Category: Instructional Design

Instructional Video, Oral History

Oral History Project

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War and Life: Discussions with Veterans

Abstract

During relaxed, informal one-on-one discussions with a history professor, combat zone veterans from World War II, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan provide first-hand accounts of history by sharing stories and photos from their military experience. These discussions are recorded in a small university video recording studio and after editing, the videos are posted on the War and Life website. As a result of sharing their memories, these veterans are inspiring others to overcome adversity, and they are encouraging more veterans to share their stories. As history is seen through the eyes of veterans, non-veterans also have the opportunity to learn about military service.

Oral History

Oral history is not new, in fact it has undergone transformation four times since its beginnings. At times, memory has been a trusted source, and at other times it has not. At this time, memory has once again been designated as a relevant and valuable resource. In addition, Thomson (2007) notes that sharing life experiences can be therapeutic. Therefore, sharing stories is a practice that has become more prevalent over time, and it may be an added benefit to veterans who share their stories.

According to Thomson (2007), we are in the midst of a “digital revolution of oral history” with no end in sight. New technology has led to global communication, and it has provided a plethora of new tools, methods, and ideas in how we “record, preserve, catalog, interpret, share, and present oral histories” (Thomson, 2007, p. 68). Not only are these tools available, they are also very user-friendly making oral history content creation an opportunity that anyone can enjoy.

Thomson (2007) predicted that computers would be utilized for recording oral history and that webcams would be put to use for interviews via web conferencing with interviewees from around the world. He suggested that video would be easily accessed through the web, and that is certainly true (Thomson, 2007). YouTube is a valuable tool for oral historians and interested viewers alike to which this project can attest. Many other resources are available for oral history curation as well. 

Technology

Through the use of a convenient and easy-to-use recording studio known as the One Button Studio, recording interviews can be done with little advance planning or notice. The One Button Studio uses free software from Penn State to power the studio – where video recording is as simple as the touch of a button (One Button Studio, 2018). PowerPoint slides are embedded with photos provided by the interviewee. 

Through the use of a switcher application on a Surface, the interviewer switches from the camera view to the slide view and back to the camera as they discuss events related to the photos. Slides are advanced using a wireless keyboard. A large monitor on the wall provides a view of what is actually being recorded. A wired microphone and a wireless microphone provide good quality audio for the recording. For virtual interviews, Zoom has been used as the web conferencing application. 

Camtasia is the editing software of choice. Once editing is complete, videos are shared on a network drive before being uploaded to YouTube. Finally videos are linked to two websites – one for all veterans and one for veterans who are alumni of the University. Some interviews on the site go back to 2004 and have been converted from DVD recordings.

Cultural Adaptation, Discussion

Cultural Adaptation – Fall 2018

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Image by Mahesh Patel from Pixabay

Writing is the written record of a culture, and it paints a picture of a culture’s very essence. I’ve heard it said that our words are to us as juice is to a fruit. When pressure is applied, what comes out? Taking this thought further, it is writing that it preserves that “juice” for others to consume or enjoy. One way writing systems are important in terms of cultural adaptability is that they allow others to have a window in to other cultures. When we visit or move to a new location, chances are that we will read about the new place and it’s culture as we begin the process of adaptation.

Writing systems provide a workspace for cultural adaptability. Tools and techniques can be developed to aid in translation, and these can continue to be built upon as time goes on. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is one of the those tools – “a sort of decoder ring for alphabets” (Gnanadesikan, 2009, p. 11). I found it fascinating that the IPA includes every phoneme from all languages, and that using it with an alphabet can crack the phoneme code for that alphabet (Gnanadesikan, 2009).

Moving from the written word to the written code – this type of writing also provides a workspace for improving cultural adaptability. The American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII) works with one alphabet – Latin (Friesen, Ockel, McGinnis, & Hinck, p. 2). This was good, but with globalization in many sectors, a standardized universal code was needed for computer systems to communicate worldwide. Unicode met the need. It goes quite a bit further – being a sort of umbrella code that works with many alphabets. Not only does it cover a multitude of alphabets, there is room to grow, and it is efficiently utilizes ASCII. When systems, software, and websites use Unicode – internationalizing – we can think of it as an expansion of communication capability. At this point, communicating with a variety of alphabets is possible. Localization happens when that alphabet is selected, and communication ensues using that alphabet (Friesen et al.).

I’m reminded of when I worked as a computer lab manager at a large school district. The population of English Language Learners in this district was also large. Frequently new students would arrive at our school with no experience with English. In the computer lab, we had a fun phonics-based program called Help Me to Learn. With just a little help logging in and learning to use the mouse, it was a good place to begin the journey to listening, reading, writing, and speaking English.

Gnanadesikan, A.E. (2009). The writing revolution: Cuneiform to the internet. West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.

Friesen, N., Ockel, D., McGinnis, P., & Hinck, G. For the Web to truly be “world wide.”Image by <a 

Gamification

Using Quest-based Learning to Develop or Design Curriculum

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alphabets-game-letters-705177After reading the Whitepaper, Understanding Quest Based Learning , I’m quite interested in quest-based learning – the science behind it, the platform, and the possibilities. As a teacher, I’ve experienced much of what’s described in the research, and I see how this type of learning can benefit students.

Currently, in my work as an instructional designer I have a small office on the third floor. I don’t get to visit with many people during the day, but as they stop by to make a cup of coffee at the station just outside my door, I’ve been stopping people to tell them about what I’m working on… sort of a captive audience!  A couple days ago, I shared with a professor about quest-based learning. Then he mentioned another professor who he thought would be interested. So part of how I might use this approach is by making my sample courses and sharing the concept with faculty at my school. I’ve put in a proposal for a conference to share this as well.

I’m interested in developing some EdTech courses and some faculty training courses, so that is a definite possibility of how I might use this approach down the line. Or if I have the opportunity to teach any pre-service teachers, I would love to use this approach. The course I’m working on now is something that could be done as online extended PD session on Connected Teaching and Learning.

 

Gamification

Attractive Quest Design

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archive-beautiful-book-stack-256455As with anything else, what is attractive to one person may not be attractive to another. So it is with learning activities. Keeping that in mind, as we design quests for our students, choice becomes important. When we provide choices for our students, they can select quests that are targeted for their learning level and personal interests. They will select what is attractive to them, which could be based on a number of factors.

The attractiveness of a quest will have an effect on whether students select it over another quest. According to Dr. Chris Haskell, quest attractiveness involves capturing one’s interest, sustaining one’s effort, and resulting in a meaningful, personally relevant learning experience” (Haskell, 2012).
Some quest attributes that students may value are shorter times, more
XP, higher student ratings, catchy names and intriguing descriptions, and types of activities or projects.
Gamification

Ways to Employ Characteristics of Games and Games Environments to a Unit or Module of Instruction

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choice-colors-colours-5933We can step up engagement in our classes by incorporating game characteristics and traits of a game environment. Some simple ways to begin include offering choice, multiple attempts with prompt feedback, and breaking large projects into manageable chunks.

Students of all ages like choices. As teachers we can offer a menu of projects to choose from, allow them to work on their own or with a partner or group, we can allow them to choose a role to play. We can also allow them to choose from various modes or platforms to demonstrate their learning.
In playing games, we often fail in a task, but the game isn’t over. There’s usually a way to get another life, another chance. When we get that additional chance, we use what we learned from the first attempt along with any feedback we received, and we try again. This time we’re more confident that we’ll be successful. Sometimes we are and sometimes we’re not. In a video game, we see our progress and our success reaching just a little further instantaneously which encourages us to try again and again until we master the task or level. We can offer that same type of situation in our units or modules. We can offer multiple attempts, provide formative feedback from the teacher, and from peers. Students need to see that they’re getting closer to mastering the task, so they don’t give up.
Another game characteristic that you may wish to employ is breaking large projects in to manageable chunks. Break it down to many small tasks or quests that can be tracked. Even the names given to categories, quests, or activities can mimic those used in games and a game environment.
These are just a few ways to modify our instruction using some of the successful tactics used by game designers for increased engagement and satisfaction.
Resource:
Rezzly – formerly 3D Game Lab – List of important characteristics in games.