I have just read about the 'screencasting' and 'Ustream' regarding video and webcasting. Wow! I can't really imagine what technology nowadays can't really do! Although I never really put my attention into the leading edge of technologies, but sometimes I really need to give my deepest salutation to those who really think ahead of us... Remember the advertisement by "Nicol David"? It stated that "Winning is just thinking ahead of the others"... and I can't be agreed more with that, personally...
Ok, then... What will be my concern for 'screencasting' or 'Ustream'? I would say that I do like the idea of 'screencasting', as it will save a lot of energy and time in dealing with the explanation or steps involve in sophisticated apparatus or equipment, especially when the students are learning or dealing with it for the first time. When the whole procedure has been encrypted and screen-casted, students can easily followed the instruction in the screencast. Moreover, students can just review back the steps that they are not familiar with or to repeat the whole procedure again without difficulty. I personally do find this important especially in one of the subjects that I taught, where there were quite a number of new equipment that the students need to learn and to apply the techniques and the principles behind each of them. When I'm using the 'old techniques' (power point presentation with series of diagrams explaining the whole procedure), not quite a number of students can actually know what was really happening... And the most difficult part was to repeat the steps involved, as not all the students are having the same credibility in understanding the processes... Therefore, it will be easier and clearer for the students to view it themselves the "real action" of the whole process together with the explanation given in the screencast. Furthermore with screencast, students can actually view it a few days before the day of the lecture where further discussion can be done on the specific area that the students are concern about...
As for 'Ustream', I personally do not find this useful in the environment where I'm now teaching. Not to say that this gadget is not useful in teaching and learning, but the possibility of using it is quite low due to the needs of it steady connection and transmission. Nevertheless, I can't be agreed more that the 'tools' that I now know will shape the future of what kind of learning and teaching environment the next generation will be... and of course, it will all also depends on the willingness and adaptiveness of the educators in applying them now!
As for my experiences in searching for educational resources for the subject that I taught, I do not find any difficulty as most of the time, it is the specific techniques or principles that are required in the application of biotechnology (e.g. DNA extraction and purification, packing of column chromatography, principles of different ion exchange column, etc...), where most of the biotechnology company has already setup in the format of video or webcast about their latest apparatus or equipment that they are selling...
Some of the video or webcast that are useful for my educational resources are as below:
(A) SDS PAGE
(B) TLC and Column Chromatography
(C) Recombinant DNA Technology
As for 'Ustream', I personally do not find this useful in the environment where I'm now teaching. Not to say that this gadget is not useful in teaching and learning, but the possibility of using it is quite low due to the needs of it steady connection and transmission. Nevertheless, I can't be agreed more that the 'tools' that I now know will shape the future of what kind of learning and teaching environment the next generation will be... and of course, it will all also depends on the willingness and adaptiveness of the educators in applying them now!
As for my experiences in searching for educational resources for the subject that I taught, I do not find any difficulty as most of the time, it is the specific techniques or principles that are required in the application of biotechnology (e.g. DNA extraction and purification, packing of column chromatography, principles of different ion exchange column, etc...), where most of the biotechnology company has already setup in the format of video or webcast about their latest apparatus or equipment that they are selling...
Some of the video or webcast that are useful for my educational resources are as below:
(A) SDS PAGE
(B) TLC and Column Chromatography
(C) Recombinant DNA Technology
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