Digital Signposts

Looking inside video...

Within current discourse on video for learning, there are many concurrent ideas on how to use video in educational contexts. These cover a wide spectrum, ranging from recorded lectures,  or the Khan Academy video tutorials, (which have inadvertently given rise to the flipped classroom meme), to dedicated educational platforms that aggregate online video, for example  Watchknow.org  Sometimes video is mixed with other content using APIs, as on the HistoryPin website.

Other platforms such as EdMediaShare which uses the Dial-e framework, (developed at the University of Hull), are designed to promote an alternative way of using video. However the most frequent use of video in learning  is still to illustrate or amplify subject matter or to present didactic information in the form of a recorded  lecture or presentation.

This is understandable, one of the drawbacks of using video, as opposed to text, is that it cannot be searched in as easily as texts.  Whilst it is straightforward to search search a library of documents for a word - sentence or paragraph but with video search relies on title or associated metadata. This may be about to change.  Research at the Hasso Platter institute has come close to making 'semantic video' a reality. Using  semantic media analysis;  in the near future, it will be possible to conduct searches  within video, (collections, and individual videos), directly by the content within them

Here are a few thoughts on how this might work, using some clips from EdMediaShare to illustrate:

•  OCR, (search for text in shots of maps or signposts) 
• Audio  (the stirring music, so common in old newsreels,  used to illustrate the Berengeria clip)
• Speech recogniton (look for topics with  specific terminology, eg, Mobile learning.
• Motion Vectors  (Tacoma Narrows)
• Visual analysis (identify structural  changes in video;  tone/colour/pace  as in this JISC resource on copyright)
• Face recognition (identify specific speakers in the  JISC collection) 

It seems likely that such tools will completely redefine the ways in which we can learn through video. Hopefully some of these tools them will also be found within YouTube in the not to distant future.

The Slideshare presentation from Hasso Platter gives a very detailed overview of the underlying process and there is also a demo screencast here.

Domesday Reloaded (Part 2)

Domesday System by ljw Licence CC  BY-NC-SA

Riding on the wave of excitement generated through BBC Domesday Reloaded project makes this a good time to take an objective look at some of the wider issues arising out of Domesday for learning technology, and if possible learn some lessons for the future.

“In 1986 the BBC launched an ambitious project to record a snapshot of everyday life across the UK for future generations. A million volunteers took part…”

This an interesting statement, because it was never realised through the original project format; but now may be with the release of the Reloaded project, and even more so if the data on the National Disc is finally released. Unless folk were associated with a school or had access at a library it is unlikely they would have had  hands-on experience of the Domesday system.

Many blogs and tweets suggest that Domesday Reloaded is a complete reconstruction of the original 1984-86 project, but that is quite far from the truth. It does not contain any of the rich data from the National Disc. The National Disc contains a great deal of, (authoritative), media and statistics. Just how much can be gauged in the first  section of this promotional video,  specifically from 03:15 > 9:32, on the timeline. It is clear that the Community disc data is culturally significant and  the National data disc completes that anecdotal snapshot of the UK picture with an even and focused coverage.

Neither is it true to suggest that the only reason for the loss of the Domesday data is obsolescent technology. Human shortcomings are just as much, if not more to blame. Although obsolescent technology may have contributed to the the loss of the Domesday system, it was not the only cause. This is evidenced by the fact that researchers based at Leeds University and the University of Michigan working on the Camileon Project were successful in accessing and emulating the BBC's Domesday project on a PC.

Although the systems were superseded by digital optical media, many of the surviving systems, (c.1000 sold), were just left in cupboards or as I heard through trusted anecdotal evidence - in one LEA (Local Education Authority), 2 were simply thrown in the skip when moving offices. Again the human factor... one wonders how many times this was replicated?

Evidence, from Charlesworth. University of Hull, (2002); suggests that the greatest obstacle was clearing Copyright. Nearly all the content, including both data and software has IP rights attached. It appears to be an extremely complex web of rights. Charlesworth’s report also indicates, even at the time of writing (2002),  some rights holders were untraceable and it could be 2090 before all data would be in the public domain.

Should ever such a venture be undertaken in the future (using public funds and contributions) it would make sense to ensure that content providers and contributors were asked to make their work available under a Creative Commons licence, or at least the BBC Creative Archive Licence.  Unfortunately this is not a requirement of the Reloaded initiative and there is no real licencing guidance for contributors other than the BBC’s normal T&Cs. (Even so, everyone should contribute because of the cultural significance of the project).  Similarly it would be hoped any future venture would be developed using Open Source software.

In addition to the  Domesday Reloaded will achieve is to generate awareness and of Domesday, (including the original Domesday Book, which is also online), judging by blog post and tweets this is already happening.  In order to fully appreciate the nature of the BBC Domesday Project it is worth reading this detailed description of Domesday and also the work of  Darlington, Finney and Pearce describing the recovery of the data on the discs. Sadly; Adrian Pearce died in 2008 and his original site is no longer available but the http://www.domesday1986.com/ URL now links to the Domesday Special Interest Group.

Update
There are indications from the Centre for Computing History that they are working with the National Disc and hoping to make it live in the near future. Great news if it happens.

 

If there are any factual errors in this post please let me know and I will amend as appropriate.

 

Domesday Reloaded (Part 1)

George Auckland by Rain Rabitt  Licence  CC- BY-NC

Firstly,  I think we should all congratulate George Auckland  and his team for breathing new life into the 1984-86 Domesday Project. I have met George several times and have been privileged to hear him to speak at conferences, and have never failed to be moved by his knowledge, modesty and vision. George can now add Domesday Reloaded to his significant achievements.  Domesday Reloaded is a “full extraction of the community disc  - This is the material which has been published online as the centrepiece of the BBC “Domesday Reloaded website.”

The significance of the original BBC Domesday Project should not be underestimated in the history of audio visual learning. Undertaken in 1984 and first published in 1986, Its mission was to capture a snapshot of life in the UK by combining geographical information with cultural media, data and statistics. In some ways this can be seen as a forerunner of today's crowd-sourced interactive media. A collaborative venture between the BBC, schools and the general public, two laser-vision data discs contained over 80,000 images, OS Maps and professional video footage. Its scope can be gathered from this detailed promotional video.  Unfortunately the combination of the high cost of hardware and its technical complexity meant it was never able to fulfill its true educational potential. It is not surprising that many of those concepts would re-emerge later, facilitated by Internet based platforms.

My initial reaction was excitement and elation, the first thing I did was to look where I grew up and read the comments, most from schoolchildren, some I knew. Judging by the Twitter stream resulting from a search on “Domesday.”  I was not alone. “Memories” is the recurring theme, and the stream is littered with anecdotes of personal involvement or recollections of a place.  Very interestingly quite a few folks suggest that Domesday extended their vision of the possibilities of IT, especially in relation to learning.

At the time I was a, (young), ICT advisor with Bradford LA and privileged to be able to run a Domesday project with  local schools who would “borrow” one of our systems for a month, (we had both the BBC Master and RM PC186 driven players). The schools set up projects using the kit and evaluated their potential through teacher feedback and students work. Sadly it is unlikely any of that still exists.

Following the live Twitterstream, as I write this; I am amazed by the number of tweeters who have identified, and are already sharing their original contributions the project. A  thread running through the tweets is an unbridled craving for this type of resource. It will be interesting to watch, over the coming months, how this project brings people together.

Domesday Reloaded once again offers great opportunities learning and I am sure schools throughout the land will already be planning projects based on Domesday.
Children (and adults), can engage once again engage with the country we live in and compare our lives  then and now through contributing to the site.

It is pleasing to hear that future of the original community content, plus the updated site  will be assured by the National Archive as stated in this BBC news item

“The revised Domesday archive will finally be closed to new contributions in November, at which time it will be handed over to The National Archives Future generations will be able to access this unique snapshot of life in Britain online for as long as the Internet keeps working.

Part 2, will look at the wider implications of Domesday.

 

Changing the past

Began way back, long before Photoshop. Nowadays, you can do it online, of course.

Via Boing Boing

Rethinking information handling

Exploring the fundamental changes in the way we work with information, Information R/evolution (above) is the new video from Michael Wesch, whose other works include the viral The Machine Is Using Us, and more recently,  A vision of Students Today. Combined, these videos set out some fundamental and inescapable challenges that education systems must address. It is worth noting some business professionals are already aware of the implications. (via The Obvious)

Incidentally, I installed beta version of Leap on my Mac today and the need for folders is becoming less critical by the minute. T

Seam Carving - It really works!

Rsizr The intelligent image resizing tool,  I mentioned in my August 31st  post is now available as an online application.  It takes bit of getting used to, but it really does work. The secret is to use the selection tools to choose which areas of an image to protect, or even remove. My first attempt is shown above. I look forward to spending some time exploring the creative possibilities, and seeing the work of others. Its also quite fascinating to watch the image processing take place before your very eyes.

Digital imaging moves to the next level

Just when digital imaging applications seem to have reached a high water mark, new developments appear at Siggraph. The video above (via O'Reilly Radar) shows some stunning developments in resizing images without cropping and scaling. The last sequence will add completely new perspective to the debate around 'removing' data from images.

Interactive Map of Education and the Future

I was excited by this interactive map from the KnowledgeWorks Foundation. Based on research data, it suggests the  forces and drivers of educational change and their possible impact. One can explore the map intuitively, or collaboratively, possibly in a CPD setting. The nodes on the map expand and offer opportunities for further study or to engage in online discussions, it is also intuitive and satisfying to use. (Source:  Information Aesthetics ).

The Door is Now Open...

National Curriculum  for ICT KS3, QCA,  July 2007

In case anyone is still in any doubt, the door is open now for real creative, effective and appropriate use of ICT for learning in schools in England and Wales.  I am on the 7:20 from Leeds to Kings Cross, benefiting from the, (at times flaky), wifi, I have  just downloaded  and, quickly,  looked at the latest Keystage 3 & 4; National Curriculum Programmes of Study, (thanks to Shropshire for the link). Reading  this is like a breath of fresh air, real life contexts, using ICT to learn, share communicate and build knowledge; with no mention of specific software packages, or pointless scenarios for sham software practice.

Here are a just few snippets that caught my eye:

(explore and use) new ICT tools as they become available.

(explore) the ways that ICT can be used to communicate, collaborate and share ideas on a global scale, allowing people to work together in new ways and changing the way in which knowledge is created.

work creatively and collaboratively, taking different roles in teams

(use)  ICT to compress graphic, sound and video files to allow faster downloading;

take account of the source of the information to make judgements on its plausibility, accuracy, completeness, currency and reliability, and to assess bias and partiality

evaluate critically: This could include self-review, peer evaluation and user or audience feedback. Students should judge both the quality of their work and how effectively they have used ICT.

And the picture of a Mac ... well thats just an added bonus.

Are we impressed?

Apple.com/uk

Apple.com

Apple have just released the first three iPhone videos ready for its impending release in the  US. Having watched them I  have to confess I am impressed and its certainly got my must-have buds going. Do I need one?  Well that's another matter, but as we will have to wait a bit longer here in the UK, I have got time to think about and it and gauge the reaction from across the pond. But it will be with us quicker, letting us experience the new touch UI first hand, than the more expensive  Microsoft Surface Computing as mentioned in my previous post. Thanks to David Pogue for the alert, as he says it will probably start a (predictable) flame war; in fact there are already some interesting comments on his post. Anyone else impressed?