Adobe® Flash® has become a standard to deliver video, animation and interaction over the internet. The Flash Player is often included with new browsers.

To open Flash interactions, the Adobe® Flash Player® must be installed on your computer system. Version 9 or higher will play all flash interactions in Energy Classroom.

Three interactions require Version 9 or higher: Virtual Power Plant Tour, What’s New in Clean Energy? and the Protecting Wildlife video story. If needed, Version 5 can be used to play other Flash resources in Energy Classroom. See the link in the left column for information about downloading the Adobe Flash Player.

Here are a few tips for using Flash documents.

NAVIGATION

Flash resources include navigation which is custom-designed for the specific interaction. Most buttons are visually apparent, and will highlight when the cursor rolls over them to confirm they are active.

VIDEO AND AUDIO

Energy Classroom offers video stories and interactions created in Flash. You need only the Flash Player installed on your computer to play this video. However, to hear audio in Flash interactions and video stories, your computer must have audio playback capabilities installed.

DOWNLOAD SPEED

Download speed is affected by the internet connection you have - dial-up or broadband - and the size of the resource you are viewing. Some Flash resources may have a larger file size, but Flash will download only what is needed at the time. However, when Flash downloads a video clip, it may take a few seconds. The video clips generally include a "loading" indicator bar which shows you how much has downloaded, and what is remaining.

INTERACTION

Interactoins include buttons to click, and elements to drag into place. To drag an element, press and hold the mouse over the element while moving it to a new location, then release.

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For more information about Adobe Flash Player, refer to the Adobe web site, at www.adobe.com/