All entries for Thursday 13 August 2009

August 13, 2009

Presentation: Effective low–cost online distance learning

I have created a video version of a presentation that I gave earlier this week. It uses a design thinking approach adapted from Tim Brown and the IDEO design company, suggesting a framework for creating online learning that encourages self-organised peer interaction through prooviding inspirational video content, connected to ideation tools, and options for student creativity.

The video can be found here.


Robert O'Toole : 13 Aug 2009 21:24 |  Tags:  |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem

Macworld magazine design space time lapse movie

Peter Belanger has made a great time-lapse movie documenting the process of creating the cover of an edition of Macworld Magazine. I am particularly interested in the space used for the first part of the process. It's a mid-sized white studio with an extra-large window at one end. Black-out curtains are used to move from daylight to studio lights.

The movie illustrates how a team of designers collaborate to assemble a studio to enable a specific creative act. Notice how they bring in technology, including a Mac on a trolley, allowing them to prototype the image. The action then moves off to an individual's design desk for the production copy to be finalised.

I will soon start work on writing a "handbook of open space learning technology", and will be drawing from examples like this to show how technology can help students to move from inspiration, through prototyping, to implementation.

You can watch the movie on Peter's blog.


Robert O'Toole : 13 Aug 2009 13:09 |  Tags:   |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem

How to film your brilliant idea – session evaluation

Follow-up to How to film your brilliant idea – workshop slides and example video clips from Inspires Learning - Robert O'Toole

What actually took place in the experimental teaching space in the session? (Type of learners involved, the use of physical space, and the methods, resources and technology  you employed.)

Learning objectives:

1. To appreciate the enabling constraints provided by the short online movie format.
2. To understand how a short online movie can be constructed to serve a rhetorical or informational purpose.
3. To understand the 3 part narrative arc format.
4. To learn how to use iMovie09 on an Apple iMac to create footage and edit a movie.

Students:

Six early career administrators from an externally facing admin department.

Session format:

Short presentations, with Keynote slides and clips from example videos (available online). Hands-on work in teams of 3. Each team had an Apple iMac and a Sanyo Xacti HD video camera.

Spatial format:

For the short talks, the students gathered around the projection screen at the back of the space. Presentations were run from an iMac on a table at the front. This was semi-partitioned with curtains and a white board. Each video editing suite was placed on a table, close together, in the middle portion of the room. The front end of the room was setup as a space for filming interview footage, with additional studio lighting. This was demonstrated but not used (due to time constraints).

The presentation iMac was connected to an external video camera, as well as two border mics mixed through a Belkin TuneStation. This was an experimental attempt to record the presentations using Screenflow. However, the recording was lost as a result of a software error.

How well did the session promote and achieve student learning, relative to the learning outcomes?

The learning objectives were achieved, with the students reporting to have found the session useful and enjoyable. Student personal state descriptors were used, on an experimental basis, at three key transitional points during the session (see the results here). The responses were largely positive, with the students reporting to have felt inspired and challenged. The responses indicate a small decline towards the end of the three hours.

What did you, as a tutor, learn? How do you consider the experience will affect your future teaching practice?

An inspirational effect resulted from tight integration of short example video clips and a well designed Keynote presentation. The students were amazed at what they could achieve with iMovie. However, they did go a bit too far in exploiting the creative potential of every available feature.

What advice would you give to colleagues considering similar approaches?

Use Keynote. Use iMovie. Keep it fast paced.


Robert O'Toole : 13 Aug 2009 09:49 |  Tags:    |  Comments (2) |  Report a problem