Lightning in a Bottle

I’ve been experimenting with a service called Ustream.tv, and it’s very intriguing. Basically, it’s YouTube for live video broadcasting over the Internet. It took me five minutes to set up an account, and now I can broadcast live video any time I want!

Wesley Fryer used this system last week to broadcast live presentations from the Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. Using a cellular data modem, a laptop and camcorder, he was able to set up anywhere he could receive a cell signal. And since the broadcasts can be archived, anyone who misses the live broadcasts can view them after the fact.

There are dozens of live broadcasts going on at any one time. Right now some guy is doing music lessons, answering questions of the people logged into the session. (He’s on every day from noon to four Pacific time.)

Of course, there will probably be some channels that have programs that won’t be appropriate for kids, so getting this through to a school network may prove to be a problem. (Not to mention the nonsense that shows up in the chat windows and protecting the bandwidth of the district.) But sooner or later there will school-safe versions and we’ll have enough bandwidth to have this a tool that students can use to share presentations across the world, or participate in presentations of mentors or experts out in the field.

I’ve even set up my own channel! I’ll be hanging out at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ed-tech-chat off and on during the week of March 17. Drop on by and see if I’m online.

Someone sent me a link to a YouTube video called Wikis in Plain English. I loved the simple, effective way the video explained what wikis are and how they work, so I followed the URL at the end of the video to find the site from which the production originated. It’s called The Common Craft Show, and they have produced a series of these neat little explanatory videos using paper cutouts, a whiteboard, and hands.

I love these little videos. (I wish I’d come up with the idea!) I also think the format lends itself very well to student-created videos. These producers have shown you can create compelling presentations using very simple materials and techniques. Good communication technique works with any medium!