Innovative ideas in e-learning;
In today’s class we had the opportunity to meet Aditya and Nemil, the creators of ViewXtreme, a distance learning solution for next generation classrooms. ViewXtreme is probably one of the most innovative distance learning solutions I have seen. As opposed to traditional distance learning which comprises of static video streams, which also requires much more control and management to shoot the videos, require expensive and multiple cameras and most importantly fails to replicate the classroom experience.
From my personal perspective, I think e-learning is a great medium that allows us to participate in classes and lectures held around the world, and learn things we never could otherwise, but the lack of the classroom discussion and interaction experience is what makes it difficult for me to choose an online class over an offline one. The way e-learning is today, it requires a lot of self-discipline from the student, and in addition needs them to participate in what is a technologically innovative environment, but which still lacks the social interaction we have in classrooms even today.
ViewXtreme uses just one HD video camera to record the lecture as the teacher is teaching the class and then delivers it as a high quality video which can then be streamed by remote users who want to view the lecture. In future, the software would like to take the feed directly from the camera and then transmit that to ViewXtreme.
ViewXtreme, allows the user to track the lecture, which is again quite groundbreaking. The lecture is divided into 6 - 8 parts which can be viewed in a thumbnail at the bottom of the video, and the user can either click on the thumbnail of the portion the user wants to move to, or just use the mouse to scroll over to the view of the lecture you want to look at. The movement tracking system tracks the movement of the lecturer and moves the lecture automatically to a different thumbnail corresponding to the movement. Currently the zoom and the movement operates using a functionality similar to google maps. Once you click on a thumbnail, you can also zoom in and have a clearer view of the slides or the blackboard in the lecture. Currently viewing powerpoint slides is not very clear and one alternative is to take the powerpoint slides directly from the computer and then overlay it on the slides in the lecture to give a clearer format, and also try to automatically detect slide changes.
Currently only the lecturer has a mic, from where you can hear the lecture. In future it might be nice to divide the classroom up into sections and place a mic in each section, so that the camera can also record any questions asked by students in the class. In future it may also be possible to have some multiple motion sensitive cameras to record both the lecturer and the students asking questions.
One of the topics we discussed in detail regarding the software apart from trying to increase interactivity amongst the students was a note taking feature. One of the alternatives discussed was to be able to copy and paste screen shots as the video is playing and then add a note or a question to the bottom of the screen shot. These questions can then be transferred to the lecturer, or a note section where the students can share notes with each other. One idea was to have subtitles on the lecture slides so that the screen capture could give you a little more information about the topic at hand. We also discussed having a table of contents and having a timeline for the video, so that the user could directly click on the section they wanted to watch or review without having
In future versions it may also be interesting to see more interaction amongst the students both remote and in class, and interaction between the students and the teacher. Perhaps a discussion forum for students which uses both audio and video. In a future, in an ideal system, there would be seamless interaction where the instructor can teach using their natural style and the students can interact with each other.
We also had the opportunity to hear from Veronica, who is currently a knight scholar at Stanford, and used to be the editor-in-chief of “Catalyst” magazine in Chicago. Veronica during her year at Stanford, is trying to work on designing a solution to bridge the gap for access to educational information about high schools in the city of Chicago.
Catalyst’s mission is “To improve the education of all children through authoritative journalism and leadership of a constructive dialogue among students, parents, educators, community leaders and policy makers”. During her time in working with Catalyst, and the students in the Chicago area, Veronica realized a very real need for students to get timely information about high school admission processes, their deadlines and requirements. And if a student does not get admission at a high school then for him or her to know what are the options they have left at that point so that they do not end up wasting their year or delaying going to school.
We discussed that any web based solution will need to gather all the information about the schools and their application process and deadlines. They will also need to have some kind of a mapping system, in order to tell the students about the schools closest to their homes. In addition building a community support based forum would be useful. The community based tool will facilitate exchange of information within parents. It may also be possible to have a mobile solution for this problem which will provide instant information and feedback to the students and their families.
A few sample websites to look into which operate community based forums and operate based on crowd sourcing are Yelp, Craigslist, Yahoo and Google groups and various other discussion forums. This is a great need based project, and I hope that Catalyst is able to come up with a solution to this problem in a small scope and then expand it to a greater area with the help of school and community co-operation.
In today’s class we had the opportunity to meet Aditya and Nemil, the creators of ViewXtreme, a distance learning solution for next generation classrooms. ViewXtreme is probably one of the most innovative distance learning solutions I have seen. As opposed to traditional distance learning which comprises of static video streams, which also requires much more control and management to shoot the videos, require expensive and multiple cameras and most importantly fails to replicate the classroom experience.
From my personal perspective, I think e-learning is a great medium that allows us to participate in classes and lectures held around the world, and learn things we never could otherwise, but the lack of the classroom discussion and interaction experience is what makes it difficult for me to choose an online class over an offline one. The way e-learning is today, it requires a lot of self-discipline from the student, and in addition needs them to participate in what is a technologically innovative environment, but which still lacks the social interaction we have in classrooms even today.
ViewXtreme uses just one HD video camera to record the lecture as the teacher is teaching the class and then delivers it as a high quality video which can then be streamed by remote users who want to view the lecture. In future, the software would like to take the feed directly from the camera and then transmit that to ViewXtreme.
ViewXtreme, allows the user to track the lecture, which is again quite groundbreaking. The lecture is divided into 6 - 8 parts which can be viewed in a thumbnail at the bottom of the video, and the user can either click on the thumbnail of the portion the user wants to move to, or just use the mouse to scroll over to the view of the lecture you want to look at. The movement tracking system tracks the movement of the lecturer and moves the lecture automatically to a different thumbnail corresponding to the movement. Currently the zoom and the movement operates using a functionality similar to google maps. Once you click on a thumbnail, you can also zoom in and have a clearer view of the slides or the blackboard in the lecture. Currently viewing powerpoint slides is not very clear and one alternative is to take the powerpoint slides directly from the computer and then overlay it on the slides in the lecture to give a clearer format, and also try to automatically detect slide changes.
Currently only the lecturer has a mic, from where you can hear the lecture. In future it might be nice to divide the classroom up into sections and place a mic in each section, so that the camera can also record any questions asked by students in the class. In future it may also be possible to have some multiple motion sensitive cameras to record both the lecturer and the students asking questions.
One of the topics we discussed in detail regarding the software apart from trying to increase interactivity amongst the students was a note taking feature. One of the alternatives discussed was to be able to copy and paste screen shots as the video is playing and then add a note or a question to the bottom of the screen shot. These questions can then be transferred to the lecturer, or a note section where the students can share notes with each other. One idea was to have subtitles on the lecture slides so that the screen capture could give you a little more information about the topic at hand. We also discussed having a table of contents and having a timeline for the video, so that the user could directly click on the section they wanted to watch or review without having
In future versions it may also be interesting to see more interaction amongst the students both remote and in class, and interaction between the students and the teacher. Perhaps a discussion forum for students which uses both audio and video. In a future, in an ideal system, there would be seamless interaction where the instructor can teach using their natural style and the students can interact with each other.
We also had the opportunity to hear from Veronica, who is currently a knight scholar at Stanford, and used to be the editor-in-chief of “Catalyst” magazine in Chicago. Veronica during her year at Stanford, is trying to work on designing a solution to bridge the gap for access to educational information about high schools in the city of Chicago.
Catalyst’s mission is “To improve the education of all children through authoritative journalism and leadership of a constructive dialogue among students, parents, educators, community leaders and policy makers”. During her time in working with Catalyst, and the students in the Chicago area, Veronica realized a very real need for students to get timely information about high school admission processes, their deadlines and requirements. And if a student does not get admission at a high school then for him or her to know what are the options they have left at that point so that they do not end up wasting their year or delaying going to school.
We discussed that any web based solution will need to gather all the information about the schools and their application process and deadlines. They will also need to have some kind of a mapping system, in order to tell the students about the schools closest to their homes. In addition building a community support based forum would be useful. The community based tool will facilitate exchange of information within parents. It may also be possible to have a mobile solution for this problem which will provide instant information and feedback to the students and their families.
A few sample websites to look into which operate community based forums and operate based on crowd sourcing are Yelp, Craigslist, Yahoo and Google groups and various other discussion forums. This is a great need based project, and I hope that Catalyst is able to come up with a solution to this problem in a small scope and then expand it to a greater area with the help of school and community co-operation.
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