Multimedia

13 Technologies

13.1 Audio and Video Technologies

13.2 Multimedia Applications

Explain how radio and TV signals are

transmitted.
• Describe how discs are recorded.
Discuss the use of computers for animation.
Explain how film, video, and video games
are produced.
Discuss features of the World Wide Web.

Explore the Photo

Movie Magic The crew for a film includes
camera operators as well as makeup art-
ists, directors, and many others. Once film or
video has been shot, a post-production team
will edit it and add music. What else might be
added during post-production?

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Create a Multimedia Web Page
At the end of this chapter, you will be asked to
gather a variety of media and use software to
develop a multimedia Web page. Get a head
start by using this checklist to prepare for the
Technology Lab.
PROJECT CHECKLIST
✓ Visit technology Web sites and study their
designs.
✓ Think of some ideas for your own Web page.
✓ Make a list of the multimedia tools and
applications you will use.

265
Getty Images Royalty Free
13.1 Audio and Video Technologies

Preview What Graphic Organizer

is the difference between audio and video Draw the section diagram. Use it to organize
technologies? and write down information as you read.
Content Vocabulary
multimedia Requirements for Audio and Video Recording Systems
video 1. ___________________________________
audio 2. ___________________________________
pixel 3. ___________________________________
animation
digital compression Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC for a
downloadable graphic organizer and more.
Academic Vocabulary
You will see these words in your reading and on
your tests. Find their meanings at the back of
this book.
formula
enable

TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS STL National Standards for Technological

STL 3 Relationships & Connections Literacy
STL 4 Cultural, Social, Economic & Political Effects NCTM National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics
STL 17 Information & Communication Technologies
NCTE National Council of Teachers of
ACADEMIC STANDARDS English
Science NSES National Science Education Standards
NSES Content Standard E Understandings about science NCSS National Council for the Social Studies
and technology
English Language Arts
NCTE 1 Read texts to acquire new information.

Multimedia Technologies
What kinds of multimedia do you use in your daily life?
Multimedia combines different media for text, sound, and
images into one presentation to create a more enriched and
entertaining message. Multimedia technologies include the
Predict How are machines and systems used to create and transmit these messages.
sounds and images You experience multimedia when you go to the movies, watch
recorded to DVDs? television, play video games, or explore Web sites on the Internet.

266 Unit 3 Communication Technologies

Issei Kato/Reuters/Corbis
Radio
How does a remote control transmit a signal to your TV?
All wireless over-the-airwaves communication is based on radio
transmission technology. Cell phones and TV remote controls are
examples of devices that communicate by wireless radio.
The radio transmitter at a radio station or the one built into a
wireless telephone converts sound into electrical signals. These
signals are then carried by a radio carrier wave through the
atmosphere to a receiving device. The radio on the receiving end
converts the transmission back into its original form.
You can compare the joining of these two signals to a trip on
a bus. The sound signals are like the passengers, and the radio
carrier wave is like the bus. The bus carries passengers to their
destination; the carrier wave carries the radio signal to your cell
phone or wireless gaming device.

Television
How does a television work?
In your television, the video transmission and audio transmis-
sion are separate. The video signal contains the moving electronic
images, and the audio signal contains the synchronized sound. No Strings Attached
If your TV uses an antenna, audio and video signals reach it Wireless and motion-
via radio carrier waves. If you have cable, your cable provider sensitive game control-
sends signals to your home through wire or fiber optic cables. lers have changed the way
TV images consist of tiny dots of light called pixels. The full players experience video
motion images you see are a series of quick-changing still games. The wireless com-
ponents in these game con-
images. These images are replaced 30 times each second, which
trollers are based on radio
is so fast your eyes are fooled into seeing a moving image. technology. What are some
other wireless devices?
High-Definition Television
In digital HDTV (high-definition televi-
sion), the studio camera’s image is con-
verted into a compressed digital signal.
This signal is then transmitted to your
TV receiver. The computer in your HDTV
converts this signal into moving images.
The United States switched entirely to
digital broadcasting in 2009. All new TVs
manufactured after March 1, 2007 have
digital tuners.

Summarize How
are radio signals
transmitted?

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 267

 Audio and Video Recording
How are audio and video recorded?
All audio and video recording systems need to convert sound
or images into a recordable signal. These signals must be stored
on some type of material. The recording system must also have a
way of converting the stored information back into sound and/or
images in a playback unit.
Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) first convert sound and images
into a digital electrical signal. This signal is then compressed
(squeezed) so it will take up less space. The “write” head on the
DVR’s hard drive then converts this compressed signal into a
magnetic pattern that it can record. Before digital technology,
engineers recorded sounds and images onto magnetized tapes.
CD and DVD recorders use lasers instead of magnetism to
record the same compressed digital file. During playback, the
hard drive’s magnetic head, or the CD or DVD’s laser, “reads”
the signal and sends it to the speakers and video screen.

Explain How is audio recorded to CD and DVD?

Animation
How are individual drawings used to create animation?
Animation creates the illusion of movement of images. Each
separate image or drawing is slightly changed to show movement.
See Figure 13.1. The images move at 24 frames per second when
played. This is too fast for your eyes to see one image at a time.

Define What is animation?

Facing the Music English Language Arts/Writing

When retailers first started selling music online, Fighting Fire with Fire? Piracy has seriously
they protected it with DRM software. DRMs are hurt the music industry. However, many
like locks—they prevent people from illegally people do not like the idea of using personal
copying music files. data to combat piracy. They are concerned
Changing Their Tune Now, retailers like iTunes that hackers and thieves could access and
are selling music without DRMs. Instead, when abuse this information.
you purchase music, they record some of your 1. Do some research on anti-piracy in the
personal data in the file. If you distribute one of music industry.
these files illegally, the file can be traced back 2. Hold a panel discussion to debate the pros
to you. and cons of this issue.

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 13.1 Animation

Illusion of Movement For animation, still drawings pass rapidly in front of

your eyes and give the sensation of motion. What happens if the drawings are
shown at less than 24 frames per second?

Computer-Drawn Animation
For computer-drawn animation, the beginning and ending
images in a sequence are drawn first. The artist then saves the
images to the animation program’s memory. The computer fills
in the images in between the beginning and the ending images.
Feature-length animated films contain hundreds of thousands of
separate digital images. Without the aid of computers, these films
would take years to draw.

3D Animation
Animation that appears three-dimensional (3D) is created by
using complex mathematical formulas. The process starts with a
simple drawing that combines various shapes, lines, and arcs to
create solid surfaces. This drawing is then rendered, which gives it
depth and produces reflections. 3D animation makes video and Movie Talk Movies
computer games more realistic. and TV shows seem
more believable when
Video and Computer Games the actors sound like
In video and computer games, the graphics on the screen are real people. Their
always changing. Game software has many animation sequences speech must be natural,
and sounds stored in its memory. Each move you make with the not artificial.
controller tells the computer which sequence to run. As you play, Apply Write a conver-
you create a story. sation between two
The first video and computer games had simple controls and people who are trying
to decide which of
2D graphics. Today’s games have 3D graphics, movie-like music
two TV shows is more
and animation, and wireless, motion-sensitive controllers. The interesting. Make their
computers and consoles that games are designed for are always conversation realistic.
being made faster and more powerful.

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 269

 Dennis Hallinan/Alamy
Presentations
Presentation software, such as PowerPoint® and
HyperStudio®, helps create better presentations.
Facts presented with graphics and sound are easier
to remember. The programs enable you to add and
organize text, graphics, sound, and other media.

Digital Compression
What is digital compression?
The images in an animated film or 3D video
game contain too much data to store conveniently.
Digital compression reduces the size of a digital
Keeping It Real file by removing bits of information that a computer can recreate
Rendering and anima-
when processed.
tion are used to make
people and objects Digital compression is also used for ordinary audio and video
appear more realistic. files. The most common digital compression for video is called
Why do designers ren- MPEG. The computer keeps the part of the video picture that
der and animate new remains the same and compresses only new data.
designs early in the design Audio compression drops out sound values that are beyond
process? human hearing or that are drowned out by other sounds. The
audio compression for music is commonly known as MP3. File
compression reduces a digital file to 1/200 the original size.

13.1
Self-Check Mathematics
1. Identify the form of transmission used for radio 6. Marcus has $200 and wants to use it to subscribe
signals. to satellite radio. The radio costs $69.95, and the
2. Explain the principle of animation. monthly subscription costs $12.95. Use estimation
3. Compare HDTV to ordinary TV. and mental math to figure out how many months he
Think can subscribe before his money runs out.
4. Some people think that computers have reduced the Mental Math Rounding numbers makes
need for skilled artists in making animated films. them easier to work with mentally.
Explain why you think this is or is not true. 1. Round the two types of costs to the nearest dollar.
2. Subtract the cost of the radio from Marcus’s total,
Practice Academic Skills
and divide the result by the monthly cost.
Social Studies
For help, go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC
5. Many viewers say that HDTV is so clear that they can
and find the Math Handbook.
see the individual blades of grass on a field. Research
and write a one-paragraph report on the effect you
think the switch from TV to HDTV has on people, the
environment, the economy, and your favorite shows.
Examine both positive and negative impacts.

270 Unit 3 Communication Technologies

13.2 Multimedia Applications

Connect In what Graphic Organizer

ways can technology be used to make videos Draw the section diagram. Use it to organize
and Web pages? and write down information as you read.
Content Vocabulary Producing a Video
producer HTML
script URL Pre-Production Production Post-Production
director browser
editing search engine
motion capture
Academic Vocabulary Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC for a
indicate link downloadable graphic organizer and more.

TECHNOLOGY STANDARDS STL National Standards for Technological

STL 8 Attributes of Design Literacy
STL 9 Engineering Design NCTM National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics
STL 11 Design Process
NCTE National Council of Teachers of
ACADEMIC STANDARDS English
Science NSES National Science Education Standards
NSES Content Standard F Science and technology in NCSS National Council for the Social Studies
society
English Language Arts
NCTE 5 Use different writing process elements to
communicate effectively.

Film, TV, and Video Production

What career skills must people have to be hired by a producer?
Feature films and TV programs cost a lot of money to create.
These productions are run by a producer, who has financial and
supervisory responsibility over every aspect of the project. This
includes hiring the accountants, writers, the director, camera
operators, performers, and the editor. In a small production, one
person may do several jobs.
Producers and accountants use spreadsheets and other data- Predict Why are scripts
bases to track shooting schedules, props, costumes, and all finan- important to film and
cial aspects of a production. television production?

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 271

 Warner Bros./Getty Images
Pre-Production
Every production, from a major motion picture to your class-
room video assignment, can be divided into three phases: pre-
production, production, and post-production. Pre-production
includes all the jobs done before the cameras start rolling.
Scripts
If you think about the many movies you have seen, you will
probably recognize that big-name actors and special effects can-
not save a boring story. The script is the written version of the
production. It lists the different characters and their dialogue. It
also describes each set and indicates the action that takes place
during each scene.
Some scripts are done in storyboard form. A storyboard con-
tains sketches of what the scenes will look like from the camera’s
point of view. The sketches show the camera operators how to
shoot each scene.
Other Pre-Production Tasks
The director controls and guides the camera work and helps the
Green Screen
These actors are per- actors achieve their best performances. During pre-production,
forming in front of a the director is in charge of rehearsals, which give the performers a
green screen. The audi- chance to practice and learn their lines.
ence will only see the Many other tasks are also accomplished during pre-production.
final composite that will Set designers may create stage sets and backgrounds. Costume
show them performing
designers may make, rent, or purchase costumes and props. Cam-
in a different location.
What type of shooting eras, lights, and microphones have to be set up. When everything
situations require a is ready, production can begin.
green screen?
Production
Not all the scenes in a
video or movie are shot in
the same order in which
you see them. Some scenes
are shot in a studio. Other
scenes are shot on location,
off the studio lot. Scenes
that require the same set-
ting are all done together.
Green Screens
Directors can also shoot
actors in front of a green
screen. Later the editor can
composite this footage,
which means combining it
with backgrounds or special
effects to look real.

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Getty Images Entertainment
The Control Room
During live TV broad-
casts, the director sits in a
control room along with
audio and video engineers.
The director decides which
camera feeds to send out to
the public. The director can
see what each camera sees
by watching the different
camera monitors.

Post-Production
When shooting is fin-
ished, post-production
Compositing Post-
begins. This is the final
production editors com-
phase. The most important post-production task is editing. posit footage shot in front
Editing is the cutting and arranging of the taped material to of a green screen with
decide its final order and content. Careful editing can make the computer-generated
difference between a successful production and a confusing one. landscapes and other
The editor copies scenes in the proper order onto a master file. special effects. By doing
this, filmmakers can make
He or she might add special graphics, music, and other elements
scenes that are literally out
at the same time, including the title and credits. When the editor of this world. What other
is finished and the director is satisfied, the project is complete. elements are added during
post-production?
Producing a Video
Have you ever created your own video? All you need is a video
camera and a computer. The right hardware and software can
turn a computer into a desktop video studio, allowing you to do
all of your editing directly on it. When the project is complete,
you can burn it to DVD or upload it to your favorite Web site.

Explain How are TV programs, films, videos,

and commercials produced?

Game Design
How do live actors help to produce video games?
Like TV or film production, computer and video game design
usually requires many people. Game developers work with
programmers, character and background artists, musicians, sound
designers, and other technical experts.
A producer manages all of these people. If the game has a com-
plicated storyline or scripted scenes, the producer might need to
hire a writer. If the game will be sold in another country, transla-
tors will be essential.

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 273

 Paolo Patrizi/Alamy
Motion Capture
Game developers also use actors to
provide characters with voices and for
motion capture. Motion capture is the
process whereby an actor performs
physical actions that are recorded by
sensors attached to his or her body.
These sensors are connected to a com-
puter, which uses the information to
make animated characters move more
realistically. This technology is also used
Motion Capture The
to create computer-generated characters
sensors attached to this for feature films.
actor’s body record his
(or her) movements and Compare What do game design and film and
send the information to TV production have in common?
a computer. Designers or
special effects artists use
this information to create
computer-generated
Web Design
characters. What else can What is the Internet?
actors contribute to video
games? The Internet is a research tool, meeting hall, shopping mall, and
video game arcade all rolled into one. When you explore the Inter-
net by clicking on a link or typing in an address, you move from
computer to computer until you reach the site you want to find.
You will find many examples of multimedia technology on the
Internet. Audio, video, text, graphics, photography, and anima-
tion all come together in an interactive format. (Interactive means
that you can participate in the activity on a site.) Some people are
concerned that this format can be addictive.

The World Wide Web

The World Wide Web is only one part of the Internet. It is a
huge set of files linked in such a way as to make information easy
to locate. That is why so many people and organizations use it.
Coding
The code language used for the Web is called HTML, which
stands for HyperText Markup Language. HTML uses markers
called “tags” to turn text, images, and video into a Web page.
Each site on the Web may have many “pages” and links to take
you to other locations on the Web. Each Web page has its own
address, called a URL (Uniform Resource Locator).
Browsers and Search Engines
Internet service providers (ISP) give you access to the Internet.
Web browsers, such as Mozilla® Firefox® or Internet Explorer®,
are software that allow you to view HTML documents.

274 Unit 3 Communication Technologies

 Search engines such as GoogleTM help you search the Web. Web

Philippe Wojazer/Reuters/Corbis
sites such as YouTube let you share videos. Social networking sites
like Facebook provide a place for friends to communicate. Web for the
People
Web Designers The Green Wi-Fi Project
The Web sites of large companies or organizations are usually is installing solar-
created by professional Web-page designers. These designers are powered networks
skilled in combining different media to produce an exciting result. around the world in an
effort to give children
They may even write special software for pages with complex
in developing countries
features. However, you do not have to be a professional designer access to the Internet.
to create your own Web page. The first prototype was
made in 2006 in San
Building Your Own Web Page Francisco.
You can design a page to share information with relatives, Try This Make a list of
friends, or even strangers who share your interests. You can use items in your house-
text, audio, animation, links to other sites, e-mail links, and even hold or school that
video clips to create a page other people will enjoy. could be solar powered.
Make a public service
Web-Site Building Programs advertisement poster
Software programs allow you to automatically convert your with illustrations of
work into HTML. Most programs have preview buttons so you these items. Post it in
can see what your page will look like once it is converted. your classroom.
Adobe® Dreamweaver®, Microsoft’s Expression® Web, and
Netscape Composer® are just a few of the many Web-site
building programs that you might use.

Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, Jawed Karim

Co-Founders of YouTube
In 2005, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim
introduced a video sharing Web site called YouTube.
Using Adobe Flash technology, they created an Internet
phenomenon. According to one survey, over 100 million
video clips are viewed every day on YouTube.
Chen and Karim studied computer science at the University of Illinois. Hurley stud-
ied design at Indiana University. The three men worked out of a garage in northern
California.
Easy Money In November of 2006, Hurley, Chen, and Karim closed a deal with
Google to sell YouTube for $1.65 billion, making them each multimillionaires. The sale
came barely a year after the site was launched.
English Language Arts/Writing Have you ever posted or watched a video on
YouTube? Write a few paragraphs explaining your experience with the Web site.
Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC to learn about young innovators in
technology.

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 275

 Publishing Your Web Page
You can practice creating a Web site on a computer that is not
connected to the Internet. However, to actually publish your page
on the World Wide Web, you need an Internet connection.
Non-Stop Internet Your Web-site building program can determine how you upload
Researchers predict your page. After you upload your page, it will receive a URL.
that by 2020, the Enter this URL into a browser on any computer that has Internet
Internet will be so access, and your page will appear. Many schools now provide
common, we will not space for students to upload their own Web pages. Most Internet
notice it anymore. You
providers have Web-page space set aside for their customers.
will even be able to turn
on your dishwasher and
other appliances over Describe What are some features of the World
the Internet. Buildings Wide Web?
and vehicles will be
online. Enormous Copyright Law
amounts of information
The elements that you use for your Web site can be of your
will be available. Will
there be a downside? own design or copied from sites that make them freely available.
Can you think of some However, be cautious before you copy material that was designed
impacts? by someone else. Copyright laws protect the material on the Web,
Go to Glencoe.com and you may need permission to use it. You must assume that
to this book’s OLC for anything you find there is copyrighted. Many sites do make their
answers and to learn graphics, templates, and animations available for anyone’s use.
more about the future But it is important that you respect copyright laws.
of the Internet.

13.2
Self-Check Social Studies
1. Name the source of dialogue in written form for a 6. Thanks to the World Wide Web, you can shop, bank,
video production. and work without ever leaving your home. Some
2. Identify what HTML stands for and explain its use. people feel this shift in communication has made the
3. Explain why a Web site needs a URL. world increasingly impersonal. Write a few para-
Think graphs telling whether you think that communication
4. Discuss why it would be important to know and technology makes people more or less isolated from
understand the intended audience for a multimedia each other.
presentation.
Practice Academic Skills
English Language Arts/Writing
5. Develop a script for a one-minute radio commercial
that uses two performers, music, and at least two
sound effects. Indicate on the script where the music
and sound effects will be inserted.

276 Unit 3 Communication Technologies

John Vechey
VIDEO-GAME DESIGNER

Q: What is a typical day like for you on this job?

A: Checking e-mails, prepping for meetings,
playing our games to give feedback, and
contemplating how to integrate our game with
our Web site!

Q: How did you train for your job?

A: In 1997, Brian Fiete (one of the other
English Language Arts/Writing
co-founders of PopCap) and I created a game
Making Predictions Today you can
while we were in college. We sold that game to
play video games on a cell phone or
what is now Pogo.com, and then we went to handheld gaming device. You can
work for Sierra Online. We worked there in even play games online with
various non-game development capacities before players from all over the world.
we quit to start PopCap Games. 1. Use the library or Internet to do
research on early video game
Q: What do you like most about your job? systems. How were they different
A: The fact that I get to work on great games like from today’s video games?
Bejeweled and Book Worm, and that the goal of 2. Think of ways that video games
have changed in your own
the company is to only make the best! Further-
lifetime. Have video game
more, the casual-games side of the video-game controllers changed?
industry is still emerging, so that most of the 3. Write a few paragraphs explain-
firms in this field are small and relatively ing how video games may change
informal. It’s still a “garage,” or cottage, industry in 20 years. Use the correct tense
in many ways. when talking about the future.

Q: How did you get interested in producing

video games?
A: Playing lots of games! That’s the only way to Go to glencoe.com to this book’s
OLC to learn more about this
get interested in game development. If you’re in it career.
for money, you’re in the wrong industry.

Creativity, problem-solving, English language arts, Growth faster than average

organization computer science, for the next ten years
mathematics Source: Occupational Outlook
Handbook

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 277

Digital Vision/Getty Images
 13 Review and Assessment

Section 13.1 Multimedia technologies use Section 13.2 Pre-production, production,

more than one medium in order to commu- and post-production are all part of making
nicate. Audio devices include radios, CDs, and feature films, TV programs, videos, and video
MP3 players. Video devices include TVs, VCRs, games. The most important post-production
and DVD players. TV images consist of tiny dots task is editing, the cutting and arranging of
of light called pixels. Animation creates the material. The World Wide Web is one part of the
illusion of movement with a series of slightly Internet. The code language used for the Web is
different drawings or models. called HTML. Each page has its own URL, or
Web address.

1. On a sheet of paper, use each of these terms and words in a written sentence.
Content Vocabulary Academic Vocabulary
multimedia director formula
video editing enable
audio motion capture indicate
pixel HTML link
animation URL
digital compression browser
producer search engine
script

2. Explain how radio and TV signals are

transmitted.
3. Describe how discs are recorded.
4. Discuss the use of computers for
animation.
5. Describe how sound and images
are reproduced on CDs or DVDs.
6. Explain how animation is used in
video games.
7. Describe digital compression.
8. Explain how videos are produced.
9. Discuss features of the World
Wide Web.
10. Explain the difference between
pre-production, production, and
post-production.

278 Unit 3 Communication Technologies

Getty Images Royalty Free
11. Asking Permission Before a company Social Studies
can use a photograph of someone, it 13. Research ways that multimedia technol-
must have the person’s permission. With ogies have changed. Pick one technol-
technology that allows people to take ogy and write a few paragraphs about
pictures or videos in public, receiving how the technology was introduced,
permission for those images is impor- how it changed, and its future.
tant. Create a document to be signed
by someone who will give permission. Mathematics
14. Susan is producing an animated film
Technology Skill for art school. She is drawing the indi-
12. Film Production Producing a film vidual frames by hand. She set the rate
is a complex process with many steps. of the frames moving past your eyes
a. Write a script involving a conversa- at 25 frames per second. How many
tion between two people. Include frames will she need to draw if her
such information as where people film is 5½ minutes long?
should stand and how they Time Convert units of time by
should move. using multiplication or division. If you
b. Using a video camera, make a short need to convert from a large unit to a
film based on your script. Write a smaller unit, such as from hours to min-
paragraph describing how well the utes, you multiply.
film followed your script.

Directions Choose the letter of the best

Electronic Game Designer answer. Write the letter on a separate
Situation Your design team must develop an piece of paper.
E-rated electronic game. Your game must be
exciting, intellectually challenging, and have
1. What is the volume of a TV set that
educational and social value. is 36 inches wide, 18 inches high, and
13 inches deep?
Activity Working as a team, brainstorm ideas
for your game. Then determine the A 8,420 cubic inches
responsibilities of each team member. You B 6,272 cubic inches
are encouraged to use one of the free gaming C 8,424 cubic inches
engines available on the Internet.
D 648 cubic inches
Evaluation The game will be evaluated by
2. Digital compression removes bits of
the following criteria:
• Creativity and artisanship data that can be recreated later.
• Technical skill T F
• Social value
• Flow, story, and overall appearance Test-Taking Tip Before you turn in your test,
review your answers. Make changes you feel
Go to glencoe.com to this book’s OLC for are important, but do not change an answer
information about TSA events. unless you have a good reason.

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 279

 13
Create a Multimedia Web Page
Web sites have many purposes. Commercial sites want to sell
you their products. Government sites provide information about
government policies and services. Consider who you want to view
your Web site when you design a Web page.
Tools and
Materials
✓ Computer
✓ Web-page design Set Your Goal
software For this activity, you and the members of your team will create a Web
Optional page using at least three different media. Your page will inform viewers
✓ Drawing materials about some aspect of technology.
or software
✓ Camcorder and Know the Criteria and Constraints
editing equipment In this lab, you will:
✓ Photography
1. Use at least three of the following media to create your Web page:
equipment
Printed text
✓ Music and sound
Photographs, drawings, or graphics
recording
Animation
equipment or
Speech, music, or sound effects
digital audio files
Video
✓ Props and/or
costumes 2. Be aware that the purpose of your page will be to inform.
3. Choose your own topics and approach, but remember that the
theme of your page will be “Exploring Technology”.
4. Include links to other sites on your page, including sites
developed by other teams in your class.
Reminder
Be sure to follow your
teacher’s directions and
general shop safety
rules during this and
all other lab activities.
Follow your teacher’s
instructions on proper
computer startup,
software use, and
computer shut down. If
computer problems
occur, ask your teacher
for help before
attempting to solve the
problem on your own.

280
AFP/Getty Images
 Design Your Project
Follow these steps to complete this lab.
1. Brainstorm with your team to select topics for your Web page and
to decide on the approach you will take. A page entitled “Exploring
Technology: Cars for the 21st Century” could include photos of new
car designs with links to manufacturers’ sites. You could inform
readers what makes the cars special.
2. Research several topics before selecting those you will use.
Consider what resources will be available to you.
3. Decide who your audience will be and which media will present your
topics best.
4. Divide the work so that everyone on the team is responsible for some
part of the project. Tasks will include designing the appearance of the
page, finding links to use, creating audio or video sequences, taking
photographs, or preparing artwork.
5. Follow the instructions from your Web-page design software to
create your page.
6. Before you go live and connect your page to the Internet, obtain your
teacher’s approval.
7. Then show your page to your classmates.

Evaluate Your Results

After you complete the lab, answer these questions on a separate piece
of paper.
1. What was the easiest part of creating the Web page? What was the
most difficult? Why?
2. If you could add something more to your page, what would it be and
why?
3. What other technology subjects would make interesting Web pages?

Academic Skills Required to Complete Lab

Tasks English Math Science Social
Language Arts Studies
Brainstorm approach with team ✓ ✓ ✓
and research different topics.
Complete assigned tasks. ✓ ✓
Use software to design ✓ ✓ ✓
Web page.
Put your Web page on the ✓ ✓
Internet.
Show Web page to class. ✓ ✓

Chapter 13 Multimedia Technologies 281

 Communication through
Computers
Play the Game This time machine will
travel to the past to show you events and
inventions that made computer technology
possible today. To operate the time machine,
you must know the secret code word. To Clue 1
discover the code, read the clues, and then
answer the questions. 3000 B.C.E. One of the first
mechanical computers was
the abacus. It was created
in Babylonia, a country
that existed in the Middle
Clue 2 East about 5,000 years ago.
People used it to calculate
1642 The French mathematician numbers by moving beads
Blaise Pascal built a wooden adding from side to side.
machine for his father, a tax collector.
Pascal’s machine added and sub-
tracted numbers through the move-
ment of wheels.

Clue 3
1830s The English mathematician
Charles Babbage designed a machine Clue 4
that could perform complicated cal-
1944 The Mark I was the first com-
culations. The machine operated by
puter powered by electricity. Pro-
following instruc-
fessor Howard Aiken designed this
tions on punched
large machine with many switches
cards. Babbage’s
that opened and closed. This action
“analytical engine”
formed a code that directed how the
was never built,
machine operated.
but computer
designers of
the 20th century
adapted some of
his ideas.

282 Unit 3 Communication Technologies

Image Source
 Clue 5
1946 The ENIAC was a computer that used vac-
uum tubes instead of mechanical switches. The
ENIAC could perform 5,000 mathematical opera- Clue 6
tions per second. Your school computer might per-
1947 The transistor was
form more than 100 million operations per second.
invented at the AT&T Bell Labs.
It was smaller, used less power,
worked faster, and lasted longer
than vacuum tubes. The first
computer with transistors was
built in 1956. By 1960, all com-
puters were using transistors.

Clue 7
1960s Engineers put dozens
of transistors onto a single
chip called an “integrated
circuit,” which was used in
calculators. Future integrated
Clue 8 circuits may contain 10 billion
1979 A spreadsheet program transistors. The Intel Development Cor-
called “VisiCalc” and a word pro- poration produced the first program-
cessing program called “WordStar” mable computer chip, which made the
went on sale to the public. These personal computer (PC) possible.
programs proved personal com-
puters could do more than play
games. Software guaranteed the
PC revolution.

On a piece of paper, write the answers to these questions:

1. What product guaranteed the PC revolution?
2. Who built a wooden adding machine in 1642?
3. What was one of the first mechanical computers?
4. In what products were integrated circuits with transistors first used?
5. What computer used vacuum tubes instead of mechanical switches?
Now write down the first letter of each answer. Put them together to
discover the secret code word!

Computers operate communication satellites located here.

Unit 3 Technology Time Machine 283

 Shopping Online or In-Store
Past In Unit 3, you learned how communication technologies have
changed our lives in many ways. One way is how we shop. In the early
20th century, small businesses in neighborhoods provided goods and services
to the people living in those neighborhoods. You might walk to a nearby shop
to buy groceries or dry goods, or to have your shoes repaired. After automobiles
were invented, people began to drive to stores that were further away from
home—and the shopping center developed. As people’s incomes grew, shop-
ping became recreational, and the shopping mall became a gathering place.

Present Today, with the Internet, people can stay home and use comput-
ers to purchase just about anything online, including groceries, clothing, books,
music, and gifts. Because of communication technology, businesses have
changed the ways in which they promote their goods and services.

This Project In this project, you will plan a retail Web site for a store.

Your Project Tools and Materials

Choose the store you represent.
✓ Computer
Choose and complete one task:
✓ Internet access
1. Design an e-commerce Web site that allows
✓ Newspapers
consumers to order and pay for goods on
✓ Consumer magazines
the site.
✓ Word processing software
2. Design an informational Web site without
✓ Presentation software
e-commerce features.
✓ Posterboard
Write a report.
✓ Colored markers
Create a presentation with posters or presen-
tation software.
Present your findings to the class.

The Academic Skills You’ll Use

Communicate effectively.
Speak clearly and concisely.
Use correct spelling and grammar when
taking notes or writing presentations.
Think about how businesses get their
products to their customers.
English Language Arts
NCTE 4 Use written language to communicate effectively.

NCTE 12 Use language to accomplish individual purposes.

Social Studies
NCSS 7 Production, distribution, and consumption

284 Unit 3 Communication Technologies

Big Cheese Photo/Jupiter Images
Step 1 Choose Your Topic Step 4 Create Your Project
You can choose any store as the topic for your Your project should include:
Web-site project. Examples might include: • 1 Web-site design plan
• Department stores • 1 Web-site site map
• Bicycle shops • 1 report
• Gift shops • 1 presentation
• Athletic shoe stores
Choose a store you would visit! Project Checklist
Objectives for Your Project
Step 2 Do Your Research
Visual ✓ Make a poster or slide presentation to
Research how to design the Web site and how illustrate your Web site.
your customers will use it. Think about the type
of products the store offers and your customers’ ✓ Show how customers will use the Web site.
needs. Write answers to these questions: Presentation ✓ Make a presentation to your class and
• What features are on most retail Web sites? discuss what you have learned.
• What products are likely purchased online?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages ✓ Turn in notes from your interview and
of purchasing online? research to your teacher.
• What would your customers buy online?
• What would you like the most about online Step 5 Evaluate Your Presentation
shopping? The least?
Find a Web site for a store like yours! In your report and presentation, did you
remember to:
• Demonstrate your research and preparation?
Step 3 Explore Your Community • Be realistic?
Choose a local store that has a Web site. Ask the • Show thorough evidence?
store’s manager to share reasons for creating the • Create quality content?
Web site. Ask: What makes a good Web site? What • Speak clearly?
are some mistakes made when designing an e- Rubrics Go to glencoe.com to the book’s
commerce Web site? Has it helped the business? OLC for a printable evaluation form and your
Remember to listen attentively! academic assessment form.

Computer Circuit Boards Mandarin Chinese

Through online stores, you can buy just about anything from any- hello ni hao
where in the world. E-commerce depends on computers, which goodbye zai jian
are made with circuit boards. The most sophisticated equipment
is used to build electronic circuit boards. Fiberglass, copper, and How are you? Ni hao
ma?
other components make up a circuit board. Many circuit boards
for computers are assembled in countries such as China. thank you xie xie
Critical Thinking What other devices besides computers might use You’re
circuit boards? welcome Bu ke qi

Go to glencoe.com to the book’s OLC to learn more and to find resources from
The Discovery Channel.

Unit 3 Thematic Project 285