Streaming Media for Web Based Training

This paper discusses streaming media for World Wide Web-based training (WBT). The first section addresses WBT in the 21st century, including the Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL) standard that allows multimedia content such as text, pictures, sound, and video to be synchronized for a coherent learning experience. The second section covers definitions, history, and current status. The third section presents SMIL as the best direction for WBT. The fourth section describes building a WBT module,using SMIL, including interface design, learning materials content design, and building the RealText[TM], RealPix[TM], and SMIL files. The fifth section addresses technological issues, including encoding content to RealNetworks formats, uploading files to stream server, and hardware requirements. The final section summarizes future directions.