Screencasts to support learning
I believe there are a number of reasons why screencasts are extremely effective as educational tools and I have outlined these below:
1. Time-flexible learning
2. Support Web 2.0 expectations of learners
3. Enhancement of the learning process
4. Enhancement of learning engagement
Let’s take a look at these one by one….
This year’s presentations included:
Disclaimer/comment from DSC:
I have not reviewed this material carefully, but I especially appreciated this quote from Joe Brennan:
Renée Hobbs of Temple University is passionate about teachers’ rights and asserting those rights when teaching. Forget about those 10% and 30 second rules. She has even proposed teachers’ legal right to bypass the encryption on movies for the sake of education AND it’s under consideration by the U.S. copyright office! Want to know more? Check out her resources on “Fair Use supporting digital learning,” the “Code of Best Practices for Fair Use in Media Literacy Education,” and the Center for Social Media.
…
What is an eBook?
An eBook is a print book that has been converted to an electronic format and made available for reading on your computer.
What is the difference between an eBook and a CaféScribe Digital Textbook?
The CaféScribe digital textbook is an eBook with multiple features, supporting multiple functionality that other eBooks do not have. For example, annotating and note sharing are two of the features found in CaféScribe digital textbooks but are not part of other eBooks.
— from http://support.cafescribe.com/Content/etextbook/etextbook_faq.htm
See also:
http://campustechnology.com/articles/2010/05/17/cafescribe-expands-social-networking-features.aspx
Follett has released an enhanced search and social networking update to its CaféScribe digital textbook platform.
CaféScribe is a Web-based system for finding and purchasing textbooks in digital format. After creating an account, the user can browse titles by various criteria, purchase selections through the online store or participating campus bookstore, and organize texts with provided thumbnail and listing tools. The latest version includes expanded search options for people or groups, plus support for sharing of notes, ideas, and documents between students, instructors, and the CaféScribe community.
The future of textbook publishing in the Digital Age: New publisher workflows — from the xplanation by Rob Reynolds
Coincident TV (CTV) is transforming the way interactive video content is created, consumed and monetized. Coincident TV enables immersive “hypervideo” experiences – the real-time integration of online video with social media, weblinks and transactions. The Coincident TV software suite allows content creators and distributors to easily design, manage and measure interactive video engagements across all digital platforms, including both HTML5 and Flash.
Example:
Hyper Aquarium Demo [Learn about interactive video with an explanation of our aquarium demo]
From DSC:
Again, think of the possibilities here for education…especially on a wall-sized, iPad-like, interactive, multi-touch chalkboard!
About Sideways
Sideways, the publisher of experimental app magazines Sideways and TapTilt, transforms print into immersive experiences on digital tablets and mobile devices. Leveraging unique multi-media capabilities, Sideways goes beyond ebook functionality, changing storytelling and the way we consume books and magazines. Developing original content with forward-thinking publishers and authors, the company’s publishing platform augments text with rich media, adds multiple levels of reference, and enhances reading with mobile features and social media. Sideways takes advantage of interactivity to enrich both the solitary and social experience of reading – from fiction and non-fiction to “how to” and guides. Additionally, Sideways is the creator of Author App, a mobile application for authors designed to build their brands, engage their fans and expand their presence. Based in Cleveland, Sideways was founded in 2010 by Charles Stack and Eliza Wing. Stack started the first online bookstore in 1992 – Books.com – which was acquired by Barnes and Noble. Wing was formerly the CEO of Cleveland.com and editor at Rolling Stone, Books.com, and New York Woman. For more information, visit www.sideways.com.
Also see:
From DSC:
Do you hear the roar of the engines? (i.e. the pace of technological innovation is exploding and the racetrack is full of lightning-fast cars.)
The Next Generation of Digitally Enhanced Learning — from The Journal by Scott Aronowitz
At the recent Ed Tech Summit, a technology consultant took a distant look at the future of education, based on both widespread speculation and technologies currently on the market and in development
In his lecture at the Ed Tech Summit at the InfoComm 2010 conference in Las Vegas, Mark S. Valenti, founder and president of Pittsburgh-based technology consulting firm The Sextant Group, delved into the myriad of ways in which advancing technology will continue to enhance, improve, and expand education–both K-12 and post-secondary education–as well as the shifts in priorities and attitudes such advancements will likely cause.
In Valenti’s “big picture” view of the next stage of education, there will be several significant changes, some of which we are already witnessing, that will alter the entire landscape for “providers” of education and related services, e.g., colleges and universities, vocational and trade institutes, public and private K-12 schools, etc., as well as for teachers and students:
* The process will continue to become more technology-dependent;
* There will be increased demand for access, in terms of user capacity, frequency, transmission speed, and content capacity, leading to increased demand for bandwidth;
* Information will become increasingly media rich, which will also impact bandwidth demand; and
* The individual will increasingly become both a consumer and a producer of information, leading to shifts in the dynamic between educators and the educated.
…
Finally, such technology will lead to a rethinking of the architecture of learning spaces themselves. “Collaboration across time and space will drive facility design [in the coming years]. We’re seeing technologies like Skype become commonplace. We’re seeing major investments from companies like Cisco in things like TelePresence, which is a prime example of cross-collaboration.” Valenti said he believes that, in the long run, in addition to the changes in teaching and learning methods, the physical space that accommodates learning will also change. Classrooms driven by multimedia, virtual hands-on combinations of laboratories and lecture spaces, and the aforementioned virtual operating rooms are all examples of the digitally enhanced learning spaces on the horizon.
Adobe Flash Player 10.1 arrives — from webmonkey by Michael Calore
After spending many months on development and beta testing, Adobe has released the latest version of its Flash Player.
You can download Flash Player 10.1 for Mac, Windows and Linux at Adobe’s website. You’ll need to shut down all of your browsers while it installs. There’s a version of Flash Player 10.1 coming for Android, but it won’t be ready until later this summer. A beta version is available in the Android Marketplace if you want to test it out.
This release is significant for a number of reasons…
New Dimension Media provides education, a second chance to over 1,200 “at risk” Illinois students — from eSchoolNews.com
Founded in 1978, New Dimension Media, a division of Questar, Inc., is the premier producer and distributor of original core curriculum media content created for K-12 classrooms. NDM programs have won over 100 of the industry’s most prestigious honors, including the CINE Golden Eagle and the Golden Apple. NDM content is used in over 100,000 schools around the country. More…
