The Interactive Field Guide to Northern Arizona Ceramics (IFGNAC) is a project that has been under development for several years with Kathy Kamp and several instructional technologists. Additionally, other experts in northern Arizona ceramics have provided comments regarding the samples and typing (which optionally appear when individual ceramics are viewed). Other contributions have included illustrations, photography of pottery, sherds, and micrographs.

Below is the title screen for the application. In its current form, the application is being developed using Macromedia Authorware. Authorware is like a little cousing to Macromedia Director in that it allows for a graphical user interface and manipulation of objects, rules and logic based interactivity, and can produce versions for access via local computer (Mac or PC), CD, and/or the Web.

This project serves three main purposes: to instruct and quiz students on ceramic typologies, to serve as a reference with samples of different ceramics from northern Arizona, and as a key for typing ceramics from the region. These features are described below along with appropriate images taken from the user interface.

First off, there is a very detailed document that has been migrated from MS Word into the IFGNAC application (60+ pages). This integration allows for linear (book reading) navigation through the information about typology, ceramics, and specifically northern Arizona ceramics. Also, it has some hypertext links to other areas of the application where one can see examples from the digital images of the ceramic types.

The screen below shows the 2nd screen from the first set of instructional materials.

The screen below comes from the last of the three sections of instructional materials. Here, students begin to look at the region's ceramics with a more critical eye from having learned about the terminology and features of the ceramics.

The image below shows how one can view the ceramics by Ware and Type. First, a menu appears on the lefthand side with the Wares. By selecting one (Alameda Brown Ware in the example), a menu of the Types of that Ware appears across the upper row of the interface. Finally, the user can select individual ceramics, sherds, and/or micrographs of that Ware and Type by clicking on the buttons below the Types row. Individual images can be moved around on the "stage", closed individually, and/or any comments on that sample can be viewed in a dialog window that pops up.

Probably one of the most intereting parts of this application has to do with the keying feature. Using it, one can take an unidentified pot and determine what Ware and Type it is based on its physical characteristics. The image below shows an example of how one would go through this process. It starts on the far left side where the user needs to select the color of clay in the pot. As one procedes to the righthand side by selecting other attributes such as temper, paint, and design, one then retrieves the identification. Lastly, the user can then select a hyperlink that will take him/her to samples of that ceramic type.

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