDs. Limited seating: Participants will receive confirmation email once their registration is processed.

Knowledge-based semantic annotation and retrieval of multimedia content

aceMedia is a 4 year EC part-funded FP6 Integrated Project, ending in December 2007. The project has developed tools to enable users to manage and share both personal and purchased content across PC, STB and mobile platforms. Knowledge-based analysis and ontologies have been successfully exploited in an end-to-end system to enable automated semantic annotation and retrieval of multimedia content. The paper briefly describes the objectives of aceMedia and the application of knowledge-based analysis in the project