Discussion: OPTIONAL Multimedia introduction

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2014-03-11T13:40:48-06:00

Hello and welcome to the Multimedia unit! We talked about this unit in person, so this week's material is optional. But if you want to learn a bit more about multimedia options in education, feel free to look around. This first video introduces the unit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BoiKIag_moI

Video in Education

There are lots of ways multimedia, and especially video, can be used in education. You can use video to communicate a message. This has the advantages of allowing the learning to pause or rewind the video. You can also use a video to SHOW a message, which can often be more powerful than just hearing it or reading it and make it more vivid in our memories.

A great way to use video to communicate a message is to use screencast tools to record yourself teaching from your computer, or to compile videos from Youtube and other places. If your school has Youtube blocked, you can download the video to play off of your computer. Search on Google for "youtube downloader + (operating system you have)" to find some tools to help you. You can also use Quietube to block out the distracting and sometimes vulgar ads on youtube.

I think one of the best ways to use video, though, is to have your students create videos as a way of exploring content, learning it at a deep level, and representing their knowledge to you and others. That's the kind of video I hope you'll think about for this assignment.

Finally, you can also use video conferencing technologies to connect people that are physically separated in a way that enhances teaching or learning.

Platforms

There are a lot of video conferencing and video development applications available today. However, most of them have major limitations. Some have poor quality and others have great quality but it comes with a large price tag. A few video tools are both free and support high quality. Below you'll find a list of some video tools available complete with pros and cons for each tool and some videos demonstrating how the tool works.

Synchronous Video Technologies

Skype

Pros: Free for one-on-one calls and typically has good quality.

Cons: Only allows one-on-one video calls. True conference calls, where there are more than 2 people on a video call, is a paid service.

Google+ Hangout

Pros: Allows for true video conferencing (multiple people in the video call - up to 1- people) for free and switches the main screen to the person talking. Also has high quality video and comes as part of your Google Account when you activate Google+. Many people already have Gmail making it easier to connect with others.

Cons: Some people have noticed a lag in video due to a slow connection on their end but this would happen with any video call system.

Google's Ad for "Hangouts"

Lifehacker Demos "Hangouts"

Facebook

Pros: It's Facebook! Nearly every student is already on Facebook and knows how to use it. Learning how to use the video portion will be quick and easy.

Cons: It's Facebook! Many people have opinions about whether or not Facebook can be appropriately used in learning. There's a lot of potential negative outcomes if you use Facebook, like making cyber-bulling easier because students are connected with students they may not have added as friends before. There's also the issue of you as a teacher interacting with students on Facebook which could be undesirable for both you and your students.

Canvas (by Instructure): Conferences

It allows everyone in the class to be part of a synchronous group video conference and makes it possible for others to view your computer screen. Students see the teacher or the teacher's screen as they provide instruction. Students can also click a button to "raise their hand" and the teacher can select that student so everyone can see them (or their computer screen) as they ask a question, make a comment or anything else. It's like being in the classroom without actually being in the classroom!

Asynchronous Video Technologies

VoiceThread

Pros: Allows viewers to comment on a video or video-slideshow in one of 5 different ways. Comments are attached to a specific point in time on the presentation. Allows for a discussion to happen around some content in a very elegant and conversational way.

Cons: Sometimes the player doesn't work right and is clunky.

YouTube

Pros: Easy to use, typically is very reliable and everyone is familiar with it. Also allows HD files and essentially unlimited video uploads.

Cons: Not always available in schools and some related videos may be inappropriate. A new solution to this problem offered by YouTube is called YouTubeSchools (youtube.com/schools) which allows access to thousands of educational videos in a controlled environment.

Canvas (by Instructure): Discussions

By this point you are probably already familiar with the pros and cons of using discussions in canvas. I will point out that besides just supporting video discussions, it is a full Learning Managment System (LMS) that is capable of much more than just video. It's also free for teachers to use!

Video Creation Technologies

IMovie comes in the Apple ILife suite, which is available on most Macs.

Pros: Most video developers I know think this is the best option for newbies, as it has Apple's trademark of being easy to use and is extremely well integrated with the other Apple tools (like iPhoto and iTunes). For example, if you want to add music or photos to your movie, it is as easy as clicking on the iTunes or iPhoto logo.

Cons: It is trickier to save your work to a flash drive, so it is often easier to try and complete the video all on the same machine. This is great if you have a Mac. If you don't, it's best to set aside several hours in the computer lab to complete a project.

Moviemaker is free for PC users. The advantage is that it is free, and easier to save and transfer project files. The disadvantage is that it is clunky and often does things in an inexplicable way that is harder to unravel.

Mozilla Popcorn is a web-based video creation tool that is easy to use, and web-based so you can be on a PC or a Mac. These are great advantages. In addition, it does an excellent job of integrating Youtube videos, because they are online. If you are trying to work with live video or media from your computer's hard drive, however, it is very limited.

Discussion

Do you have any questions so far?