Screenlectures.....

Tuesday evening March 17 2009

This was the day of the screenlectures. A good topic because we (the WP2 workgroup) have to produce about 6 screenlectures. And we were talking already (in Mannheim for instance) about how we would like to have screenlectures in our Communitywork module.

We started the day with of course coffee en the presentation of the first 2 blogs. For me, it is always hard to make a start and to get familiar (again) with putting your thinking in English on the wwww. Hopefully it will be a difference after this week!

Xavier Bonete from the Mediacenter 'triggered' us with his presentation about what is a screeenlecture and what is a GOOD screenlecture.
He also showed an example: the use of the new i-pod. Very well done, Immediately decided to buy one!

Well, about the questions - what is a screenlecture?
Is a screenlecture part of the curriculum? a teaching method? or a place for reflection?

And what is a good screenlecture? we tried to answer that together the i-pod example in mind:
- it must have a clear message
- it is done in a convincing way
- it is done in an appealing way

And of course a lot of tips and trics:'don't forget the Pedagogy, make the faocus as clear as possible, use the visualisation possibilities to emphasis the impact, make short short pieces, to enable the student to find that piece he wanted to see again,
For the recording: record in a controlled environment, talking to the camera, white bakcground, grey texts, etc. etc.

We excercised with Moviemaker - a very comfortable editing program. I really liked to work with that: not difficult and good results! It was a pity that we have to stop with that.

Now we had to make a kind of a screenlecture ourselves - we were divided in groups of 2 and I was together with Anne Karin. We decided to do this lecure in the videoroom, the others decided to use the computer - the webcam or pictures in moviemaker.
We decide to make an introduction to a parative lecture. In a dialogue we would ask each other about the cities we live in (Bergen en Delft) and put some pictures to support the text.
So we went in it after a short preparation and after a stiff start, we ended rather relaxed.
One of the mediastaff people helped us with editing, but unfortunately the pictures we want to add were of bad quality and of course, the time was too limited to make a good product of it.
We discussed all the different productions and it was good to see the different possibilities.
The reactions: too long, a bit boaring, sometimes too serious, to much talking and to little pictures etc.
For me it was important to be (for the first time!) in front of a camera in a videostudio, to know what it is and what it look likes. May be I am not the right person for a screenlecture for this targetgroup....
I found it too longer either, and of course other material has to be put in. And may be another setting to talk in, and less but better subjects to talk about.
Students are asking these times for fast, new trics etc. so, we really have to work with new media.
The question of what is a good screenlecture, I cannot answer right now, but: I think that the mentioned critical points of our screenlecture show what is NOT a good lecture....
I have an idea now what it is to do a lecure in front of the camera. And I have an idea what you have to do and not to do to make it an attractive one!
I'll come back to that.
To be continued.......