|
News! Manual (pdf
format) Written languages supported: MaxAuthor is being
improved and distributed in cooperation with the National Association of Self Instructional
Language Programs
Mail comments to: brill@arizona.edu |
MaxAuthor - a
free multimedia authoring system for language instruction
Version 2.58 Now Available
The University of Arizona
Computer Aided Language Instruction Group (UACALI) has made freely available
for non-commercial use its MS-Windows and Internet based multimedia CALL
authoring system. MaxAuthor has been under development for many years
and was used by authors nationwide to create the recently published Critical Languages Series CD-ROMs
and DVD-ROMs. Without any programming, MaxAuthor lets you create language
instruction courseware for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and 44 other
languages. Completed courseware can utilize audio, video, footnotes,
and graphics. Student activities include MaxBrowser, Listening Dictation, Pronunciation, Multiple Choice, Vocabulary Completion,
and Audio Flashcards.
Lessons can be delivered via Internet or MS-Windows. Improvements are
being made to the software in conjunction with the National Association of Self Instructional
Language Programs (NASILP). The author records separate audio for both
sentences and words and has the option of recording audio in the training
language only, but can also record translations or paraphrases in up to 5
other languages or dialects. The author can either manually define the word
and sentence boundaries or let MaxAuthor choose the boundaries automatically. MaxAuthor works just like a text editor
with tools that add audio and exercise material; there is no programming or
scripting necessary. The author selects one of the 5 authoring views: Word,
Sentence, Multiple Choice, Footnote, or Cloze (Vocabulary Completion). The
tools within MaxAuthor let you play, record, or edit recordings. When the
Record All menu choice is selected, MaxAuthor sequentially records each word
or sentence. When a lesson text is comprised of multiple occurrences of the
same word, you have the option of using the same recording for each
occurrence to avoid re-recording the same word. Once you record audio for your lesson, the
student can immediately use MaxBrowser, Listening Dictation, Pronunciation, Vocabulary Completion,
and Audio Flashcards
without further customization. By adding more information to the lesson such
as multiple choice questions, multimedia footnotes, and custom Vocabulary
Completion blanks, you can enhance the richness of the student's interaction
with the lesson. It's up to you, the instructor, to decide how much time you
want to invest in your new lesson. System Requirements Funding provided by: US Department of
Education, Office of the Dean of the College
of Humanities, Office of the Vice-President for Research ( |
