Homebase blog for a group of sites updated by Will Pollard. The hope is to work out how they link together so people can find the bits of interest.
Sunday, May 31, 2020
drupa / Networked Learnng / YouTube continued #3
Kodak webinar with Pat McGrew needs registrarion before you can watch it. Variable data still not adopted as much as it could be. Long ago at IPEX I claimed as a blogger I should have a Zi8 as part of the press release goodies. There was an enormous machine to record. Not sure when it will arrive in Devon.
I have skipped Network Learning for a few days to catch up on a MOOC about blended learning. Only ten days behind now. Not sure how it fits or where the boundaries are. "Blended Education" includes policy and resources, probably in week 5.
Cameras everywhere there is a phone. Video is normal.
To be fair to BBC, Mirror was represented on Marr papers review. i am getting late with this aspect. There is another blog - Fleet Street in Europe and Cyberspace - that i have not updated recently as getting too much overlap with this one. Papers not so much influence in print, but still reference for tv / radio. Social media also part of it.
Today Mail has split from #LiarJohnson support. Piers Morgan even has doubts about Trump. Who knows what will happen tomorrow? But today Murdoch papers still with #No10Sources.
I return to this for a couple of reasons. Last week at #nlc2020 there was a positive take on twitter from Meg Westbury ( @MegWestbury ) but I failed to explain my question which was if this changed the case for investment in another platform such as Futurelearn. Previously Peter Horrocks was criticised for investing OU funds and had to resign. Today I have been included in a twitter exchange around many issues but Peter Horrocks is one. So here are some screenshots then I will have more on Futurelearn.
What is missing is policy on Futurelearn. Has anything changed? My take is that the investment from Seek demonstrates there can be another view, that the Horrocks policy is good sense. Obviously the end of buildings for regional support is a problem. The OU has limited funds. "Managerialese" is an issue. How best to say that teaching is not a priority for some engaged in research? Anyway this is just repeating previous posts. I think the Guardian fails to report the MOOC because it challenges the print model for news. @WilbyPeter could do his interview again one more time.
Suggest a look at Class Central for news on the MOOC and reports on how it moves into credentials / certificates / degrees. Futurelearn now critiqued with Coursera as part of venture capital world but how many ways can this be argued? Horrocks at least made a sensible investment in this view. ( There could be another cybercrash but this takes me off topic ) Platform University is something to worry about , conference in Lancaster may happen sometime. But compared to what? Fortress University as described by Peter Horrocks in Durham
I have backed off the idea of a future scifi set in ruins of fortress university but may come back to this as a shock item. Seeing the UCU logo again reminds me of the tweets around Durham plans earlier this year. I can understand the concerns but some things are worth repeating. What seemed to happen was that just after the apparent plans to move online were dropped the flow of tweets etc stopped. As if no longer any need to worry about lost jobs. Secure as long as the campus remains as normal. Very similar with Horrocks. Once he went no interest in what happens with Futurelearn.
Not sure how this will work out later.
Trying again, question for librarians. Thinking about HE infrastructure, if Twitter is working, why not invest in platforms not just buildings ?
Mostly I was following the Networked Learning Conference from Aalborg. Previously I have been to two in Lancaster. This one completely online. Denmark seems to have a deal with Adobe for Connect. Also last week there was an evening on Zoom from TED Exeter. I missed two of the keynotes because of other meetings. I am part of a Deming / Quality group thinking about how to move online. Go To Meeting works fine, we managed to get a doc inside the screen. Kaleider / South West Tech Network arranged a talk from Fred Deakin on how to set up online meetings. Exeter has been one location for Like Minds, speakers including Digital Marketing University. Last week their talk included Prof Santanu Ray so getting closer to a real university. So some of this will turn up as part of comments on #nlc2020 conference.
This week I am thinking about how to promote a special offer that follows the conference. Springer allow ten articles to be free for download. They each come from one of the books about Networked Learning. So far the promo tweets and website have been fairly restrained. I think it is hard to follow what the choices are / where to start. Definitions change over time, but why? Book collections may map to dates of conferences but how?
Video links
The Digital Marketing University evening talk is here , on Facebook so cannot embed easily. My question is about price positioning for online courses. If students object to fees would they accept online at a lower price point?
Previously, I think in Exeter , Mr. Aji Issac Mathew CEO, Indus Net TechShu
What is the "funnel" for tweets > sample journal article > book ? How to think about the readers and the librarians? ( I have no idea by the way but clues may emerge later. I will ask my quality friends. Is it a process? Can stats offer anything? )
Also possible more design in tweets. Text needs help. Fred Deakin from University of the Arts London, includes London College of Communication. How did he get there? Question not asked in this video.
Two more videos found that relate to #nlc2020 . Meg Westbury made a strong case for Twitter as infrastructure for librarians to expand their role. I cannot find any previous talk but this is an example of video style probably based on Powerpoint, gets over some clear instruction.
Lesley Gourlay spoke at #nlc2020 in praise of the classic lecture, featuring what is lost by the move online. I found an earlier lecture that relates though more about the balance of print within a media mix. Maybe not what it is about, just what struck me.
Connect probably recorded most of #nlc2020 so some of it will be uploaded and public later. A more complex funnel leading back to the books. Or maybe valid anyway. Springer seem to be open to possibilities. More later.
( During #nlc2020 the boundary definitions were clear. Some of my interests are outside but may coexist )
My guess is that we are in a new phase for BBC as a state broadcaster / Conservative fan club. #Marr show today had nothing I remember on Mail pitch by #LiarJohnson . Seems he announced new policy / spending on vaccine, also reported in Express. Follows telly statement rather than Parliament. is this worth comment? Only Amber Rudd there so not her choice as an issue. BBC reporter talks about uncertainty of R in context of teacher unions request for science. Later Marr has no query about R when Gove claims total confidence for sending teachers back to work.
Care homes problems follow failures by Labour as well as Conservative over many years, claims Marr. On schools he asks Gove if there has been an anti government move by unions as if this explains their concerns.
Papers discussed - Telegraph /Mail /Times . No mention of these front pages
When asking Gove or anyone , even #LiarJohnson may face questions at some time , about why early phase of policy was inadequate there could be mention of this clip.
Comes from a major speech on Brexit. Jeremy Vine on 5 has explained that there was a concern to make Big Ben Bong for Brexit. But could there be more comment on this speech? full version on YouTube. I have yet to see it on telly.
The papers for Networked Learning are now available online ahead of Monday. All in PDF. Adobe also supply Connect which I have downloaded and checked. Turns out there is a credit for the Print and Publishing part of Adobe, seems to be in India. How connected are these apps ? There is also CanopyLAB , seems more for messages. It will be interesting how these work. CanopyLAB appears to be working on links to Microsoft Teams and Zoom. This is not really a tech event, by the way. Networked Learning can be completely offline. One of the keynotes prefers an actual lecture as in everyone being in the room. It will be interesting to see how much feedback there is on what timescale.
Meanwhile a YouTube vid on workflow is not listed so no direct link. You have to register to see it. Early on some stats about adoption in print industry. Still not much use of variable data. this is still the best use of digital I can see. More on this later. Running out of time, next week could be notes mode.
Zoom launch of special issue now on YouTube. No password needed. This is not a lecture but holds attention by breaking up the timing of presentation and allowing feedback.
#IsFMDead #Wild Show @wenotno @PhonicFM update / recap
Another bundle of video / story so far. Wild show and We Don't Know both on Phonic FM but we are unable to get into studio at this time. May change during June. I am trying out bits of mp3 for a form of drama show / continuation of the Storyteller. But after tests now waiting on the studio for shows.
So in brief FM is not dead, but for us at this time might as well be. Other stations carrying on and Phonic FM can play some shows recorded or hosted at home. Question is how much of music promo has moved online / will continue in some way different? Is the home studio ever going to work for broadcast quality sound? This was a camera pointed at Facebook messenger, not the most advanced setup.
During next week there will be an event at Kaleider to explore this and offer training. This event is fully booked. Sign up here for news of the next one. Or look out for tweets around the issues. In brief, everywhere is a studio but sound and lighting are not yet automated. Also, how engaged is the audience?
Following Radio Devon last night, here is some explanation / recap on bits and pieces so far. The #HyperLocal project is to maintain local art during the lockdown. I attempted art as part of this. Usually I just blog but find that art is harder to remix than music for example so some of my own may be good for a test. Also the trend to video has revealed the chaos in my attic anyway so it did not take much to intensify.
( More later on claims that online is "wishy washy" and people want to go back to tactile . My main point is that the move online is the key result of this time )
Finding out about the project through Twitter I though it was at least partly about social media so I did several short video clips. Mostly YouTube / tweets though I found Instagram has video , must be at least a minute.
These showed as of mid April the background, the files, the desk and the obscured window. Later there was some progress when a space appeared on the desk and a green screen obscured most of the background.
These have all been promoted via tweets and also two on Instagram. Not much feedback but the people I meet online are used to them, or the green screen.
Also I have done a link to the question " Is FM Dead ?" - #IsFMDead - part of a discussion with Chris, JD and Jon from wild show and @wenotno on @PhonicFM . More in the next post.
So this at least shows a design intention of something that could be art of some kind. Take on a video diary. Very #HyperLocal as just one part of a house. I cannot get used to a smart phone, i much prefer a desktop. Over years the rest of what was an office has gathered clutter but the screen continues ok most of the time.
The work backed by the #Hyperlocal project is now complete and online. Last night on Radio Devon there was an interview with Brendan Barry and others by Sarah Gosling about photography and how many people prefer tactile forms of art, photos on paper via film rather than screens. this is where I started my rave..
Leaving this there for the moment. May go back to rave mode later. Others on Phonic FM may well agree with Sarah. But I think forms of digital art could exist and probably develop at this time. The works from the project exist on line, some on YouTube. i have started a playlist #hyperlocal . Now found a better tag - #HyperlocalArtsCommissions
next week there is a course at Kaleider. see next post.
This is on Vimeo. Thing is so far I only came across more and more text. seemed strange for a project about video. this one has sound design, stay with it. Not Creative Commons . do not mess about with the edit. This version is intended.
The article around this is from Volume 4 Issue 2 published by Brill. I will read this later with care. Just skipping at the moment. Now found the embed code is not working, sorry about that. will leave as a large link.
Meanwhile have joined CanopyLab , the social media site for Networked Learning. Works fine, I have joined one course. Seemed just text to start with but video pops up.
The drupa site has video also, part of a mix with print. this one was recorded before the lockdown .
The YouTube embed code is working fine. I guess the film festival will have some content marketing, enough clips to promote the tickets / streaming.
May is the month of drupa / Networked Learning / YouTube Film Festival
Still no access to Phonic FM studio but the basis of the chat show is to try to make links between random items. ( Producer claims there may be a design but he cannot be reached at this time )
Everything is cancelled but also online. drupa officially next year but some announcements were already arranged. Very rarely is any tech actually available in the year displayed so speculation at any time might fit just as well. ( Big print show , info for new readers ) .
Film festivals cancelled but there is a YouTube version. Apparently things will go back to normal but not sure how. Can the judges insist a movie is in a cinema? Bandwidth may fall over if definition limits are tested. Presumably there will be a lot of informal chat video behind the scenes and on a sort of red carpet.
I attended two previous Lancaster real life versions of Networked Learning. Video mostly limited to the keynotes. For the most recent one I thought the campus was a good set for a walk with chat. See other posts previously. This year is based on Adobe Connect so video available all the way through. Sudden crash into this. Email so far suggests headset microphone. Also CanopyLab from Denmark, more on this later.
Wild guess Adobe would have very little to add at drupa. PDF and Postscript still steady income but not seen as growth. WhatTheyThink email preview for drupa alerted me to Global Graphics, but details behind a paywall . Direct to Global Graphics site.
Print technology still changes. Not sure academics realise how campus has changed over time just with this tech.
Cannot remember name of journal on video mentioned in Lancaster. Will try to find for next post.
Another post on #BlendCafe25 , the hashtag to keep up with a developing story. Previous posts may explain this but I may try a different version each time. The reality is the situation on HE campus as it they move online. not much inside info is public so strong case anyway for fiction meanwhile. There was a distopian version set in ruins of a Fortress University, reference Peter Horrocks in Durham. But this is too upsetting at this time. Still a scifi future but now a romcom. The critical edge keeps coming back though. My script ideas still tend to asking questions.
Conversation with Widsith and Deor before lockdown suggested a soap opera format. Not a fixed story. Alternating between face to face events and online. Set in cafes both on and off campus. Romance faces hurdles based on failed communication.
Meanwhile I have been unable to do the drama hour on Phonic FM as studio is closed. I had intended to broadcast recording of Cinderella from Lovestruck, evening with Widsith and Deor for Valentines night. So could rework Cinderella as romcom draft. ( If soap opera continues then work in some other ones .)
Their version is a bit restrained on the ugly sisters. Maybe part of a revision against stereotypes, not sure how this should work. Also they are mostly interested in the Fairy Godmother as magic, not the plot consequences. But this is fine as an early part of the story featuring technology.
I have now found a short version of Kurt Vonnegut explaining how the story works out. I think the soap opera should start just with the first part, incremental improvement till the night of the dance.
The latter part could be another series or a larger budget.
There could be a stolen identity that is later recovered.
Still a role for a Standup Philosopher who is actually sitting down mostly in a cafe situation. Comments on how core values are reworked or not. So similar to long speech but in 3-5 minute chunks. Fairy Godmother as in video above. The main character could be a Learning Technologist, marginal to conventional campus. Not really valued for anything, some recording but not much online. The Fairy Godmother has some contacts outside the campus with various wild tech claims.
Locations to start with could be Waitrose in Exeter and cafe opposite part of St Lukes. At this time my main weekly walk is to Waitrose for shopping but I think this could work even after lockdown. could work anywhere. Story borrowed from Vonnegut but he states anyone is allowed to use it again. Cafe conversation based on reality / speculation as to what happens on campus. Anyone can try fiction or forms of journalism.
From Phonic studio area in Exeter we rarely get as far as St Lukes so other cafes may be part of mix. The idea around Wild Show and @wenotno is to alternate studio and cafe. Can be a basis for guests. Sometimes happens that I am too general during drama hour, a bit more specific with "Producer" JD at early stage of Wild Show and then we have to be concise to fit in the gaps where Chris Norton needs some filling in between tracks. @wenotno previous day may be a rehearsal, depends when Jon arrives.
Creative Commons Edit Download - Vimeo rather than YouTube ?
I have been trying to find how to edit Creative Commons video on YouTube. It used to be possible to use the online edit page to find Creative Commons clips then combine them or just select a clip and download it. I tried to explain this as part of a MOOC about an online design studio, During this recent lockdown I have been trying to find the latest version but it seems not to be there. I have tweeted about this and got no reply so far.
I have found some guidance on YouTube about how to locate Creative Commons ( add a filter on the search page ) but then it is suggested to use a third party software for downloading any online video. The particular suggestion seems to have been closed down. There are options but it seems odd if YouTube has left a situation where this the only option.
So I have had a look at Vimeo. Seems fairly clear how to select Creative Commons and how to download it. Edit somewhere else.
Meanwhile I have found out how to record sound and edit that so can prepare clips for audio /FM when Phonic studio is open again. But I may have to think about putting some video onto Vimeo for discussion / remix.
I will still try to find out from YouTube if I have missed it. One day with others from Wild show / @wenotno there will be a visit to King's Cross. Not enough subscribers to get into the YouTube studio maybe but Google could have a view on Creative Commons in general. Worth a try and studio possibility interesting.
Finding a few more links since recent post. Tech Exeter now on Zoom for meetings, suggestions for podcasts and also link to Tech Taunton , record of online meetings turns up on YouTube. From there I found a previous meeting, fairly short, only 20 min before the questions.
Not sure if this is Creative Commons but could be mentioned in a radio show and maybe a couple of minutes fro review / comment. Thing is it raises general issues that could relate to education. HE and business schools can offer knowledge on digital transformation but how can they work as case study? this is a topic that may turn up sooner or later.
Also found podcast seems closer to Bath / Bristol
Links please to other podcasts in South West.
Meanwhile Phonic FM is making progress on how to link FM to "working from home". Things will become clear. I will leave it as the two sequences on Soundcloud from previous post. There are other sources to add in for a longer show. Still not sure when.
Elements for future radio / Creative Commons for MOOC and music
I have done two mp3 sequences on Soundcloud , this might be a basis for a future radio show.
For new readers, I sometimes used to in early on a Thursday before Wild Show at 10am on Phonic FM. The Storyteller intended to be on tour most of this year so I covered the timeslot with some repeats / video from Widsith and Deor. There will be a sort of scifi soap opera set in 2025 - #BlendCafe2025 - cafe conversations around blended learning on and off campus. But I also include music and more or less factual items.
The two sequences are based on other bits of mp3, all with Creative Commons licence ( plus one advert ) . The voice one is all from MOOC interviews, two from Futurelean Unbundled University and one from EdX Pivoting Online. The Unbundled info is from a while ago and the EdX one is recent.
The music one is mostly Grateful Dead from Internet Archive . Plus a Warner Brothers advert. The imagineries of market and commons can coexist to some extent. Bands can allow fans to record concerts and still sell vinyl. ( for one thing the live versions can be very long....) Also an interview with Joanne Jacobs on Creative Commons from Like Minds in Exeter.
I am thinking about how to compare music and online learning. Sounds are now mostly streaming, for universities the campus is still important. But the current lockdown has some challenges. Not sure how this will work out.
LikeMinds may return to Exeter in September or when possible. The early ones included music, a bumper ticket with several venues. I cannot find any video from this. But there was a similar approach for the Lost Weekend. I think Don Letts was at both so I will try to contact him for a comment.
The Joanne Jacobs interview came about after an evening event when I recorded Don Letts but then found he was unhappy with the sound, the lighting, the entire idea of random fan video. Many agree with him but Joanne Jacobs was ok with an interview in natural daylight the next morning. Creative Commons a way to cope with copyright in such a case.
At this time the Phonic FM studio is still closed. If there is an actual radio show I may use the elements in another order, with more music. Any link suggestions welcome.
On a previous MOOC about Online Design Studio ( OLDS ) I had a grand project to explain how to remix Creative Commons in YouTube. Very didactic with screenshots. It sort of worked, at least got over the idea so I was asked to do some edits later. I could not explain how others could do it. Now it seems to be well hidden. You can still choose Creative Commons but I cannot find how to remix. As sound I can just record it and then edit. But clues welcome please if you know how to use the online edit in YouTube.
Seems that online education is changing, but not in obvious ways yet. Guardian reports that UK HE will be charging same fees for online as same quality. But is this true? Will it make sense to students. Probably unknown till September or later.
So I am thinking more about "Fortress Journalism" , also covered in Peter Horrocks lecture in Durham. He previously worked for BBC World Service. I can remember there were discussions around the time OhmyNews started a platform in English. But I need to track back for some detail.
Meanwhile weekend column from Alan Rusbridger is carrying on a print journalist view. there may be other ones from previously I can find. In brief, the web is read / write. this changes things. Journalism can be a process including the public. But print journalists seem to be mainly concerned with a model of themselves at the controls. I recently tweeted to Jeff Jarvis around a topic about Guardian tech reporting. Might not have made much sense. What i was getting at was that the decline in resource for technology reporting seems to have followed the time when web journalism gained some strength. Not sure when that was though. a lot of Buzzmachine to check out. Or maybe Guardian could find a budget for Jeff Jarvis to write up an edit.
We can, and should, hold the West Coast giants to account for the disinformation they pump out.
Is that all there is to say about the web?
And, one more time, what happened to Guardian Unlimited Talk? Why?
Draft notes , studio tech in Exeter around September
Thinking about studio tech for radio and learning. Tech Exeter has sent email about virtual form of a games fest, social events over the summer. Also proposals for what looks like a real space event in September. 20 minutes, deadline end of this month. Previously there has been a business stream as well as mostly tech.
Unable to visit the Phonic FM studio I have tried things out at home with a phone, desktop PC etc. Mixed results so far but short clips with people from Wild Show and @wenotno. The online video conferences seem to work and versions appear on the telly, radio. So in some form this sort of thing is possible. We have asked the question "Is FM Dead2 but obviously there will be a return to normal or later DAB in a related style. but meanwhile short clips of sound appear on social media, with and without video. How will this work by September. We do not know.
Also unknown is how much of the campus offer will return. The move of learning online happened without much preparation or design. Will the resource change?
So to start with I would like to know what else is happening. anyone working on a guide to mic technique at home? Lots of sound around that a radio engineer might object to. Which platform has the best tech for sound and will it cost much? How to edit / schedule in the cloud?
Phonic FM may have some clues but needs the Phoenix to be open for much of a discussion.
These may not be tech issues to worry about as such. Quite obvious from a development point of view. But worth looking at sometime.
For example I am not sure on Windows 10 I can turn on both the stereo mix and the mic. Trying to record on Audacity I either get my own mic or the voices in headphones, but not both. Any suggestions welcome.
But mostly ideas around what might make sense for a sort of studio in September.
Meanwhile Popup Centre for Bar Management, Performance and Camera Studies continues on Facebook. Needs an update as cameras now widely available on phones. The idea of giving away video to encourage ticket and refreshment sales is still valid, now around the MOOC as free offer and income from certificates.
Is the MOOC scene now completely " big corporates" ?
Repeating previous posts in this blog but need more space than a tweet in response to recent article by Laura Czerniewicz - The Struggle to Save and Remake Public Education in University World News. I agree with most of it but do question the way that there is no apparent distinction between MOOC platforms and other online management. Coursera is mentioned as an example of a "big corporate" with links to big companies and governments. As recorded at Class Central the MOOC scene has changed away from "free" to microcredentials and degrees. But I still welcome the free options available.
In the UK where I live Futurelearn has had mixed levels of support. See previous posts for links to YouTube copy of lecture at Durham by Peter Horrocks. Later Guardian interview with Peter Wilby and various comments on Twitter after which he resigned from the OU. I have not seen any retake on the issues raised in the lecture. If Coursera is a big corporate then Futurelearn may get close to being viable.
Later Seek, an Australian jobs site, invested in both Coursera and Futurelearn (now 50% owned by Seek ) . So was there ever a possibility that another uni , from UK or anywhere, would have invested at that time? It often seems that any kind of edtech is so obviously commercial that academics oppose investment. But the result of this will be that the viable edtech will be controlled somewhere else. How can it be different?
If there is now something wrong with all the MOOC platforms then maybe it is not too late to start again. But this would have to be quite rapid. Brands are getting well established. Coursera is advertising on daytime TV in UK. Offers from each campus in turn would have a marketing problem. The MOOC could be seen as "content marketing" a way that free offers encourage sales of later paid for certification including degrees. This seems to have advantages over just paying outside sources for promotion. Also it continues the approach of adult education and continuing professional development that has been part of the Public Education role.
Is there anything about the MOOC scene that would be worked with?
