Comments on: Learning to teach through video

By: Nadaleen

Nadaleen — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:02:11 +0000

This is a great summary, thanks! Also, thanks for the shoutout-I’m Nadaleen, author of: Tempelman-Kluit, N. (2006). Multimedia Learning Theories and Online Instruction. College & Research Libraries, 67(4), 364 – 9.
I love the Common Craft video examples as a good example of less is more. I actually tried a few of these type of videos for the library, and the process highlighted just how hard they are to make, and how much expertise they involve.

Here’s an example of me and one other person mucking about to make pretty awful Common Craft *type* vidoes with library content: http://www.nyu.edu/library/resources/ntk/movie/teaching_lib.html

Just as we-Instructional Design Librarians-aren’t trained in learning theory, we are also not technical experts in all things. I think to make such videos great, you’d need to work with a graphic designer and filmaker.

Anyway, food for thought and thanks again for a great post!

By: Friday Link Round Up « ellie <3 libraries

Friday Link Round Up « ellie <3 libraries — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 20:26:58 +0000

[...] Learning to teach through video [...]

By: Derik Badman

Derik Badman — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:59:07 +0000

Even better, a repository of the videos as raw material (video clips, audio clips), so that different libraries could remix their own version (with their own specific logos/peculiarities… kind of like NIN releasing songs for fans to remix in Garageband.

By: Ellie

Ellie — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:36:58 +0000

Fantastic article Kim. Thanks for summarizing and sharing. I think more of us could also be using what’s already out there and good as opposed to creating new mediocre. Going on some of the collaboration ideas from Jean’s post, I’d love to see a curated repository of exemplary instruction videos that would could direct students to. I know there are a number of places collecting instruction videos, and even specifically library instruction, but I haven’t seen one with a quality control mechanism or with explicit please copy this licensing.

By: tom

tom — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:03:00 +0000

this is cool. but man, creation (meaning “quality” creation) is really time-consuming. shooting a simple video with narration isn’t too hard with some rehearsal, but this professional production stuff is a full-time gig. a couple of years ago, I presented a program for creating flash-based instruction using Powerbullet and Wink (free software) for simple instruction (the files are still accessible here, http://www.pbclibrary.org/SEFLIN/energize.htm), but I haven’t gotten into video editing. before I became a librarian, I thought I would be a media specialist, so I took a few eduction classes, and before that, I thought I could get into TV so I had some production training, so the theory for video production and instruction is still in my brain, somewhere (maybe). and about converting ppt to video (re: “Ron says”), I save the slides as size 14.2 x 10.7 jpgs (matches a 1028 x 764 resolution screen) then use Nero VisionExpress that came with my DVD-burner to make video shows with pretty-good slide transitions. I have one in VCD format that plays on a cheap DVD player and it runs all day on an old TV in the teen area. (sorry, to go on so long..) thanks again.

By: Kim Duckett

Kim Duckett — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:58:12 +0000

Thanks, Kim! This is a wonderful overview of best practices in instructional video creation! It’s perfect content to share with librarians new to video projects as well as a good reminder for those who have been working with video for awhile.

I particularly appreciate your great overview of cognitive load theory, which I also view as critical to keep in mind (but you sum it up much better than me).

I second your point that video isn’t always the answer. It’s really hot right now and we librarians are all over it, but it can’t always be the right packaging for instructional content. For one thing, a video channels the user’s experience in a linear way when maybe what they really need is to scan text or images for the content that jumps out at them as most helpful. I think video is good for “show and tell” training (i.e. how to use a tool) and, in some cases, to tell a narrative that might be complicated or overwhelming to read.

Here’s a great example of the narrative genre that I just came across today:
Open Access 101

- Kim

By: Ron

Ron — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:05:09 +0000

This was extremely useful, thank you so much. BTW, here is a tip to convert Powerpoint presentations to video: Smart PPT to Video Converter

By: Chad

Chad — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:42:59 +0000

Very good discussion of tools, methods, and pedagogy. The tools are getting easier to use, and it’s become really easy to slap together a video or screencast without thinking about it, which I have been guilty of doing myself. Captivate and other tools are just like Powerpoint in that they give the user the ability to make really awesome or really terrible presentations. Sometimes you don’t need to use every single feature that the software has, even though it’s tempting to do so. Hopefully your post will keep readers from using text, arrows, fade-ins, and animated gifs all over their videos.

While we have Adobe Captivate, I spend most of my time making screencasts and videos with Camstudio (open source), my Flip Mino Camera, and Windows Movie Maker. It’s fairly low tech, but I can usually turn a video around pretty quickly. My storyboard is generally based on the questions I get from students, so I try to make the video for the broadest audience possible. I’m using Blip.Tv to host the videos, and then embedding them on places like this Biz Wiki page.

I appreciate the links and further reading you’ve provided, and I’ll definitely be checking those out. Thanks again for a great post.
–Chad