Help! Missing Flash and Embed Media Buttons

Some of you have realised today that your Embed Flash swf Button flash1.jpg and Media button media2.jpg in your Write Post Visual Editor are missing from your Edublogs dashboard.

Worse still you’re wondering what’s happen and how will you embed flash files and videos.

Why The Flash and Embed Media Button Are Missing

Since we can now directly paste video and flash embed codes directly into our blogs, we don’t need to use Embed Flash swf Button and Media button anymore. Which is a good thing because using them really slows down the loading of our blogs.

You can read more about this change to the Edublogs dashboard here in the Edublogs forum.

I will be slowly working through previous posts that show how to embed using these buttons to make amendments. But what this means is we can copy and paste pretty much most ‘embedding’ code we pick up around the web directly into our Edublog posts using our Code Tab.

How To Embed Flash Files (swf)

Say for example you wanted to embed a Animoto into your post:

  1. On your blog dashboard, go to Write > Post
  2. Completely write your post adding all text and images including adding your categories, tags and post title.
  3. It’s best to add any code you want to embed as the last step just before you click publish as you’re less likely to have problems.
  4. Click on Save and View this Post to do any final edits on your postImage of how to View Post
  5. Now copy your embed code from Animoto
  6. animotoembed.jpg

  7. Click on your HTML Tab
  8. Paste the embed code from Animoto into your post where you want it to appear then immediately press Publish.

Image of pasting code HTML Tab

How To Embed Video into Your Posts

There are two ways that you can embed videos into your posts:

1. Upload your videos directly into your blog posts.

You can upload and embed videos directly into your blog posts provided they are less than 20 MB. This is an excellent option if your organisation blocks video sharing websites.

Read this post to learn how to Embed Videos Directly Into Your Blog Posts (you can also upload audio files using the same method).

If you’re planning on uploading lots of video and audio files directly to your blog it is worth paying the $25 per year to become an edublogs supporter to recieve extra storage capacity.

2. Embed from Video Sharing Web site using the HTML Tab

Embedding from video sharing web sites using the HTML Tab is the same process used for embedding Flash files (swf).

Read this post to learn more about Video Sharing Web Sites and how to customise YouTube videos so they don’t include related videos.

FINAL THOUGHT

Remember embedding some objects into posts can be a bit touchy.

If you press Save and View this Post when embedding or go back into the post after it has been published it may break the code and you will need to re-paste the code back into your post. Breaking the code means the post will look really weird on your blog.

So at the moment it’s best to add any code you want to embed as the last step just before you click publish as you’re less likely to have problems.

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Embedding Flash Into Posts

UPDATE: Embed Flash swf button and Embed media button don’t exist since Edublogs has been upgraded to the latest version of WordPress.  You need to use the HTML tab for embedding videos and Flash Objects.

Now that Edublogs have given us new freedom and allows us to embed javascript, iframes and object code directly into our blogs we have to realise that “Freedom is a package deal – with it comes responsibilities and consequences.”

Just because we can copy and paste pretty much most ‘embedding’ code we pick up around the web directly into our Edublog posts using the Code Tab doesn’t mean this method is always be the best option. It may be better to embed:

  • Flash objects (swf) using Embed Flash swf buttonflash1.jpg in your Write Post Visual Editor
  • Videos using Embed media button media2.jpg in your Write Post Visual Editor.

Embedding Flash

If the embed code you grab includes .swf it means you are dealing with a flash object. Voicethreads, Voki, Animoto and Dvolver MovieMaker all use flash objects and it may be better to embed using Embed Flash swf button.

Let me demonstrate by embedding a Voicethread:

  1. Copy the embed code from Voicethread voicethreads1.jpg
  2. Paste the code from Voicethread into Notepad and locate the code enclosed in quotes after src= and copy this code. Don’t include the quotes.voicethreads2.jpg
  3. Write down the width and height. voicethreads3.jpg
  4. Click on the Flash Embed button on your toolbar.
  5. Paste the code that you copied from Notepad into the dialogue box that opens. Click OK.
  6. Enter 480 for width and 360 for height.

voicethreads4.jpg

If you prefer video tutorials Chris Betcher has created a video on adding voicethreads to Edublogs and an introduction to using voicethreads. You can check out Chris other great video tutorials here. (Thanks Larry Ferlazzo for your tip).

Below is an example of a voicethread embedded in this post. Larry Ferlazzo rates voicethreads as the number one Best Site To Practice Speaking English and Pronunciation. Check out the Voicethreads 4 Education wiki for examples of how educators are using Voicethread in their classrooms or for professional development.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://voicethread.com/book.swf?b=409" width="480" height="360" wmode="transparent" /]

Embedding Animoto

Northside’s blog indicated they were having a problem embedding Animoto so here’s how to locate the code you need to add using the Flash Embed Button flash1.jpg for embedding Animoto.

animoto.jpg

Here’s an Aminoto of activities I do with my aquaculture students.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://widgets.clearspring.com/o/46928cc51133af17/47e19663442c8a76" width="432" height="250" wmode="transparent" /]

Trial and Error

Not all flash objects will embed using the flash embed button which means you need to try the Code Tab. For example, Alice Mercer’s pointed out that Picassa Web slideshows only works with the code tab – you can check out Alice’s embedded slideshow here.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I’m finding some online tools are easier to embed than others, and some I haven’t been able to work out how to embed at all e.g. Ustream. Let me know what works/doesn’t work for you, and how educators could use it.

UPDATE: Embed Flash swf button and Embed media button don’t exist since Edublogs has been upgraded to the latest version of WordPress.  You need to use the HTML tab for embedding videos and Flash Objects.

If you are enjoying reading this blog, please consider Subscribing For Free!