Revolutionizing Education in the 21st Century.
By
Carl T.F. Ross, BSc(Hons), PhD, DSc, CEng, FRINA, MSNAME.
(Department of Mechanical & Design Engineering, University of Portsmouth. UK)
This paper describes how education can be revolutionized today, with the aid of electronic gadgets, including computers, mobile phones, iPods, e-books, etc. Already, most of us are familiar with the use of YouTube & DailyMotion for displaying our videos on science, technology, etc, but the snag with these is that sometimes we may wish only our own students and staff to have access to our videos; and not other people from rival institutions. To put a video on to YouTube or DailyMotion is very easy; you need only to “Google” YouTube or DailyMotion & sign up; it is free. To then upload your video, you need to log on to the appropriate site & click Upload; while you are in YouTube or DailyMotion and then “browse & navigate” your way to your video & then upload it; it is ever so easy to do. The snag with YouTube & DailyMotion is that you cannot; without special permission, upload a video of about one or more hours’ length. Another snag is you may wish accessibility to your videos, only to the members of your institution.
Another way, however, of uploading a video of short or (even very) long length is to use iTunes. This has the advantage of allowing you to upload your short or very long videos and prevent people who are not your students or staff, from accessing your videos. You could place your videos on one of the secure drives of your institution; such as a hard disk; which can only be accessed by permitted people. Thus, when the people permitted to access your drive, remotely or otherwise, they can do so easily, even if required, from their home computer or mobile phone or iPod or similar device. Their electronic device can even be in another country or while in transit; walking, sailing or even flying. This accessibility can revolutionize “Distance Learning & Teaching”; even for students or staff who may be temporarily or permanently immobilized. In the case of “Distance Learning or Teaching”, this process can place a step-input into their facilities to learn or teach; especially for laboratory based and “hands-on” type subjects. Now iTunes is a free piece of software; it is a media-player; which can easily be downloaded. It has a library, which is on “your” drive; where you can store your videos. With modern hard drives; which may store data in excess of terra-bytes; this is not a problem. Moreover, your videos are not on someone else’s server; you are in control of the accessibility to your videos. To convert your videos to another suitable video form for your iTune player, (say) MP4; there is readily available free software on the web; which can easily be downloaded and do the necessary conversions.
With the recent government cuts in the UK in higher education and the resulting increasing workloads of many academics, the use of iTunes can help them to cope. For example, in the case of “hands-on” subjects; which are usually very labour intensive, the overworked lecturer/teacher may be able to cope, if the student can access his “lectures” via his computer, mobile phone, iPod or other suitable device; at a pace suitable to the student and at an appropriate stage of his learning, together with the aid of his earphones. This will help students to go at their own pace with less demanding required assistance from the lecturer/teacher & not hold back the more able student! That is; the problems with mixed ability classes in schools can become less of problem to staff and students, alike. Moreover, with some subjects experiencing a very large influx of students, together with a shortage of a sufficient number of large lecture rooms, the same lecture might have to be repeated two or more times per week, thus, making it more difficult for the lecturer to carry out his/her research or other activities. In this case, the lecturer can relieve his high load by filming his/her first lecture and playing it back to the other classes later in the week or even in the following and subsequent years. Furthermore the lecturer can temporarily pause his/her lecture to answer a question, before resuming his/her ‘taped’ lecture; thereby keeping the interactive nature of the lecture alive. This may also decrease the stress the lecturer may face if s/he is to give the same lecture two or more times per week, together with less delibitating consequences.
Distance learning can also be aided through the telephone/video system “Skype”. Skype is free and can be easily downloaded from the web; it allows face-to-face contact and phoning “Skype to Skype” is usually free; even from the UK to Australia! Skype can also allows multi-access by a number of users, at the same time. Most modern computers, come with a built-in microphone and a web camera and readily lend themselves to video telephone calls, via Skype. Moreover a Skype phone gives you the “name” of the sender, so you can decline to receive the Skype phone call.
Another additional facility for making videos; which is free is Windows MovieMaker; where you can make DVD’s for your video player. How to do this is explained on my website below. In a Windows Movie Maker video; you can include stills and writing, in addition to your video clips; or just have stills and writing. Your Windows Movie Maker can readily be converted so that it can be played on iTunes, via your computer or mobile phone or iPod, etc; it can also be loaded on to YouTube & DailyMotion.
Moreover e-books for read only, can be remotely downloaded from the institution's hard drive, 'free of charge' to the user, or purchased online, at a discount price, by those who want a 'permanent' copy of the e-book. It should also be emphasised that publishers now allow the purchase of single chapters of e-books. Un-refereed 'private' notes, without an index, are usually not as good as major works published by reputable international publishers; which have gone through a thorough refereeing procedure prior to their publication. Additionally, repercussions, such as the costs incurred in court cases, brought by major publishers, seeking damages for 'privately' produced notes; which have plagiarised their copyrighted publications, are avoided.
Another facility; which at present, is provided by AppleTM is a facility for partially-sighted or completely blind people; to read notes through touch-sensitive screens. If an iPhone is connected to an Apple computer, the user can hear through the iPhone, what symbol or word that s/he is touching on the touch-sensitive screen. This facility will also allow partially-sighted, blind and dyslexic or illiterate people, or even small children to read a text; simply by scrolling their finger on a touch-sensitive computer or 'iPod' screen; especially with the increasing production of e-books. Moreover, dyslexic people will not be disadvantaged when reading an examination paper in an examination room. In due course this facility can also be extended, so that the reader can read a complete book; written in a foreign language, or when learning a foreign language; with which they are not familiar. These facilities can be further enhanced by the incorporation of electronic Wi-Fi interactive whiteboards, where the teacher's notes can readily be downloaded from the teacher's 'whiteboard', onto the student's electronic device; simply by the pressing of a 'button'; without the student leaving his/her seat. Another device connected to some AppleTM devices allow the 'blind' person to navigate his/her way, while walking through built-up areas; such as a college campus.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com.page3.htm
Prof. Carl Ross.
Wednesday 3rd, November, 2010.