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Number of replies: 17The latest version of Flash (CS3 or Flash 9) is fundamentally different to all the previous versions (6,7 and 8). It uses a new scripting language which is incompatible with the previous versions too. It basically works like this:
If the user has the latest version of the Flash Player plugin installed, any version of Flash will work on it (downward compatibility).
Previous versions of Flash (6,7 and 8) use a scripting language called AS 2.0 and Flash 9 uses a different language called AS 3.0. While they are similar, they are not compatible.
A SWF (Flash file - e.g. 'myFile.swf') written in AS 2.0 should work if it's inside an AS 3.0 container (i.e. loaded into it), but not vice versa (i.e. you can't load AS 3.0 SWFs into AS 2.0 containers. This is what I've been told, I haven't experimented with it personally.
So, in order for a Flash-Moodle module to work, you'd have to keep it updated to the latest version of AS (i.e. upward compatibility!?), but don't panic, this isn't as bad as it sounds. Once someone has upgraded it to AS 3.0 any further changes would be very minor and probably unnecessary for quite some time to come (most newer, minor versions of AS 3.0 will have updates for advanced and specialised functions that are not applicable to use with Moodle).
The advantages of coding Flash in AS 3.0 are enormous. It's been long overdue for a complete overhaul and now we have it. Flash 9 can run up to 10 times faster than previous versions and it's a truly OOP language now (Object Oriented Programming), which any programmer will tell you is an absolute essential for writing complex, interactive programs.
I've looked at the code for the current Moodle Flash module and it looks like it was written for Flash Player 6 (also called Flash MX). A new version would be much faster, more compatible and more reliable. Also, the latest version of Flash Player includes a CODEC for a video format called H.264, used in iPods and the like in the MP4 container. It's the most advanced video CODEC on the web and gives incredibly high quality video at very low bitrates and much smaller file sizes too.
I've been in touch with Jamie Pratt who's worked on the Moodle Flash module. There's a possibility that we could work together on a new module but don't hold your breath, I'm very busy! I can do the Flash side of things but I need someone who can do the back end stuff in PHP. My knowledge of PHP is pretty basic!
Anyone who's interested in collaborating on such a project should post an answer on this forum thread.
I would encourage everybody to try to convince the big players that this would be a great asset for Moodle. I'm surprised institutions like OU or other big universities haven't paid attention to the possibilities this module offers for on-line education. Only if it becomes a standard module, it will have a chance to survive.
JM
While these are excellent for particular circumstances, we're still missing out on a lot of the potential for realtime interactive eLearning experiences. There are plenty of others out there offering stuff like Rosetta Stone and Tell Me More (I work in EFL/ESL) and there's no reason why Moodle can't do something similar but also with the added benefits of Moodle's open source, social networking philosophy.
I believe this would make a very powerful combination!
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Since there's already a vast number of SWFs coded in AS 1.0 and 2.0, Adobe aren't going to stop backward compatibility at any time in the forseeable future, but that's not the point.
To handle even basic things like XML, captioning, buffer-times for MP3 files and the like, developers have to write some very complicated and convoluted code. This has the added drawback of making it error intollerant and therefore unstable. The current Flash MP3 player is an example of this - Flash should be able to handle any MP3, whatever the digital encoding (audio sample rates aside), up to a bit rate of 128 kbps - there are a lot of posts on this forum that say otherwise.
AS 3.0, on the other hand, is not only great for developers, it also brings certain very useful functions within the grasp of non-developers, such as video captioning and accessibility. Since the disabled are the most likely group to benefit the most from eLearning, I think it'd be a good idea to make it easier for developers, designers and course content creators to create an interface that they can use but retains all the advantages that Flash has to offer.
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For instance, I doubt that discussions in this particular forum are monitored by many, if any, of the central people in Moodle (i.e. those whose opinion really counts). The volume of messages has grown so big that there is simply no time for anybody to keep tabs on everything going on in the community. So, even if you manage to pull out something that works, in a few months, with a new version of Moodle it might stop working and then we are back to square one and you will have used a lot of time and effort for nothing.
What I'm trying to say is that perhaps, Matt and Cathy, you should post your messages in the general developers forum. There you might get the help you need or at least you have a higher chance to be heard by the people that really count. As I see it, the only chance this might really work out is if a big institution like the OU or some Moodle Partner can be convinced that it would be to their advantage to incorporate a module like this to the tool set they make available to their users or clients.
JM
Hi Josep,
I couldn't agree more. I think Flash has become such an important platform for eLearning - Adobe are pushing in the direction of eLearning more and more these days - that anyone in software development for educational purposes can't afford to ignore it. In my view, it should be regarded in the same light as PHP, XML, MySQL and HTML.
Moodle provides an invaluable framework for developing and deploying eLearning interactions and the existing standard modules provide a lot of functions for giving tests, collecting assignments and collaborative activities. Without Flash, however, Moodle is limited in the learning interactions that it can offer - you can reproduce some of what Flash can do with PHP and JavaScript, but it's so difficult that it restricts what you can do because of the time it takes to develop them. They're also quite limited and often end up being more like tests than lessons.
I work with techniques and theory for cognitive learning a lot for which Flash is ideally suited. Computer Assisted Language Learning can offer some very fast and effective learning activities for languages that I simply haven't seen on any other platform. The major closed source developers have all made a strong commitment to Flash. It would be foolish for anyone who is serious about eLearning not to.
Just my two cents worth.
Matt
Re: Flash module add-on: Flash CS3 - working for module
alongside with flash, its worth keeping an eye on
Animated SVG - it is supported by Mozilla and Opera
and can be animated with javascript
by the way, flash can probably also be exported to SVG
Re: Flash module add-on: Flash CS3 - working for module
There were a number of reasons why the Flash module was never absorbed as standard equipment within Moodle. Aside from the 'complication' of being joined to a non-open-source product like Adobe Flash, the module suffered from confusing and confused documentation. Even seasoned Flash users were left to scratch their heads about implementation.
This is not a criticism of Jamie Pratt or the module developer group. It's simply a reality that anything as sophisticated as the flash module would need almost as much time to document as to develop. (Anyone who has ever looked for documentation for Flash Media Server will know that the lack of sufficient and useful documentation is not an open-source-only issue.)
I'll stand by on this project and assist in the documentation and tutorial building when the time comes. I really have high hopes that parallel teams can support the module through development and documentation.
Just my two cents.
Re: Flash module add-on: Flash CS3 - working for module
. Here we are all preaching to the converted. Somebody else different than me (because I tried and I failed miserably) should make the case with the decision making people.JM
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Re: Flash module add-on: Flash CS3 - working for module
JM
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http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=88447
Again Sorry to crash in on this subject, I am new to Moodle and trying to get my head around all different flash usages with moodle. My personal interest is in building up a "moodle AMF" via AS3 & amfphp.
Click here to view "moodleAMF" post
I'm also trying to make sure all the right people are following this, to either help out or enlighten a newbie (being right or wrong) by atleast pointing me in the right direction for getting moodle AMF'd up! :P
Cheers
Marcus