A swfBook (formerly known as FlashPower) is an interactive book.Although the swfBook format is a work-in-progress, you can get the general idea pretty quickly by checking out this sample. Like a traditional paper book, a swfBook has a table of contents, pages, and perhaps a glossary. Unlike either a paper book or most web-based books or articles, a swfBook contains interactive elements. These may include simulations, annotated video, games, puzzles, quiz questions...pretty much anything you can imagine. Because of these interactive elements, a swfBook can add value to traditional textbook content in a variety of ways:
A swfBook is not intended to replace a conventional textbook. At swfBook.com, we believe that large amounts of text are best experienced on paper. Paper books are easier on the eyes, can be read in any number of comfortable positions, and do not tend to reinforce the lamentable practice of printing and reprinting the same material over and over again. However, it is possible to deliver a swfBook in conjunction with a digital version (such as .pdf, .html or flashpaper) of a traditional textbook. This allows swfBook hyperlinks to take students directly to the relevant page of an associated textbook.
A swfBook may be used to enhance a conventional lecture, or as a replacement for a conventional lecture. It can also be assigned for students to experience before class, or as a review exercise. swfBooks can be delivered on CD, deployed within a Learning Management System, or simply be mounted on the web for all to enjoy.
A swfBook can be a Learning Object, or it can be a collection of Learning Objects. That is, you can use the swfBook template to target a single learning activity, or to package up a collection of related activities at a single url. Your collection is tied together by the Table of Contents, Glossary, and other side-bar features you provide. By combining existing learning objects with your own comments, quiz questions, and instructions, you can make better use of existing Flash-based resources.