Discussion 4

Discussion 4 was due June 28, and here were the instructions we received:

Description/summary of main ideas in chapter 9. (* Required component)

Select two of the following for discussion:

A. Discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the chapter

B. How could teachers/educators use the material/information addressed in the chapter to help improve their instruction or professional development?

C. What future trends do you see coming from the topics dealt with in the chapter? In other words, do you think the material/information discussed in the chapter has any relevancy to the future or is it just a passing fad?

D. What you learned from reading this chapter? If the article did not reveal any new information, explain what you already know about the topic and how you gained that knowledge (e.g., experience, word-of-mouth, research).

E. Did you feel this chapter helped in your understanding of the use of technology in education? Explain why or why not. Did anything confuse you? Did the chapter leave more questions for you?

My answer:

Summary
Since YouTube’s creation, videos have continued to spread rapidly on the web, with dozens of video-sharing sites opening. Some of these new video-sharing sites have started focusing on academic learning, such as EduTube. As there is a massive quantity of free videos online, more opportunities for e-learning potential are available.

In this chapter, “web-based video” is digital video which is distributed online and which can be accessed with computers. However, it is basically another form of motion picture technology. As sound added dimension and new capabilities to silent films, so the technical abilities of Web 2.0 videos are becoming more valuable for educators. Web 2.0 videos usually work with most browsers, such as Internet Explorer ®, Safari ®, and Firefox ®. Videos, such as those on YouTube, use Flash capabilities, which can be downloaded for free.

The process of creating a video is fairly easy, as most cell phones and digital cameras even take short videos. After creating an account with a video-sharing site, account holders can upload as many videos as they wish. However, a maximum time limit of about 10 minutes is usually placed on the videos, but this may change as technology changes.

On YouTube, options are available, such as how many times the video has been viewed, dates of viewings, demographics of viewers, and country of origin. Also, the “Info and Settings” tool allows people to change the video title, description, or tags. “Audio Swap” allows people to add a music track as background music. “Annotation” makes it possible to add notes, speech bubbles, or clickable hotspots that can be linked to another YouTube video or site. “Captions and Subtitles” allows uploaders to add closed caption to the video.

Videos can be distributed through hyperlinks and can be shared additionally in a variety of ways on MySpace, Facebook, blogs, or Diigo accounts. Unless the person who uploaded the video has disabled embedding, every video on YouTube has an embed code that can be posted elsewhere online.

However, one cannot download videos from YouTube, and educators need to be aware of the terms of use and copyright laws – especially since the latter continues to change and applies to downloading and uploading video.

Videos can be searched, though some sites, such as YouTube, only allow users to search for videos within their own sites. However, sites such as Google Video, SearchforVideo, and TubeSurf have also begun to appear online.

Educators can use online videos in a variety of ways, depending on the subject matter, really. Videos can illustrate ideas, events, and processes and can represent motion sequences, draw attention to detail, and show scenes of microscopic life. Basic interactivity is achieved through the player controls, and users can branch out through custom players, playlists, and annotation links. Students can discuss class topics through video logs, or vlogs, and can critique and analyze the quality and accuracy of the videos from YouTube which are presented.

Some problems may arise from videos, however, including poor behavior demonstrated on various video and audiovisual display. As far as the latter is concerned, educators can use captions, zoom in on the text, use large font and limit text, or use text caption, subtitle, or annotation tools to work around the audiovisual capabilities. Another issue may be filtering problems at K-12 schools in the US and limited access to computers. In addition, educators should plan their instructional video usage based on the knowledge that those who create the videos can remove them at any time. However, Web 2.0 video tools are an exciting addition to e-learning and will be even more user-friendly with time.

How could teachers/educators use the material/information addressed in the chapter to help improve their instruction or professional development?

I did not know about EduTube before reading this chapter, and I am very excited to learn more about it and use it in the classroom. Also, it’s interesting to note that some of the editing capabilities will most likely be available through the site browser within time. I think educators would benefit from knowing about the websites and to realize that they’re not as complicated as they might think. I didn’t realize how much YouTube allowed you to do directly on its site. I’m interested in uploading some of my own videos just to play around with to learn more.

Did you feel this chapter helped in your understanding of the use of technology in education? Explain why or why not. Did anything confuse you? Did the chapter leave more questions for you?

Definitely. I feel more aware and knowledgeable about the sites discussed in this chapter. Additionally, something that I realized but didn’t ever think much about was the fact that the videos CAN be removed at any time. I’ve been showing YouTube clips in class completely based on the assumption that the videos will always be there, but I can’t count on that.

Reference
Snelson, C. (2010). Web-based Video for e-Learning: Tapping into the YouTube ™ Phenonmenon. In Yang, H. H., & Yuen, S. C. (Eds.), Collective Intelligence and E-Learning 2.0: Implications of Web-Based Communities and Networking (pp. 147-166). Hershey, Pennsylvania: Information Science Reference.