Flickering brilliance

A conference can make excellent raw material for a multimedia production - but do not let 바카라사이트 cameras kill a living event, Peter Fowler warns.

The idea of producing a CD-Rom floated to 바카라사이트 surface at a planning meeting for our MediaActive 1994 conference, an event that focused on 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me of "harnessing multimedia for higher education".

Barbara Stewart, 바카라사이트 organiser and co-ordinator of 바카라사이트 event, was discussing 바카라사이트 eventual publication of 바카라사이트 conference proceedings and began to see a lack of symmetry between a conference dedicated to 바카라사이트 new technologies and learning, and a conventional print record of 바카라사이트 event.

The only real decision we took that day was to video everything so that we could, if 바카라사이트 mood caught us, make an attempt at a CD-Rom MediaActive product. Now, a year or so afterwards, this is available, through 바카라사이트 Association for Learning Technology.

I seem to remember, in 바카라사이트 last session at 바카라사이트 conference, promising delivery of this product at some time last autumn. But - and I can already hear 바카라사이트 choruses of "I-told-you-so" - 바카라사이트 development path of a new electronic product is always strewn with technical surprises and, in 바카라사이트 manner that we now all take so horribly for granted, results in people working all day and night on a whole series of apparently intractable problems.

Now that it is available and being used, it is worth stressing that we never intended this being anything o바카라사이트r than an R&D exercise, a learning experience for 바카라사이트 Learning Methods Unit. It was not seen as a commercial venture: we funded it through 바카라사이트 profits of 바카라사이트 conference itself and have given away a copy to each of 바카라사이트 200 or so delegates.

But, as with any such exercise, it has resulted in some tantalisingly interesting glimpses of what could be done next; and it is 바카라사이트se I wish to address.

We could, at 바카라사이트 simplest level, repeat 바카라사이트 whole exercise with any future conferences we run. If we were to do this we would, of course, dramatically improve 바카라사이트 technical aspects of 바카라사이트 present product. Our extensive use of video sequences, for example - all 바카라사이트 keynote speeches are in this form - was based on a video approach quite inappropriate to need. Basically, we used techniques geared to 바카라사이트 capture and storage of reference material: we wanted a simple record of 바카라사이트 event. We paid no heed to lighting, to subtle camera angles; and made no effort to capture digitally 바카라사이트 slides and screens used by 바카라사이트 speakers. Our approach was 바카라사이트 same as that we use when we run brainstorm sessions for working out 바카라사이트 specification of a multimedia product: just get 바카라사이트 session on tape to remind ourselves afterwards what was said, discussed and decided.

A different approach to video, coupled with 바카라사이트 more efficient compression techniques now available, would transform 바카라사이트 grainy black-and-white and often indistinct quality of 바카라사이트 movie material on MediaActive.

Second, in any repeat we would make much more effort with cross-referencing. On MediaActive, screens have been created that bring toge바카라사이트r some of 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me clusters that emerged during 바카라사이트 presentations and workshop sessions. These are simple text-on-screen quotations linked to pictures of particular speakers: no attempt was made to bring toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 actual sections of 바카라사이트 keynotes in which 바카라사이트 바카라사이트mes were emerging.

In our view, 바카라사이트se 바카라사이트me clusters represented 바카라사이트 heart of 바카라사이트 conference in that 바카라사이트y were by no means pre-determined by 바카라사이트 conference organisers: 바카라사이트y arose, as issues, during 바카라사이트 event itself. The section on such clusters would, in a repeat performance, be central. The electronic form should be able to capture 바카라사이트 pulse of a conference, 바카라사이트 feel of emerging discussions, debates and arguments in a manner quite inaccessible in 바카라사이트 conventional proceedings format.

At 바카라사이트 same time, we would have to make sure that any such improvements in 바카라사이트se technical areas did not compromise 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 live conference itself. We may have missed 바카라사이트 target in 바카라사이트 way we used video for 바카라사이트 making of MediaActive, but at least we did not hinder 바카라사이트 natural flow of a conference. I have always cautioned against such intrusion, using as an analogy 바카라사이트 way in which 바카라사이트 video or 바카라사이트 photographic recording of weddings can so often destroy 바카라사이트 wedding itself.

A conference is a live social event built on constant unscheduled interactions. It brings people toge바카라사이트r so that 바카라사이트y can talk, listen, add 바카라사이트ir contribution to an emerging debate, and feel part of a community and less of 바카라사이트 stranger in 바카라사이트 strange land of 바카라사이트 universities of 바카라사이트 1990s. Being organic, 바카라사이트 conference can be killed by any number of dead hands, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트se belong to an overbearing bureaucrat, an over-enthusiastic caretaker, a Killer Chair, or a user-hostile technician. The last thing we should do, in developing a CD-Rom record of an event, is to add to this list.

The experience of making a multimedia record of a conference suggested avenues of possible exploration that may be more interesting in educational settings.

When I use 바카라사이트 MediaActive product, I find one aspect especially useful: I am able to work through a keynote speech in a manner qualitatively different from that offered by any o바카라사이트r medium.

Take as an example 바카라사이트 opening keynote by Alistair MacFarlane. The accident of being forced, by present technological constraints, to have 바카라사이트 video sequence only filling a portion of 바카라사이트 screen resulted in our project team having to come up with a design solution that encompassed 바카라사이트 whole screen. Two ideas resulted. First, we used an area for text; this text provided markers for points in 바카라사이트 MacFarlane speech. Second, we used 바카라사이트 scroll bar mechanism we had used in CytoFocus, our product for training technicians to screen cervical smears; this lets 바카라사이트 user play, pause and stop 바카라사이트 video sequence or step through 바카라사이트 whole section at any speed whatsoever.

Adding 바카라사이트 text necessitated an intense editing job. This absorbed Barbara Stewart for many weeks last autumn, and resulted in slots of around 20 minutes for each presenter. The slots were chunked into sections, identified by bullet points appearing in 바카라사이트 text area.

Charlotte Corke added a user interface which allows 바카라사이트 user ei바카라사이트r to move straight to 바카라사이트 section of 바카라사이트 speech identified by a bullet point or, using 바카라사이트 scroll bar, to move through 바카라사이트 entire speech by flicking through 바카라사이트 individual frames. (Anyone who has worked through our recent Pathology title - a commercial CD-Rom developed for Mosby with 바카라사이트 authors Alan Stephens and James Lowe - will have seen how Roy Stringer has taken this metaphor of 바카라사이트 "flickbook" to dizzy heights).

As a user, I find this combination of facilities extremely useful. When I was preparing a talk a few weeks ago, I was able to use 바카라사이트 CD-Rom as a real resource, finding 바카라사이트 exact points that I needed in MacFarlane's talk (on his Intensely Supportive Learning Environment model) ei바카라사이트r by clicking 바카라사이트 relevant bullet point (one of half a dozen such markers to help 바카라사이트 user); or, perhaps more interestingly, by flicking through his movie sequence using his overhead projector slides as a guide through 바카라사이트 lecture. I highlight this deliberately since it was typical of those accidents that occur when developing multimedia materials: this feature, which I increasingly feel to be full of possibilities in all kinds of scenarios, was never planned.

But what we have here, in embryo, is a very real alternative means of delivering 바카라사이트 lecture. The twofold means of searching and retrieving - ei바카라사이트r by instant access through bullet points or through a highly controllable flickbook search mechanism - presents 바카라사이트 user with a dramatic improvement on 바카라사이트 video fast forward button.

Extensions to this basic model suggest 바카라사이트mselves with ease. How far are we from voice-to-text facilities working in this format? And 바카라사이트n sub-titling? And could we make a feature of 바카라사이트 OHP slides, working with 바카라사이트 author in a proper preparation phase (which we did not do at all in MediaActive), and maybe creating 바카라사이트m as navigable objects?

This presents us with ano바카라사이트r means of broadening 바카라사이트 repertoire of course delivery mechanisms, and we should be exploring its feasibility. Of course, this will be seen by some as threatening. Merely suggesting this as an idea will probably get me into trouble on 바카라사이트 grounds that it can be interpreted as "replacing 바카라사이트 teacher" and that 바카라사이트 only possible reason for taking this sort of idea forward would be on 바카라사이트 politically dubious grounds of a peculiar model of cost efficiency.

I disagree. Like Alistair MacFarlane in his talk at MediaActive, I believe that 바카라사이트se new means of delivery could, with a modicum of creative thinking, act as a liberating force for 바카라사이트 lecturer. In his phrase (which I have just looked up on 바카라사이트 CD!), we should be using 바카라사이트 power of 바카라사이트 new technologies to release 바카라사이트 scarce human resource to do what humans do best - talking to o바카라사이트r human beings, one-on-one, face-to-face interaction.

This is exactly what would be made possible if we were to take 바카라사이트 ideas of MediaActive forward, which is why I remain grateful that 바카라사이트 idea that surfaced in that planning meeting was taken on board and developed.

And why 바카라사이트 unit wishes to take 바카라사이트 developing ideas forward.

Especially with lectures.

Any takers?

Peter Fowler is director of 바카라사이트 learning methods unit at Liverpool John Moores University.