26 CONTENT FOCUS Education
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES Students can learn from experts, conduct interviews, watch live demonstrations and interact with instructors and one another via streaming
VIDEO SHOULD NOT REPLACE HUMAN TOHUMAN CONTACT, IT SHOULD ENABLE IT WHEN PEOPLE ARE NOT IN THE SAME LOCATION like VR, AR, MR and 360° video as the future of e-learning technology. “The technology around video has evolved rapidly in recent years and will continue to do so, especially around the creation of rich video by non- technical consumers, like teachers and to be incorporated into an educational environment, which benefits students, teachers and parents equally.” “More of the products and services that are powering live streams are moving to the cloud,” Wowza Media Systems’ Michaels points out. “From IP cameras that are wall-mounted and directly connected and controlled via the internet, to learning management systems and video distribution services, much of it is powered through cloud computing. This shift is making streaming more aordable, less technically challenging and easier to incorporate into regular scholastic operations. Rubenstein points to hot technologies
students. Today the ability to create 360° videos is in the hands of everyone – for less than $300 you can deliver some pretty impressive immersive experiences. VR and MR are also developing rapidly, in particular for science and technical communications.” GETTING THE BALANCE Streaming video can improve the interaction in class between students and instructors, providing the right criteria are met, says Collick. “Content needs to be thought- provoking and the video sessions need to encourage further exploration and research of the topic as well as discussion. Also, when students themselves become live video broadcasters they become better communicators, which will impact classroom interaction positively. Ultimately the video streaming session must be part of a meaningful learning experience that is carefully designed by a teacher.” As to whether virtual learning really is the future, Michaels observes: “It won’t be a complete replacement, but it will grow, and more schools are oering long-distance programmes that incorporate video. This is especially true of graduate programmes that embrace the working professional.” “Virtual learning is clearly the way of the future for education,” says Rubenstein. “There will still be a place for traditional campuses for specific types of learning, as well as for social development, but as information and technology advance, more people will need to move back into education for a refresh at various points in their lives. The model of university until 21 and then a career is dead; people will
train and retrain every several years, and the only way to deliver this eectively is via virtual learning.” Meanwhile Michaels imagines success in education will depend on the implementation. “When video is two-way, whereby the professor can see a ‘Brady Bunch’ view of webcams, or there is an easy way to ask questions and interact via chat or other means, it can be more personal. Some learning platforms are building in video chat, text chat and messaging capabilities which will allow for greater collaboration and real- time communication, versus asynchronous email systems.” He says Wowza recently conducted a study that showed when people can engage and communicate in real time with the presenter, more authentic connection between the audience and the talent results. This helps build greater trust and fosters an environment of collaboration. But Polycom’s Finlayson notes that nothing can take away the importance of a teacher and pupil standing in front of each other. “I believe that face-to-face interaction will still be most important and common in most scenarios. Video should not replace human- to-human contact, it should enable it when people are not in the same location. In this sense, interaction will be increased as video enables those who are apart to interact where before they couldn’t. This is where video outweighs all, as it drives human-to- human connections, allowing people to still see each other virtually. Body language and eye contact should never be underrated.”
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