My previous posting highlighted several "good enough" technologies that have become very
popular -- MP3, YouTube, Skype, Flip video camera, and Google Apps. I
talked about the challenge of lecture capture and how simple tools such
as a webcam and Camtasia might be all you need to deliver "good enough"
video to students.
Yesterday I came across an editorial
by Jim Rapoza who makes the case for another "good enough" device, his
multi-function smart phone. In Rapoza's words: "I do own a nice MP3
player, a very good digital point-and-shoot camera and a Flip
camcorder, and, while I don't own an e-book reader, I've had the chance
to try out several. But I find that I'm leaving these devices at home
more and more and just sticking with one multifunction device. All of
these single-purpose devices are excellent and in pretty much every
case they are superior to the functionality in my smartphone. But it's
also true that in most cases my smartphone is good enough."
Jim was referring to his Blackberry. For me it would be my iPhone which I've been greatly enjoying the past four months. Now that I have my iPhone I don't need another phone, camera, video camera, GPS, calculator, MP3 player, calendar, email reader, voice recorder, notepad, compass, alarm clock, Bible, e-book reader, or web browser. With a few exceptions*, all of these functions are "good enough" for me. Amazing what one little pocket device can deliver.
*for web browsing and emailing I definitely prefer my laptop. Every now and then I wish the iPhone camera had a zoom and a flash. The AT&T phone service isn't the greatest here in Upland -- my reception fluctuates from one bar to five bars, even sitting in the same room.
Robert Capps wrote an intriguing article, The Good Enough Revolution: When Cheap and Simple is Just Fine (Wired Magazine, Aug. 24, 2009), where he cites examples in the market place where consumers are choosing the "good enough" over higher-quality alternatives. Consider the popularity of MP3, YouTube, Skype, Flip video camera, and Google Apps.
How does this relate to education? Lecture capture has been generating a lot of buzz as online programs seek to deliver content via the web. Sophisticated (and expensive) systems are on the market that record everything that a professor delivers in the classroom. High-end video editing tools can produce an impressive end product.
For Taylor's online program we have experimented with high-quality lecture videos, setting up studio conditions and investing hours of time filming and editing. What we're discovering, however, is that a simple webcam and tools such as Camtasia (inexpensive) and Movie Maker (free) might just be "good enough". Such low-budget videos are: 1) quick to produce, and instructors can do much of the work on their own, 2) ideal for a 6-10 minute mini lesson*, 3) small in size and easy on bandwidth, 4) of sufficient quality to satisfy the YouTube generation (as long as audio is clear and slides can be read), and 5) easy to update in courses that require semester to semester tweaking.
*We need to get away from the idea of posting 50-minute lectures online. Students have difficulty engaging in an hour long face-to-face classroom lecture. How long do you suppose they will sit in front of their computer watching a long lecture before their cell phone comes out and they open up Facebook? (How many of us watch an hour-long online webinar without checking our email?)