Introduction-Flash CS4• Who is the Instructor?

Fred Carbine

• Qualifications:

BA, University of Vermont, Major: Geography, Minor: English, 1992

Masters of Science in Internet Technology, Marlboro College Graduate School, 2010

16 Years in Networking/T1 Provisioning, Project Management, Marketing, Sales, Web/Virtual Tour Design and Designing Content Management Systems

Instructor Contact Information

Fred Carbine

Phone: 802-342-9145

E-mail: carbine1014@gmail.com

I can also be reached at my CCV email address, John.Carbine@ccv.edu on Blackboard, but response may be a little quicker on Gmail since I am on it all the time.

What is this course about?

This course is a hands-on introduction to creating Flash animations for the World Wide Web. Students will gain proficiency with Flash illustration and animation concepts, and learn how to set up the program interface, access documentation, import images and sounds. Students will also learn the correct usage of frame actions, user controls, GoTo structures, and MovieClip structures, and have an introduction to ActionScript.

Prerequisite: Website Development.• As an introductory course, it will cover all the basic tools and features of

designing with Adobe Flash CS4• Most Important: It is about having fun while learning Flash CS4, so

remain calm!

The Essential Course Objectives The successful student will be able to: 1. List the features and benefits of Adobe’s Flash platform and discuss appropriate and

inappropriate use of Flash presentations in web site development.

2. Demonstrate proficiency in the Flash development environment.

3. Explain and successfully complete the steps involved in developing a Flash presentation.

4. Discuss artistic and design considerations of creating effective, user-friendly Flash presentations.

5. Demonstrate the appropriate use of various graphics types, text layout and button design and usage.

6. Discuss and demonstrate appropriate use of sound in a Flash animation.

7. Discuss the use of interactivity in Flash presentations, define important terms such as event, target, and action as they relate to Flash presentations.

8. Discuss how Flash Actionscript can be used to add additional interactivity and functionality to a Flash presentation.

What this course is not about• Creating elaborately layered and complexly animated

Flash CS4 presentations from the 1st day of class• As an introductory course, it will cover all the basic tools

and features of designing with Adobe Flash CS4 and build toward creating a working Flash CS4 presentation

• You do not have to be a professional animator, designer, graphic artist, programmer or even a “super geek” for this course

Note: If you are a professional animator, designer or programmer, you may want to seek a more advanced course, as well as “super geeks” (No offense to “super geeks”!)

Required Texts and Course MaterialsTextbooks:• Flash CS4 Professional for Windows, ISBN:

9780321591920, Ulrich $34.99 -• Exploring Adobe Flash CS4, ISBN: 9781435485556,

Hartman, $54.62-Includes Class Files in a CD in the back of the Text, Make a Lessons Folder from the CD!

Required Texts and Course Materials Course Materials: Recommended Online Tutorials: Lynda.com, Adobe homepage

Hardware Requirements: Desktop or Laptop Computer with adequate SDRAM and Hard Drive File Storage for Flash CS4 Applications (Desktop Computers are available at CCV facility)

External File Backup Storage (USB Flash Drive, External Hard Drive or Backup Server). No “But, My Computer Crashed” Excuses Will Be Accepted by the Instructor on Projects or Assignments!Software Requirements: Adobe Design Premium Flash CS4 Software (Available on CCV lab computers, can also be downloaded as a 30 day Free Trial at Adobe site, but wait until mid-November!)Server and FTP Requirements: To Be Announced Later in the Course, Based on CCV Server Access, Space and Availability

Teaching Methods

Teaching Methods• 1. Lectures/Demonstrations: Important material from the text, Power Point slides, the

Internet and other outside publications will be covered in class. Students should plan to take careful notes as not all material can be found in the texts or readings. Discussion is encouraged as is student-procured outside material relevant to topics being covered.

• 2. Homework Assignments/Activities: End of chapter homework assignments/activities will be assigned weekly to reinforce learning material in the class and to assist students in building a Flash CS4 Portfolio. These assignments will require the application of the Adobe Design Premium CS4 Flash software. This software is provided on CCV's lab computers. It can also be downloaded on your personal computer for a 30 day trial from the Adobe website. Note: Should you decide to try the demo version on your personal computer, it is strongly recommended you do this in Mid-November of 2010, so you may have full personal usage prior to your final project.

• 4. Quizzes: Open book Quizzes will be administered at the end of each weekly session to reinforce learning and evaluate students' comprehension of the course material. The quizzes can be accessed from the end of each Chapter of the class text (Hartman). All quizzes must be turned in the day before the next class session, late submissions will not be accepted by the instructor and they will receive a failing grade of 0.

Teaching Methods• 5. Hands on Exercises/Lab Activities: Classes will have various Hands on Exercises/Lab Activities to assist

students in gaining more proficiency with Flash's extensive and dynamic design tools. These activities will usually serve as a precursor to their homework assignment since most of these activities will be their actual homework assignment, requiring full completion through revision, alteration or adding other features.

• 6. Internet Research Assignments: During this class, students will have some assignments/activities that will require researching Flash CS4 content over the Internet for learning exploration and discovery. Not all of the research assignments may be graded.

• 7. Class Participation: Through the course, class participation will be required by students to enrich learning experiences for themselves and for their fellow classmates.

• 8. Final Project: To tie learning experiences together from previous class sessions, students will use knowledge gained from the course to design a final project in Flash CS4. This project can be performed in competitive student teams or as a mixed combination of individual student projects and/or teams, depending on the class' vote.

• 9. Extra Credit Online Discussion Forums/Final Reflection Paper: Learning takes place in many forms. Two primary and effective ways are through discussion and reflection: Because of this, students can receive extra credit for the class by writing a 1-2 page, double-spaced, reflection paper on their learning experiences in the Flash CS4 class, due at the final class, or, participate in several online Flash CS4 design discussion forums that will be posted throughout the course by the instructor in Blackboard. The maximum points for credit will be 10 points. Points are assessed based on the student's effectiveness in communicating and expressing their thoughts in a clear, concise, professional, respectful and grammatically correct manner.

Evaluation Method

Evaluation MethodEVALUATION:Accomplishment of course objectives will be evaluated on the basis of:

25% Final Project

25% Classroom participation

25% Labs and Homework Assignments

25% Quizzes 

Any assignment or activities are due on the date announced.  No late submitted work will be accepted for credit. Grading Criteria:Grading Equivalency Chart:A+       97-100                         C+       77- 79A         93-96                           C         73-76A-        90-92                           C-        70-72B+        87-89                           D+       67-69B          83-86                           D         60-66B-        80-82                            F          <60  

Evaluation MethodA+ through A-: For any work to receive an "A," it must clearly be exceptional or outstanding work. It must demonstrate keen insight and original thinking. It must not only demonstrate full understanding of the topic or issues addressed, but it must also provide a critical analysis of these. In addition, an "A" grade reflects a student's ability to clearly and thoughtfully articulate his or her learning. B+ through B-: For any work to receive a "B," it must be good to excellent work. It must demonstrate strong originality, comprehension, critical thinking, and attention to detail. In addition, a "B" grade reflects a student's ability to clearly articulate his or her learning.C+ through C-: For any work to receive a "C," it must meet the expectations of the assignment. It must demonstrate solid comprehension, critical thinking, and attention to detail. In addition, a "C" grade reflects a student's ability to adequately articulate his or her learning.D+ through D-: For any work to receive a "D," it must marginally meet the expectations of the assignment. It demonstrates minimal comprehension, critical thinking, and attention to detail. In addition, a "D" grade may reflect a student's difficulty in articulating his or her learning.F: Work that receives an "F" grade does not meet the expectations or objectives of the assignment. It demonstrates consistent problems with comprehension, organization, critical thinking, and supporting details. In addition, an "F" grade reflects a student's inability to articulate his or her learning. Students are strongly urged to discuss this grade with their instructor and advisor.P: Equivalent to D (+/-) or better and therefore course will not count as credit for specific program requirements or competence area requirements.NP: indicates failure to meet course objectives and/or failure to meet grading criteria for successful completion as described in the instructor's course description.

The Attendance Policy and Class Accommodations

Attendance Policy and Class Accommodations

• CCV ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance is critical for our class, due to the large amount of content to cover and build upon every week. It is vital that students attend class well prepared. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class by the instructor. Any student with more than three (3) unexcused absences will fail to complete the course.

• Class quizzes (Open Book) will be announced ahead of time since they are out of the Hartman text book. They can actually be accessed at the end of each chapter. It is the Student’s Responsibility to get these to the instructor by the assigned date, regardless of illness, absence or other extenuating circumstances preventing attendance. Students are expected to take these quizzes when scheduled. If a student fails to hand in a quiz by its assigned due date (day before class), the student will receive a grade of 0 for that quiz, no exceptions

• ACCOMMODATIONS: In order to receive accommodations for disabilities in this course, students must make

an appointment to see the Americans with Disabilities coordinator at their site and bring documentation with them.

Classroom Policy

Classroom Policy• Academic Honesty: CCV has a commitment to honesty and excellence in

academic work and expects the same from all students. Academic dishonesty, or cheating, can occur whenever you present – as your own work – something that you did not do. You can also be guilty of cheating if you help someone else cheat. Being unaware of what constitutes academic dishonesty (such as knowing what plagiarism is) does not absolve a student of the responsibility to be honest in his/her academic work. Academic dishonesty is taken very seriously and may lead to dismissal from the College.

• Classroom Decorum: Instructors at the Community College of Vermont expect to teach classes in cordial, collegial and respectful environments. Members of the community are expected to act with integrity, exhibiting respect for others and ourselves, including respect for differences and multiple perspectives. We are also expected to model appropriate behaviors that specifically exclude offensive, disruptive or disorderly acts and harassment in every form.

The Adobe Flash Phenomenon-What is It? and Who Is Using It?

• Flash is a digital content authoring program for online designers, developers, animators, illustrators, programmers, educators, and off-the-shelf enthusiasts

• Flash is an output content in a compressed format for online viewing via the Flash Player

• Flash had its beginnings as Macromedia Flash in 1996 and is now a prevalent online content creation program managed by Adobe

Adobe Flash CS4Why do these Users chose to use Adobe Flash CS4?-It bridges with other Adobe Creative Suite Programs

-Its Tools are Easy to Use

-It Downloads Quickly

-It Creates Custom and Intuitive Animation

-It Provides Streaming Audio and Video

-It Has Interface to Debug Flash Files

-Vector-Based Graphics don’t lose their illustrative quality.

What Does Flash Do?

• What does Flash do? Flash is most commonly used to create vector-based

graphics animation programs with full-screen navigation interfaces, graphic illustrations, and simple interactivity in a resizable file format that is small enough to stream across a normal modem connection.

Its programming language, Actionscript can be used to design rich internet applications and desktop applications.

What is it like using Flash?

Empowers more of your web design creativity

Makes custom animation and web design easier and much faster

Can be confusing and overwhelming with all of its keyboard shortcuts, layers, frames, features and tools

Can be rewarding when creative vision is achieved through Flash

Can be time consuming through the learning curve

What is currently being used in the industry to produce graphic content for online, on-screen, and print?

Can you name a few?

Adobe Flash PlayerAdobe ReaderAdobe AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime-Desktop Application)Apple: QuicktimeJava FXMicrosoft: Silver LightFreeware: UIRA, Ajax Animator

Flash Examples

http://www.ebizmba.com/articles/best-flash-sites

http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2007/10/30/65-excellent-flash-designs/

http://www.comcasttown.com/

http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/brilliant-beautiful-flash-websites/