Xara Web Designer

You can look at Xara Web Designer using the link below, you can even download a free trial.

• http://webdesigner.xara.com/index.htm

Xara Tutorials

Xara Web Designer:

• http://www.xara.com/us/products/webdesigner/tutorials-demos/
• http://outsider.xara.com/tutorials/february09/index.htm

Here are some You Tube videos 13 in all, covering an introduction, text, navigation, tables, and photos

Adobe Flash

Some video tutorials from Adobe TV - use the link below:

• http://tv.adobe.com/watch/learn-flash-professional-cs4/introducing-flash-cs4-professional/

And here are some videos from www.teach-ict.com they are for older versions of Flash but still worth watching

• http://www.teach-ict.net/software/flash/flash.htm

Flash Tutorials

Using Adobe Flash CS4 to create animation

• http://www.adobe.com/newsletters/edge/december2008/articles/article4/index.html
• http://www.freeadobeflashtutorials.com/
• http://www.entheosweb.com/Flash/default.asp
• http://www.smartwebby.com/Flash/flash_animations.asp
• http://www.scienceandart.org/flash/flashCS4_tutorials_2009.pdf

Alternative Software

Instead of using Xara and Flash there are many free website designing software that you can use online, some work better than others, some allow you more freedom with the design and layout than others here is one for you to look at, if you try them out please email me the link with your finished site based on the same theme as above. Thanks

• http://www.wix.com/

Themes & Ideas

You are going to design a website combining the use of technology with a creative outlook to solving problems. Your website must include the following features:

• A well designed layout that is used on every page
• Navigation bar with interactive buttons
• A new or edited logo
• Includes a photo gallery as well as well placed images
• A Flash animation - banner / film / logo
• Embed a widgit

Optional

• Embed a video from YouTube
• Add sound

Homework 1

In designing your animation and website you are to consider as to how the use of 2D animation can affect the world they live in:-

1. Does multimedia animation educate an audience in a more focused and better way than text/still images or in fact any other media?
2. Can Technology enable and motivate the human race to change on a worldwide scale to solve its problems?

Your design brief is to choose a local, school, or global charity, cause, or organisation, its focus can be humanitarian, animal welfare, or ecological, whether large or small that needs to publicise itself on the web, so that it can spread its message as far as possible. This charity would then be your client and would want you to improve how it spread its' message through the use of a 2D animation; whether that was a banner advertisement, a small animated film or even a simple logo, and an interactive informative visually stimulating website.

Tasks

1. You are to design and produce the Adobe Flash based animation to publicise your choice of charity or organisation. Examples of similar project at www.acs-england.co.uk
2. You are to design and produce a 5 page website promoting your choice of charity or organisation.

Planning Resources

Homework 2

You are to investigated and record how often nowadays animation is not only used to spread a message but by click through advertising these sites can make money for their causes through donations.
For example from Greenpeace to Oxfam on a global scale, to the Free Rice website or even Red Nose Day all the way down to the local scale 'Hong Kong Dog Rescue' - the use of animation and multimedia helps change and activate communities for the good.

If you are still looking for ideas that have some structure for building your website then try these websites:

• e-time capsule
• Dubai Sounds Music Festival

Resources

• Red Nose Day
• Greenpeace
• Oxfam
• Pangea

School Charities:

• Animals Asia
• The Esther Benjamins Trust
• Habitat for Humanity Asia Pasific
• Child Welfare Scheme Napal
• Crossroads International
• St Barnabus Society

Website Hosting

You can look at my first Xara Website at: http://jcxaradesign1.bravehost.com/index.htm
Free website hosting:
http://www.free1gig.net
http://www.bravenet.com/

Extension Task 1

• Create a new page, and call it video page.
• Create a new button within your Photo Gallery page, and link it to you new page, make sure on your video page that all the main buttons and layout are the same as on all the previous pages.
• For your new page you are going to search and select a suitable YouTube video. You will now add this to your Video page. ( you may add more than one video if you wish.

Extension Task 2

• Create a Jigsaw puzzle using http://www.jigzone.com/ from an image and embed it 0nto a quiz or games page. Or on one of you exiting pages.

Extension Task 3

• Using Google forms create a quiz / questionnaire about your charity, perhaps a multi-choice quiz.

Extension Task 4

• Add some music to your Photo gallery page or throughout the website but only the same track. Try finding a clip on http://freeplaymusic.com/