COAP:COAP-3000/week1

Objectives

• install and use a simple JavaScript library
• create HTML slides with impress.js
• customize a CSS style-sheet respecting design constraints
• create a simple screen cast

• Quality: to improve

Week 1 topics - Create animated presentations with impress.js and screen casts

Learning goals

• See the box to the right

Prerequisites

You should be familiar with basic HTML5 and CSS. Below are some resources that could help you catching up. Alternatively, you also can read chapters 1 (section on "traditional elements") and 2 of the HTML5 for Masterminds textbook (the bookshop should have some left over copies).

You also should be able to use a simple JavaScript library and a JavaScript console in your webbrowser. If you do not, you will catch up this lesson.

• HTML basics (MDN, retrieved March 2018).

• HTML and XHTML elements and attributes (this wiki) or any other good HTML tutorial on the Web...

• CSS tutorial (this wiki) or any other good CSS tutorial on the Web...

• Javascript_tutorial - basics (in particular, you should know how to load a simple JavaScript library:

<script type="text/javascript" src="external.js"></script>

Writing JavaScript code

Recommended HTML editors

• Any editor that includes some support for syntax coloring and code indentation can do.
• Brackets HTML5 programming editor (recommended for this class)
• BlueGriffon HTML 5 editor
• BlueFish HTML 5 programming editor

Project files and Brackets configuration

Project directory

• Make sure to put all the files you need for a project into a single directory
• Then open that directory. Brackets will consider all the files in the directory to be part of the same project. This will help getting correct links done.

Useful Brackets extensions

To install an extension

• File->Extension Manager
• Use the search menu
• Sometimes, you also can drag and drop zip files from git repositories in order to get the latest version)

Recommended for this class:

• HTML Templates. Take the version by Travis Almand (there are several others)
• Beautify.

Monday

Impress.js demos

• Official demo
• Other demos are available from the Examples and demos (the official site, scroll down). E.g. look at: [parhumm.github.io/presentation-learning-to-design/ Learning to design]

Documentation

• impress.js (Tutorial in this wiki)
• The source code of the https://impress.js.org/ the HTML code (locally, look at the index.html file)

Student activities / impress.js

• Download impress.js from https://github.com/impress/impress.js/ (click on clone or download and pick the zip file)

Notice: The original web site (https://github.com/bartaz/impress.js) is dead.

(1) Unpack the zip archive

(2) Copy file index.html to save.html

(3) Modify contents of index.html (continued on Wednesday)

• Identify a presentation topic. Make it simple, e.g. present/discuss an interesting concept.
• On a piece of paper, sketch out a layout that includes the most important steps.
• Create the contents and at the same time think about presentation effects (see the next item)

(4) Modification of the CSS (continued on Wednesday)

You the should/can modify the CSS file (css/impress-demo.css to adapt to your needs).

Simple example (original CSS code modified)

• test.html
• impress.js
• impress-min-presi.css

Example of a talk by your instructor

• Digital design and fabrication in education (could be much improved...)

(5) Prune the whole directory for distribution, i.e. only include files that are needed.

Wednesday

On Wednesday you will learn how to create a screencast and you also will have time to work on your project.

Create Screens casts with screencast-o-matic

Create a screen cast with the free Screencast-o-matic program. You are free to use other screen casting software. You may consider buying the pro version.

• Make sure that you can register (this should be easy on a laptop). At Webster you should use an external microphone available from the lab assistants (?)
• Launch Screencast-o-matic. This is a web app and you will have to download the code each time you use it. You now should see a selection rectangle, a black box with some controls and (optionally) a little video filming yourself.
• Set the size and the position of the rectangle defining the zone to be registered.
• Test if audio works (watch the narration field in the black record box)
• Click on the red REC button

Other software (optional)

Other screen casting software

Many other options exist. Below are three examples

• ScreenCastify for the Chrome browser. (web store)

• On a Mac, use Quicktime (it should be free and installed). Registering the screen should be in the file menu.

• Active Presenter 7 (Mac/Win).

Free and simple Video editors (optional)

• Mac: Use iMovie (should be installed already).
• Windows: Try either OpenShot or ShotCut

Project 1 work (continued)

• Continue working on contents and CSS

Homework/Project 1

(1) Create a presentation with impress.ch

• You can freely choose a topic and reuse prior work.

(2) Create a report as screen cast

• The report should include objectives of the screen cast, a short discussion of your design and an auto-evaluation. You also can mention how you did it, problems encountered. etc. Make sure to keep down the file size.
• Max. length = 2 minutes. Make sure to "dive in" directly. Do not waste time on less important stuff, e.g. your personal motivations, prior experience, etc.
• Show some slides (not the whole presentation)

Submission

Upload to the World classroom (Canevas):

• A zip file for the presentation
• A report as sreencast video file

Tip: Uzip the file somewhere in your own computer and test if it works (e.g. some files may be missing and the presentation will fail)

Due

• Wed week 2, before class

Documentation / Links

Impress.js

• impress.js (documentation in this wiki)
• Official impress.js website (including downloads, examples and links to other resources)
• Building Impressive Presentations with impress.js - Ebook (E-book, $14.99, not needed)

CSS tutorial

• CSS tutorial

Documentation for techies

• CSS transforms tutorial (Follow up the links)