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About Multi-Media Annotations |
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The annotations web application attempts to make the experience of viewing digital multimedia more interactive by permitting users to enter their own textual annotations about the content of a clip. User annotations are stored in a database such that future users of the clip may choose to view them in sync with the multi-media. In this way, numbers of users over a period of time may conduct a dialog about the content, making comments, posing questions, and providing answers to questions raised by others. It is hoped that user annotations may help to clarify subtle points in the content, and encourage users to think beyond the content presented. Instructors may also use annotations to raise additional points, make clarifications, and pose questions for study.
This project implemented a minimal textual annotation system on Microsoft platforms. It consists of a small ASP application which interacts with a SQL Server database. When invoked from a page containing a Windows Media stream and the appropriate scripting 'glue', it presents a window which allows the user to view textual annotations other users have attached to the stream, and to add new annotations.
The interface is quite simple. There are two ways to view annotations: in sync with the video clip, or all at once. "In sync" is the default. Use the checkbox in the lower right of the upper frame to change this. To enter an annotation, type something in the name and annotation text fields and press "enter." Only alpha-numeric characters, spaces and hyphens are permitted in the user name field. An annotation may be up to 255 characters long. When the enter button is pressed, the current position of the video clip is noted, and entered in the database with the annotation itself. This position will be used to determine how the annotation will be synchronized with the clip for future users. If you wish to type a long annotation, it may be best to pause the video clip first, then enter the annotation and resume.
Some features of the interface depend on object references between the video and the annotations windows. For this reason, refreshing the video window, closing it, or navigating to a different location will cause the annotations window to complain about lost references. If this happens, simply close the annotations window and re-open.
There is currently no way for a user to modify or remove an annotation. If necessary, this can be done by the administrator.
This annotations project is no longer installed locally, but you may download the source files and install on your own systems. See readme.txt in the download for details.
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Department of Computer Science & Engineering University of Washington Box 352350 Seattle, WA 98195-2350 (206) 543-1695 voice, (206) 543-2969 FAX [comments to E-mail the page owner] |