Time flies and it’s been more than two months since our last News and Views”. We’ve received some great feedback from you that we’ll be sharing in this issue - many thanks for coming back with your updates and it looks like some exciting things have been happening.

In our Tips & Tricks section we’ll be looking again at some of the technical aspects of the “localisation” process and how the process works.

First let’s take a quick look at what’s been happening out there.

Interactive3d Learning Objects web repository – an update

We are still adding to the web pages that will host all our I3dLO’s. This is an on-going process, but the public pages are up and running. Have a look, from our web site (http://www.naledi3d.com/) click on the I3dLO Home link.

If you have any suggestions for additions, please don’t hesitate to let us know… anything is possible.

We have tidied up the PC Literacy work which has been added to the site; and are now working on new versions of the older Nakaseke basic hygiene model to turn it into the style of an “Interactive3d Learning Object” and are also starting to update the Bee’s simulations.

We are also re-looking at the technical documentation that is written for each of the Interactive3d Learning Objects – so that we can make it easier to localize “Interactive3d Learning Objects”. If you have any thoughts, let us know…

On the web site, the simulations that are available in the public area are designed for use in the community, and not for editing. As we said before, the editable simulations will be in the private area. These are the files that you can download, together with the right technical guide and localize. We are still building the private side of the site, so if you want any simulations in the meantime, let us know and we will get them to you.

v Watch this space…

Skype

Stewart from Harare recently introduced Skype to our network. This is a good idea and as long as we use Skype properly, then it will be a great way to not only keep in touch, but also to seek solutions. Thanks Stewart.

News from Harare, Zimbabwe

Stewart Chipato is busy working on the localization of the Pit Latrine I3dLO. However, he has highlighted a key problem that others of you may be facing as well: “I have been facing some challenges, on some of the translations (some of the Shona words don’t have any translation from English and that tends to distort the whole idea of doing so in the first place) and mostly the audio files (quality being compromised here) and that is one thing I'm trying to avoid. I'm also trying to convince some friends of mine to translate some of the text into Ndebele (but that is just an experiment). My limitation has also been resources (software and time) but I can do with what I have”.

v As language is the key to localization, it’s imperative that concepts be translated correctly. On the other hand the translation process may be facilitated if I3dLO’s are designed with linguistic differences in mind from the outset. We would like to hear your views on this topic. How can we design I3dLO’s that cater for language differences? Is it possible to draw up a set of guidelines? Let us know what you think.

News from St Henry’s Kitovo, Uganda

We were excited to learn that Lawrence Ssenkubuge had taught a group of 22 students at St Henry’s College how to localize I3dLO’s. They are coming along nicely and should be a great resource for the region! Lawrence’s problem is that the students, while they are really keen, only come together once per week but he believes they will cope. His second frustration has been recent problems with power supply… (The best laid plans of mice and men…L)

News from Mozambique

In the words of Leilo: “Hi every one! Sorry for the long silence, but now I am back! The Mozambican team is making efforts to finish and send the required material – and we have found an expert to translate the text to Changana. I have also started editing the presentations asked during the workshop, to record new voices, and I am now in the process of finishing the materials to send. Many Regards! Leilo

News from Senegal

Modou Fall is translating into French but his efforts have been hampered by the absence of his translator. However, it was great to hear that ICT students at UCAD are now using the PC Literacy I3dLO’s to get a better comprehension of computers, PC’s, and their components.

v Bon Chance Modou! The PC literacy material is on the I3dLO web site - feel free to use them the same way that Modou is.

News from Nairobi / Kenya

Wanjiku has had a small problem as she is currently in the US. In her own words… “Greetings and apologies! I have not had much time to work on the Swahili/Kenyan localization. I'm currently doing post-doctoral research in the US and this has me so busy to think of anything else. However, I will be picking things up when I return to Nairobi”.

News from the Solomon Islands

David Leeming did a half day workshop for the Ministry of Education where he used the Pit Latrine I3dLO as part of his presentation of ICT for education delivery to remote areas. This focused on access, other means of delivering content and eLearning and how to affordably scale up to help the majority of rural schools and teacher professional development. According to David, “There is definitely interest in the Ministry”

v And we are watching this space with anticiPation…

News from Addis Ababa

Addis University are not making any progress on the I3dLO localisation work; as we know, they university team weren’t able to participate in the Pretoria I3dLO workshop held last year; but Dr Hailu is looking to get some training from Henok from IICBA to get up to speed and get up to the same level. Dr Hailu has also indicated that they “are still very interested to be part of all forthcoming activities”.

v Dr Hailu. This edition’s Tips and Tricks Section below may be of great relevance to you…

We are also having a great conversation with Dr Ing Dinku about collaborating with the University on the development of Interactive3d Learning Objects in the construction field. We have our fingers crossed that we can take this further as it will lead to a number of truly exciting new I3dLO’s that we can all use…

News from Sudan

A quick note from Ismail… “I am still (completely) buried in my academic affairs. However, I am following your news and your news letter and I am happy with your progress” – but please don’t forget the SCORM standards to keep Africa in chorus”

So, there we have it. Some good progress is still being made as we head towards the year-end - and we are now also getting a better feel for the stumbling blocks in various areas – which is great – in the true spirit of continual improvement…

Tips & Tricks: How to Localise i3dLO’s

Arguably, the most powerful feature of Interactive3d Learning Objects is their translatability into many other languages. This feature means that the knowledge encapsulated within each I3dLO can cross language barriers and be shared with a global community at the click of a button.

In our August 2006 issue we looked at how important good audio recordings are when localizing I3dLO’s. In this issue we’ll be taking a closer look at some other important aspects of this process using the so-called compression, or “ZIP” method.

The Basics:

All the information needed to run an i3dLO such as text files, audio files, etc, can be found inside the compressed .EOZ file. In principal, you need to replace the graphic and audio files in the EOZ in order to change the text and audio components of the I3dLO to a new language.

This is actually very easy to do if you follow these steps:

1. You’ve probably worked with compressed .ZIP files before. Well, an EOZ file is basically the same – you just need to unzip it! We recommend that you use WinRAR to do this as it is NOT case-sensitive, unlike WinZIP which IS Case-sensitive (trust us on this one, you’ll thank us later!). WinRAR is a shareware program that can be downloaded at http://www.win-rar.com/ so go get it if you haven’t already.

2. Right, now you have got WinRAR at the ready, you’re raring to go. Not so fast. First you need to do two very important things. Firstly, save a backup copy to work on (we never work on original files!). Secondly, rename the file extension from .EOZ to .ZIP (right-click on the file in Windows Explorer, etc.). Now open the file with WinRAR and, hey presto, the inner secrets of your I3dLO are revealed!

Replacing Text Textures:

1. OK. Now that you’ve opened the .ZIP file with WinRAR you’re probably thinking, wow, there’s a lot of stuff in here. Don’t panic. We’ll take it step by step - starting with text replacement.

2. You’ll see that there are a number of .PNG files inside the file. These contain the actual text that is used in the i3dLO. These are the files that you need to replace with your new, translated versions. But please don’t edit the .PNG files directly. Each i3dLO (.EOZ file) that you download from the website includes a set of Adobe Photoshop™ .PSD files that can be used as templates to generate your own, translated content. They are precisely sized to ensure that the text fits the way it should. In addition, many of the i3dLO’s will have accompanying documentation that specifies which templates should be used to generate which content. We are still working to perfect this last bit so please feed back your experiences. We need to hear from you!

3. Go ahead and open the .PSD file and use the template to type your own translated text in. What? Do I hear screams and a gnashing of teeth: “How do I open .PSD files if I don’t have Adobe Photoshop™?”

Relax, take a deep breath and then download a secret weapon from the Web called “GIMP” from http://www.gimp.org/. With GIMP you can do photo retouching, image composition, image authoring, open .PSD files and, what’s more, it is open source and therefore, free!

4. When you’re done, save the new file as a .PNG file. Now, this next bit is very important: You must save your new .PNG file using EXACTLY the same file name as the original file otherwise the .EOZ file won’t recognise it and it simply won’t load into the simulation – don’t say we didn’t warn you!

5. When you’re ready simply drag the new file from Windows Explorer into the open WinRAR window to replace the old file. That’s that! Or is it? Nope, not quite but almost. Your .ZIP file will, to be frank, do just that. Zip, nada, nothing.

You have to rename the simulation file extension back to .EOZ again to be able to run your i3dLO in the EON Viewer. Now you’re done.

Replacing Audio files:

1. Now you’ll have noticed a several other files inside the .EOZ file that have a .WAV extension. At this point all the experts among you will, no doubt, stretch and yawn with a “been there, done that expression” on your faces. Just bear with me as we run through some more basics. All the I3dLO’s that you download from the website contain WAV files recorded at 44kHz, in 16 bit and stereo, with MPEG layer 3 compression. This gives good quality audio with a low file size and is our audio standard for I3dLO’s. For a more detailed discussion about audio files take a look at the August 2006 “News and Views” which contains a great article about recording audio clips.

2. By now you should be familiar with the procedure for “un-zipping” .EOZ files. If you’re still not comfortable with this have another look at the steps outlined above again and try it out a few times. Practice makes perfect, after all.

3. Once you’ve finished recording your audio clip you have to save it back to the original file in WinRAR. We must stress again at this point how important this is. Save your new .WAV file using EXACTLY the same file name as the original file otherwise the .EOZ file will not be able to pick it up when the simulation is run, capiche?

Postscript. Modou asked recently about tools with which to record audio. He posted a question to the group and Leilo promptly answered

Hi Modou

“I am using one software package to cut my audio called MP3 Direct Cut. It is very easy to use and you can even get it for free to download to your Personal Computer, so I would like to share it with you in order to hear what you think about it... I wish you good luck to your translations.

Leilo”

Final note from Dave… this is a great example of how we should be working together, sharing our experiences and helping each other along… Many thanks Leilo…

Well, that’s it for this issue of News and Views. Please keep on sending your feedback to us. We need your inputs, not only to improve this newsletter, but also to improve the technology of I3dLO’s. We’ll be back soon with more news, Tips & Tricks, etc. Please also let us know what you’re doing. This newsletter belongs to us all, and we want to share your experiences, successes, problems (you name it) with the rest of the I3dlo community!

Go well, and just in case we aren’t in touch soon - Please have a good…