Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:536] Power Point, RealMedia and dumping lectures on the web
From: Gavin Melles (gmelles@freenet.net.nz)
Date: Sat 28 Oct 2000 - 05:33:37 MEST
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2000 16:33:37 +1300 From: Gavin Melles <gmelles@freenet.net.nz> Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:536] Power Point, RealMedia and dumping lectures on the web
Deirdre and all
I'd like to pick up on your question since it is something I also have been
pondering and asking. A lot of my colleagues in NZ do this or try to do
this. I do this also - convert lectures to PowerPoint, zip them up and
upload them to a WebCT platform - it's very convenient. One thing they
don't think about are the properties and characteristics of reading on
line, which is not only different but more complex than turning a page. The
second thing that disturbs me is they seem to do it because there is a
strong impertaive to do so to keep in line with the techno discourse of
their institution. Then what we get is second-rate use of technology.
Here, I would also pick up on the RealMedia line that was dropped into the
debate. Real Slideshow and Real Producer work well IF your institution has
a RealServer and can deliver your 'show' from that server. Again the
educational question is 'why do it?'; I asked myself this question after
using all the aforementioned technologies to deliver distance lectures on
ESL. Here are some of the other questions, supposing your institution has
the technology to support it. Do I do this because 1) it makes me look
good, 2) somebody told me I should use it 3) it really does achieve
something. Of course it's possible to have a good answer for 3), e.g. it's
the only way my Brazilian students can see and here me teach. Other things
to think about. 1) it will take time to do a good presentation, 2) do your
clients/students have the software to effectively use what you write, 3)
good quality real audiovisuals require highish bandwidth connections that
may work fine on a university intranet but not elsewhere, 4) how can I make
the presentation (slideshow/lecture) take advantage of the specific
capacities of streaming technology...
The lecture-dumping (word documents) + URL links philosophy is one of the
early 'raw' ways staff get into webbing. In my view, it's actually
something of a contradiction in terms ESPECIALLY where it involves reading
on-line. Who on earth wants to scroll through all those screens (why not
just include a downloadable document)! It seems symptomatic in my view of
poor institutional handling of technology if that is the predominant form
of staff tech interaction. I don;lt buy the argument that you have to start
somewhere; this is the learning technology adviser argument about subject
specialist weaknesses in technology and the 'drip' down effect of history -
you know in time it will all get better.
Well thats' enough of a piece for this afternoon. Look forward to any responses
Gavin Melles
Waikato Polytechnic
Hamilton, NZ
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