Multimedia in Higher Education

Presented by: John Conway

Web 2.0+

Content

Introduction. What can multimedia provide? Sources of online materials Standards, file formats and metadata The anatomy of streaming delivery. The anatomy of podcast delivery. RSS/Atom & news aggregators Usage of podcasting and streaming in HE. Online examples Q&A

‘Where is the Life we have lost in living?Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?’

T.S. Eliot's The Rock (1934)

The Continuum of Understanding

* Knowledge has the complexity of experience, which come about by seeing it from different perspectives. This is why training and education is difficult - one cannot count on one person's knowledge transferring to another. Knowledge is built from scratch by the learner through experience. Information is static, but knowledge is dynamic as it lives within us.

* Wisdom is the ultimate level of understanding. As with knowledge, wisdom operates within us. We can share our experiences that create the building blocks for wisdom, however, it needs to be communicated with even more understanding of the personal contexts of our audience than with knowledge sharing.

* Data comes about through research, creation, gathering, and discovery.

* Information has context. Data is turned into information by organizing it so that we can easily draw conclusions. Data is also turned into information by "presenting" it, such as making it visual or auditory.

understanding is a continuum (Cleveland, 1982):

The Continuum of Understanding

understanding is a continuum (Cleveland, 1982):

Data

Information

Knowledge

Wisdom

The Continuum of Understanding

understanding is a continuum (Cleveland, 1982):

Provides context (visual / auditory reference.) Engage with multiple senses Enables varying degrees of interactions Customised paths for exploration through the content Provide an integrated environment for other content and tools Accessibility and usability issues can be accommodated easily

What can multimedia provide?

Instant playback (after initial buffer time) Distributing live events (multicast) Efficient delivery of large/long-forms of media Unicast or Multicast to viewers Ease of integration with other materials Wide choice of streaming formats

Advantages of using streaming delivery

Utilises subscription model for content delivery (‘Push’) Allows for off-line viewing Efficient delivery via automatic download, blogs, news reader

software Ease of integration within existing web sites, blogs or similar Choice of formats (mp3, m4a(AAC), m4b, m4v, mp4, mov, pdf) Easily produced user generated content

Advantages of using podcast delivery

Podcast file formats

mp3 - MPEG layer 3 - Audio m4a (AAC - Advanced Audio Copy (Apple)) m4a - MPEG - 4 (audio) m4b - MPEG - 4 (enhanced) m4v - MPEG - 4 (video) m3u - Playlist (Text file) pdf - for documents

Podcast recording, mixing and editing software Audacity - Free open-source software for recording and editing sound files for Windows, Macintosh and

Linux. Adobe Audition - Professional audio recording, mixing and editing software from Adobe.

Sony Sound Forge - Professional audio software from Sony Creative Software. GarageBand - Mac-based audio software from Apple. PodcastMaker- WindowsPC Podcast Studio - WindowsPC TechSmith Camtasia - Screen capture and media creation tool

Podcast feed generation software FeedForAll - Windows- and Mac-based software to create RSS feeds for news and podcasts. FeedBurner - An online tool to create RSS feeds for Blogger, TypePad, WordPress, MySpace or podcast/video

feeds LibSyn - A syndication provider, which provides media storage, a simple blog engine, an RSS feed, and an

interface to distribute podcasts.

Podcast publishing software (FTP program for podcaster) FileZilla - A popular and open-source FTP client (and server). SmartFTP - This is a free FTP client which includes advanced features like secure file transfer.

Podcast publishing software (server-side) WordPress - A popular free and open-source blogging platform that will publish and generate podcast feed

(iTunes compatible) - A plugin (PodPress) is required.

Podcatching software for Windows HappyFish - Free podcast client that will automatically sync podcasts to iPods and other MP3 players. FeedStation - By Newsgator, this application is also part of the FeedDemon desktop RSS news reader. iTunes - The desktop media player of choice for many iPod users and millions of others.

Podcatching software for Mac iTunes - This desktop media player is developed by Apple originally for Apple Mac computers and operating

system. Juice - This software is formerly known as iPodder. It is available in both Mac and Windows. JuiceCaster

Podcast software

Streaming file formats

ra, rm, rv, ram, rpm, 3gpp - Real Player Mov, - Apple Quicktime WMA, WMV, ASF, ASX - Windows Media Swf, FLV - Adobe Flash Gif, SMIL

Streaming file formats

3GPP-Rel6 file parsing and 3GPP-Rel6 audio and video playback 3G2 audio depacketizers and QCelp decoder hooks AAC and aacPlus decoder AAC and aacPlus playback from .3gp, .m4a, .aac or .ra files and 3GPP, ISMA or ice-cast streams AMR-NB and AMR-WB audio playback from .3gp and .amr files and 3GPP streams ASX metafile parsing and playback FLASH4.0 playback from .swf files and Helix flash streams (NOT FLV) FLASH8.0 playback via integrated Flash Netscape plugin H.261 video from standard RTP streams H.263 video from .3gp files and standard RTP streams H.264 video from .3gp files and standard H.264 RTP streams I420 video rendering MJPEG video playback from .avi files MP3 audio playback from .mp3 files, standard RTP streams and shout-cast streams MP3 playlist parsing and playback Helix MP3 Decoder Helix MP3 Encoder MPEG1/2 file parsing MPEG4 audio and video playback from .mp4 or .3gp files and ISMA or 3GPP streams Ogg Vorbis and Ogg Theora Uncompressed PCM from .wav, avi, .aiff or .au files and standard RTP streams PCM a-law and u-law from .wav, avi or .au files and standard RTP streams RAM metafile parsing and playback

Helix currently contains support for streaming and playback for the following datatypes:

Streaming file formats - continued

RGB video from .avi files RealAudio/RealVideo Codecs RealAudio 8 for Devices RealAudio and RealVideo playback from RealMedia file format and RealMedia streams (see also

RealFormat-SDK) RealEvents and RealImageMap from .rm files and RealMedia streams RealText from .rt files and RealText streams SDP file parsing SMIL1.0/2.0 multimedia Still images (JPEG, GIF, PNG, WBMP) Text - plain from .txt files TimedText from .3gpp files VC1 playback from .asf and .wmv files or Windows Media RTSP streams WindowMediaAudio9 (WMA9) and WindowsMediaVideo9 (WMV9) playback from .asf, .wmv, and .wma files

or Windows Media RTSP streams (see WindowsMedia Integration Group page) .bin file writing from any supported file format .m4a file writing from .m4a, .3gpp, .mp4, .aac or .ra files and encoder/transcoder .mpg file writing from .mpg files and transport streams .rm or .ra file writing from .rm, .ra, AAC-.3gpp, AAC-.mp4 or .aac files and encoder/transcoder .rmc container file writing for any supported linear datatype .xml file writing from any supported file format

Encoding software

Live and OnDemand:

RealProducer - Windows

VLC - Mac/Windows/Linux

QTBroadcaster - Mac

OCS - Windows

OnDemand:

Echo 360 - Mac/Windows

Camtasia Relay - Mac/Windows

Transcode, Edit & Encoding Station

Media

file

Media

file

Stream

Request

Acquire content

Capture, Edit and encode content

Deliver ‘OnDemand’ content

Content Creation & Delivery - Streaming

Create Mediaintegration file

Streaming Server

Optional

Web Server

Deliver ‘Live’ content

rtsp://

Media

file

Web Server

Media

file

URL://

URL://

Download

Request

Acquire content

Capture, Edit and encode content

Deliver content

Edit & Encoding PC Station

Media

file

Content Creation & Delivery - Podcasting

CreateNewsfeed

How RSS Newsfeeds Work

Podcasting Usage in HE•Information and promotion

•Seminar audio podcasting (Basic)

•Synchronised audio/slide lectures or seminars (Enhanced)

•Including navigation via chapter links

•Video of demonstrations of equipment, techniques or protocols and H&S requirements (video podcast - ‘vodcast’)

•Automatic updating of a series of presentations via RSS subscription

•Particular useful in humanities subjects such as languages

•Providing added value

•Embedding web links to online resources (assumes connected to network)

•Provide ‘in-the-field’ access to materials or students can produce their own podcast ‘in-the-field’ - Natural Sciences/Engineering/

•Podcast as reflective journal/oral reports and collaborative course work (as mp3 or enhanced)

•Deployment of podcast within a VLE provides access to additional tools for students and

lecturers to use in combination - Assessment/Assignment/Gradebook/Tracking/

Streaming Usage in HE

•Streaming of events ‘Live’ or ‘on demand’

•Synchronised audio and slide of lectures or seminars

•Including navigation via chapter links

•Video of demonstrations of equipment, techniques or protocols and H&S requirements

•Particular useful in humanities subjects such as languages

•Videoconferencing

•Providing added value

•Embedding web links to online resources (assumes connected to network)

•Can provide immediate update of current materials

•Deployment of streaming material within a VLE provides access to additional tools for

students and lecturers to use in combination - Assessment/Assignment/Gradebook/Tracking/

http://www.jorum.ac.uk/

http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/ (Previously known as TASI)

http://jisc.cetis.ac.uk/

http://www.edina.ac.uk/

http://www.bufvc.ac.uk

Television & Radio Index for Learning and Teaching (TRILT)

Bob (Broadcast in a Box)

Some online multimedia resources

In this presentation we have highlighted:

Summary

How multimedia can be used effectively

Standards, file formats and metadata the anatomy of a streaming and podcast delivery methodology. how RSS feeds are used in efficient content delivery the various usage of podcasting and streaming in HE. examples

(standalone, embedded and deployed through a VLE)

Thank you for your attention.

Contact: j.conway@imperial.ac.uk