We’ve talked a lot in the last few days about the less-than-useful application of video. Seems like we ought to offer an example of appropriate use:
TED | Talks | Blaise Aguera y Arcas: Jaw-dropping Photosynth demo (video)
Using photos of oft-snapped subjects (like Notre Dame) scraped from around the Web, Photosynth (based on Seadragon technology) creates breathtaking multidimensional spaces with zoom and navigation features that outstrip all expectation.
Go watch this and notice a few things.
Is the value of this the fact that you can see and hear Aguera y Arcas?
How does the video contribute to the experience?
Could this be done in any kind of simpler medium?
Did you have any issues getting it to play?
Obviously I think this is a GOOD application. Why do I think that?
September 28th, 2007 at 11:11 pm
Okay, even though I am a self-proclaimed Mac geek, this was absolutely amazing. The only disappointment I had was when I googled Photosynth, found the site and wanted to watch/try the demo, I discovered I had to be running Windows XP or Vista to preview. What a bummer! I still can’t wrap my head around how the thousands of flickr photos become one organized, three dimensional space. Nor can I grasp how the seemingly small images can be enlarged, zoomed in on, etc. The English teacher in me was thoroughly impressed with the compressed novel; the possibilities seem…. endless.
September 28th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
PS
I think I can sum up (at least in part) the difference between poor use versus good use of video as illustrated by this video segment- I was VERY engaged. I felt like a member of the studio audience, and not “slighted” because I wasn’t “really there”. An article on this piece of software wouldn’t have done the program justice- videotaping a demo was certainly the best choice. The video was significant to me as a learner; therefore, I was engaged.
September 29th, 2007 at 8:41 pm
Yes, this definitely is a good use of video. I think the difference is that he was demonstrating something that is very enticing and beneficial. The content was very engaging and made me want to find out more about Photosynth. It was amazing that so much could be held on it.
September 30th, 2007 at 6:31 pm
[...] A few days ago I asked this question among others: Value Added From Video Obviously I think this is a GOOD application. Why do I think that? [...]
October 2nd, 2007 at 9:55 pm
Interestingly enough, when I tried to view this video I was at school. Little did I know that the computer I was using didn’t have speakers. I watched for only 10-15 seconds but because I couldn’t hear what was being said I lost interest and stopped the video. Late when I was able to view the video at home, this time with sound, I was locked in. So, I definitely think that seeing the video and hearing Aguera’s voice at the same time made a huge difference.
I’m not sure this video could be portrayed in a simpler medium. I think that seeing the video was crucial to understanding what Aguera was saying and definitely hearing what Aguera was saying made watching it easier to understand. As I watched the video, Aguera’s voice was more of a narrator in that I didn’t pay attention to him standing there, I was too busy watching the computer screen to see what was next.
My only guess for why you think this is a good application is that it is a good example of how seeing and hearing at the same time are crucial to understanding. Just a verbal explanation of how the program worked would be far over most people’s head, but thanks to the visual demonstration we were able to see the program in action. Just a guess.
October 4th, 2007 at 2:36 pm
[...] October 4th, 2007 Phaedrus got me thinking about ways to use video as a learning object instead of a televised lecture. One of the blogs that I read put me on to a new on-line service called graspr. [...]