INEXPENSIVE VIDEOCONFERENCING ALTERNATIVES

The IP-based teleconferencing system developed by the Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (CEMCA), described in “CEMCA: ODL for Development in Asia” on page 8 is an example of how educators and business are using the Internet for live video links at little or no cost. Here are a few other alternatives:

• Skype: With more than 276 million users and name that is becoming a verb (“Let’s Skype later in the week”), Skype is a leader in live video communications. Skype offers software at no cost and free calls over the Internet among Skype users, as well as competitive rates for long distance and international calls to phones and mobiles. Available in 28 languages, Skype is used in almost every country in the world.

• Gmail Video and Voice: Introduced by Google in November 2008, the video and voice capabilities are embedded in the Gmail interface. Some users can make voice or video calls to other Gmail users for free. Gmail video quality is expected to be more consistent than Skype because all video traffic runs through Google servers.

• Dimdim: Billed as “the world’s easiest web conference”, Dimdim enables users to deliver synchronised live presentations, white boards and web pages accompanied by voice and video over the Internet. With no software to download or install, Dimdim is a free service that runs on open source software. The enhanced featured Dimdim Virtual Classroom Pack is available only to education customers and enables educators to create their own customised web-based classroom.

There are also dozens of commercial, fee-for-service, voice-over-IP (VOIP) network providers worldwide, with functionality constantly improving.
www.skype.com
http://mail.google.com/videochat
www.dimdim.com

CREATE VIDEOS ONLINE

A new generation of online services that transform slide shows, images and audio into slick videos offers interesting possibilities for education.

Animoto is a website that will take your PowerPoint slides, photos and other images, and mix them with music provided by Animoto, or with your own recorded audio or music, to create a video. A special service that caters to schools, Animoto for Education, offers password-protected access to groups of learners to ensure privacy. The site offers examples on the website of videos that have been created for science fair projects, bullying prevention videos and podcasts. Short videos (under 30 seconds) are free; full-length videos are $3 and annual subscriptions are also available. Similar online services include Jumpcut, Toufee and Digital Films.
http://animoto.com
www.jumpcut.com
www.toufee.com
www.digitalfilms.com

MOBILE PHONES FOR LEARNING

Asian distance education can be the global leader in the development of educational uses for the mobile phone. This is the conclusion of “Mobile Learning in Developing Nations” a paper by Scott Motlik at Athabasca University. Distance education in Asia is at a crossroads, the paper explains. It has to choose whether it wishes to follow Western practices of investing in eLearning methods, or whether it wishes to find its own path and explore new delivery methods that are more suitable for learners in the region.

The paper explains why reliance on Western eLearning initiatives does not appear to be the best path for distance education in Asia at present. “It would be a serious disservice to learners and instructors if Asia and Africa were to cast their lot with Web-based learning. By comparison, mobile phone technology is widespread, easy to use and familiar to learners and instructors.”
http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/564/1039

HOW TO COMBAT ONLINE TIME BANDITS

It used to be chatting at the water cooler or coffee room that diverted people from their work. Today, most of the distractions are online: heavy volumes of emails, instant messaging, social networking, surfing the Internet, and reading or writing blogs. A typical office worker checks email more than 50 times a day, instant messages 77 times a day and visits more than 40 websites a day, according to RescueTime, a tracking-software maker.

Here are a few ways to ensure online time is used effectively:

• Control when you check email. If you have a visual or audio notifier that signals every time a new email arrives, chances are your email is controlling your priorities. Instead, check your email at regular intervals throughout the day (first thing in the morning, a couple of times mid-day and the end of the day). Keep focussed on what’s important, not what’s urgent.

• Empty your Inbox. If you deal immediately with emails that can be handled in a minute or less, file other emails in folders and delete the junk, you should be able to clear your Inbox on a regular basis – thus ensuring that you don’t get bogged down in email clutter.

• Have more than one email account. By maintaining one account strictly for work-related emails, you can cut the clutter. Let the social messages go to a separate email account.

• Establish/follow blogging guidelines. This is important in both business and academe. Blogging guidelines should outline acceptable and unacceptable blogging practices including responsibility for information uploaded, use of copyright, protecting confidential information and avoiding inappropriate behaviour such as “flaming” (insulting someone).

• Limit your surfing. It’s easy to while away the hours moving from one website to another. Be conscious of the time you spend surfing during work hours and whether it is truly work-related.