Once you've installed a copy of Netscape or Internet Explorer, you will need to retrieve and install various software enhancements to add to their capability.  Plug-In software works with your Web browser so that you can listen to sound or music, view video clips, and interact with specially designed programs.  They need to be placed in the plug-ins folder within your browser software.

• Adobe Acrobat Player - This is an important player and plug-in combination that allows you to view Acrobat (pdf) files directly in your browser window.  Acrobat files allow publishers to place fully formatted documents on the Internet that can be easily viewed, regardless of the fonts on your computer.

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

• HyperStudio- Students create multimedia presentations with HyperStudio every day.  This free player will allow you and your students to view these files after they've been placed on school Web sites.

http://www.hyperstudio.com/downloads/index.html

• Macromedia Shockwave and Flash - Macromedia Shockwave and Flash are two of the  most widely used multimedia authoring tools in the world.  These free plugins make it easy to view Shockwave and Flash animation files that have been placed on Web pages.

http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/

• QuickTime 6 - The latest version of Apple's QuickTime software lets Web surfers play high-quality video directly on their PCs.  The  software includes several high-powered software tools that make it easy to display video clips or full-length productions, sound, animation, music, 3D and still images, CD-ROM titles, and virtual reality environments.  If you're running an older version of QuickTime, upgrade today.   http://www.apple.com/quicktime/products/qt

• Real Player - In the past, retrieving sounds and videos from the Internet required users to download video and sound files to their computers, which was time-consuming.  Now, RealPlayer allows you to watch video and listen to sounds in real-time over the Internet.  Click on a link to a RealAudio or Video file, and it plays immediately.

Real.com - RealOne Player

Source:  Classroom Connect * October 1998 * Volume 5, Number 2

Updated: March 27, 2003 (jsc)