Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:542] Tech Interface Re: Gavin "Lecture Dumping"
From: Art Recesso (amrecess@valdosta.edu)
Date: Sat 28 Oct 2000 - 19:25:06 MEST
Date: Sat, 28 Oct 2000 13:25:06 -0400 From: Art Recesso <amrecess@valdosta.edu> Subject: [IFETS-DISCUSSION:542] Tech Interface Re: Gavin "Lecture Dumping"
Gavin Melles wrote about lecture dumping, "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."
I agree Gavin. In my experience students still must download the
materials and print them before reading. Reading from the screen is not
a very good option for anything of length. There are new levels of
frustration when people have limited bandwidth and wait 2 hours for an
article to download.
Gavin wrote: "Real Slideshow and Real Producer work well IF your
institution has a RealServer and can deliver your 'show' from that
server...."
If people are expecting to do a "live" streaming of an event they need
the RealServer (or similar product). A pre-recorded and encoded video
can be embedded into a webpage with no realserver components and played
by the person accessing the file. This is problematic because the file
must be downloaded. In my experience, a more effective approach is to
use a video stream encoder creating a Java applet embedding the
streaming content. The person no longer needs a RealServer and does not
have to download the file. Of course, this does not overcome the
bandwidth issues.
In the context of a computer-based interface we move to a model of
distribution via CDRom and/or installing directly on the hard drive.
Consider that the interactive interface may be using a variety of
technologies that are present on the hard drive of the computer. Using
MS FrontPage we are able to create a web-page-style (standard browser
viewable) interface where the student is able to read a math question
(or have it presented to them by a virtual character), for example 'What
is 1+1', and click on a number answer. If the student selects the
incorrect answer a video "pops-up" and takes the student through a
lesson of how to solve "1+1"...I could envision a virtual abacus to
practice....then the student is given another chance to solve the
problem. The reward system for answering correctly follows a similar
format. I think this parallels your idea that we are not doing anything
different by reformatting the content (text to PDF or VCR Tape to video
streamed) and stresses the issue "how do we use the new media formats
and technology to deliver the instruction in new ways".
Gavin said: "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..."
I would also add: How do we define the process for aligning the
technology and instructional strategies for effective teaching? Or would
this just be a futile effort considering the pace of technological
change?
Art
---------------------------------------------------------
List address to send message to everyone:
ifets-discussion@catfish.valdosta.edu
Details of current discussion: http://ifets.ieee.org/discussions/discuss.html
Forum website: http://ifets.ieee.org/
Forum's contact person: kinshuk@massey.ac.nz
Info on Join/Leave List: http://ifets.ieee.org/maillist.html
---------------------------------------------------------
This archive was generated by hypermail 2a24 : Sat 28 Oct 2000 - 19:27:16 MEST