DVD: SIMPLE, CLEAR, AND EFFICIENT INSTRUCTIONAL TOOLS
DVD allows us to give you master quality digital audio and video. DVD automatically places video clips and programs directly into the slide sequence. DVD allows for a single audio/video source. Each slide is a DVD menu, allowing the instructor the option to move forward, backward or out to a main menu.
WHAT MATERIAL IS INCLUDED ON THE DVD?
FMCSA instructional DVDs include every slide and video necessary for the course it supports. The main menu allows instructors to choose Modules or Videos. When the Modules button is selected, the instructor goes into the instructional side of the DVD. Selecting Videos from the main menu will take the instructor to the video-only portion of the DVD, complete with chapter selections and multiple language options (when available).By default, the Enter button will take an instructor through all course slides and videos in order, and as referenced by the NTC course instructor manual.
HOW DO I OPERATE THE DVD?
The DVD is designed to move the instructor directly through a course using only the Enter and directional Arrows buttons on the DVD player remote control. Pressing enter will advance to the next menu and default to the next forward button automatically. When a video is called for, a warning menu will appear with the enter button set to Play Video. To play the video, the instructor simply presses the Enter button. Upon completion of the video, the DVD automatically goes to the next menu. Instructors can navigate forward and backward through menus using the directional Arrows buttons. A Main button is located at the bottom-center of each menu. Selecting the Main button and pressing Enter will guide the DVD back to the main menu of the current module. The instructor may choose a specific module chapter from this menu. Selecting the Main button on any of these module menus will navigate the DVD back to the top menu.
MOVING FORWARD
We continue to search for ways to improve our instructional DVDs, providing instructors the most efficient and effective tools with which to teach. Questions concerning DVD authoring and/or operation? Contact:Ken Albrecht, Multimedia Specialist - Idaho State Police.
CAN I USE THE DVD-R DRIVE IN MY LAPTOP?
The instructional course DVDs have been designed to perform as a video only DVD. Simply put, they will work in any stand-alone DVD player. A laptop computer with a DVD-ROM drive is not necessary and is, in fact, discouraged. Set top and portable DVD players are built to industry standards, specifically for DVD video only. Problems have arisen while playing these DVDs in laptop computers. The combination of computer drives, software, computer memory, and additional applications installed onto a laptop will affect the performance of DVDs. Your computer may be able to play simple DVDs with a movie and a few menus, but the FMCSA DVDs are anything but simple, and many computer drives simply cannot keep up with the material.
Get to Know your DVD-Player
If you are familiar with your player, remote and material, navigation through the course will be easy and predictable. A safety feature has been built into each DVD to allow the instructor to go back to the previous module slide when a video has already started. Pressing the Menu button on the DVD player remote control will stop the video and navigate back to the video warning menu. The instructor may also pause or still any video for discussion points. DVD, by default, has a built-in resume feature whenever the Stop button is used. Unfortunately, due the large amount of video clips and menus included on an FMCSA instructional DVD, some DVD players may get confused as to where to resume. If you do stop the DVD and resume play in the wrong section of the DVD, simply press the Menu button to navigate back to the proper continuation point.