Tag: video

Online video, free or paid, seems to be where online education is headed. Increased bandwidth has moved us beyond the printed word (with some images) and we seem convinced that this is an improvement. I must admit that we (Cindy and I) have come to a similar conclusion and are creating more video demonstrations for our instructional content.

I borrowed the title for this post from a subheading in an offering from Scott Young. He provides insights from his own experiences learning computer science from MIT online resources. In analyzing his own learning and reflecting on why video is so popular, he proposes students are used to lecture (hence video lectures) and videos offer an “easy” experience. He proposes that he actually benefits more from text and from working his way through projects.

The Scott Young analysis reminded me of similar analysis I have encountered previously:

• Ellen Langer  developed a concept she call mindlessness and as I remember she was initially focused on television (video). The idea was that there was a personal perception of learning, but this was an experience that could be had without the contribution of effort.
• Fred Keller (1968) proposed an alternative to lecture experience in an article entitled “Goodbye teacher ….“. His concern was a little different and involved the lack of flexibility in this experience. A learner experiencing content that was already understood could not speed up the presentation and a learner struggling to understand could not slow the presentation down or review what had just been encountered. In proposing PSI (the personalized system of mastery instruction), Keller argued for a text-based approach which he felt offered greater learner control.

In fairness, video-based approaches such as that offered throughout he Kahn Academy provide video in short segments so the segments can be replayed if necessary.

Perhaps the lesson in all of this is not to become locked in to any given content format in that each format has both limitations of advantages.

Most folks who read this blog probably are aware of the story of  Salman Kahn  and the Kahn Academy. The TED talk version of the story with my embellishments follows – so Kahn, a hedge fund manager, begins creating short YouTube videos to tutor his nephews who are struggling with math. Others stumble across this content, find it quite helpful, and encourage Kahn. The viral avalanche continues, money people such as Bill Gates notice and contribute, and Salman ends up with an online success.

Some object. Just what is the focus of the concerns. Salman did not begin to subvert teachers or their role. He began because kids were not getting it based on their classroom experiences. To my knowledge, no claims were made about the teachers. Kahn is obviously very bright and entertaining. I think the style ends up being repetitive, but I also understand the research on worked examples and would suggest that at least the math content fits within this approach.

Kahn does have a more complex model than I think most realize – take a look at the site and you will find the videos (now in many content areas), problems to work, and opportunities to volunteer to be a coach. So, if you are critical based on some notion that this is about replacing humans with video, click the volunteer button and be a human.

The Kahn video content has become somehow mixed together with the “flip the classroom” movement. Students could prepare from watching video and then come to class prepared to discuss, request help, etc. I suppose video could be used in this fashion.

Perhaps the point is that these are just resources and tools. There is the opportunity for flexibility here. You are not paying for an approach that locks you into a given strategy. Wait – come to think, you are not paying at all. No one is after your job. You are in control. Make your own video content students can use when they are at home attempting to complete the problems you assigned. Too much work?

There is this online site that offers video content some students find helpful (but this is where I began)

We are in the middle of a two-day blizzard. So, we have lots of time with nothing to do. Actually, I knew this was coming and brought plenty of work home. But, work is work and blizzards are for having a good time.

I had to do play around a bit to overcome the limits of WordPress.

Double click this image to play.

I think I have made the following observation in previous posts. My wife and I are easy targets when we enter a store that sells technology. There is no system of checks and balances in play. There is no voice of reason. If we don’t own it, there is probably some reason one of us can think of that justifies why we need it. “We need to evaluate this to see if it would be good for kids” usually works.

Our most recent purchase is a Flip Video. The Flip is a $140 (street value – we purchased ours at Best Buy) point and shoot video camera. The camera holds 60 minutes of material and operates on two AA batteries. Moving the content to a computer is a simple matter. On a Mac, the camera shows up as an external drive. You just double click the icon, locate the folder with the video files (you can play a file by double clicking if you are looking for a specific segment), and then drag the files to the computer. Files can be imported to iMovie if you want to edit or export in some other format. File format is MPEG4 AVI (640 x 480).

Some sample videos (stored in Flickr) (Note Flickr converts to flash. I guess I am not certain what this does to the quality.)
Olive meets Mr. Flower
Pan of Lake Coudry

I found the camera very easy to use. For some reason, it surprised me that the image is so steady. Perhaps the position of the hand allows this. You hold the camera out in front of you while watching in the large LCD display. I thought it was awkward to zoom. Pushing the buttons caused an obvious shake. Perhaps for 2X it is not worth the trouble.

This looks like a great camera for students. It also is a nice size for carrying around in a backpack or a jacket pocket.

Langwitches tutorial on Flip.