Authentic Situation with Streaming Video in Distance Learning

Yoshida, M., Poonyakanok, P., Tiranasar, A., and Mori, S.

Source:
Yoshida, M., Poonyakanok, P., Tiranasar, A., and Mori, S.(1999), Authentic Situation with Streaming Video in Distance Learning, Paper Presented at International Conference and Exhibition on Education Superhighway (29 November - 4 December) 2 December, Penang, Malaysia: SEAMEO RECSAM, Proceedings, pp.7.1-7.7.

Copyright:
Reproduced with permission.

Abstract

This paper is about how we deploy to develop situated environments within ICT in Distance Learning for effective students' learning inside/outside schools and implications for successful implementation. We begin with a brief overview of recent pedagogical changes and the principles with which we attempt to overcome them. We then expand with novel technological view on this in the remainder of the paper. This perspective is based on a research study in the NIME, involving cooperational research activities with university staff and electronics companies. The conclusions reported in this paper are intended to be a guide to help educators to deploy streaming video and learning with monitoring within Web provided by the MPEG-4, and make the most of the pedagogic opportunities.

Key Words

Situated Learning, Learning Environments, Intentional Learning, Distance Learning, Computer Mediated Monitoring, Streaming video

Introduction

Integrating on-line information communication technologies (ICT) into both educational sites and distance learning courses is becoming more of an issue. In recent times, institutions have been called on to make significant increases in the quality and quantity of the educational experience. Consequently, we have been exploring the use of the Web as universal interface together with course/classroom software solutions as a means to enhance and extend the traditional educational methodologies with possible later extension into the distance learning environment.

However, merely novel appearance of ICT can not evoke aptitudes of students, also fascination of new technology can not keep their engagement for full of the course.

Recent research studies explore that media do not influence learning under any conditions. The best current evidence is that media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition (Clark, 1975; Clark et al., 1975; Clark, 1982; Salomon et al., 1977).

Nevertheless, the choice of vehicle does influence the cost and/or extent of distributing instruction. Technology-aided, self-directed learning is a key element. Technology does not guarantee productivity; but coupled with progress in pedagogy and a paradigm shift to self directed, intentional learning, technology can make greater learning productivity possible (Johnstone, 1992; Twigg, 1992).

Progress of Pedagogy

The term 'Distance Learning' is often interchanged with 'Distance Education.' However, distance education just means instructional delivery that does not constrain the student to be physically present in the same location as the instructor. Therefore, interchangeable treatment of these terms is inaccurate since institutions/teachers control educational delivery while the student is responsible for learning. In other words, distance learning is the result of distance education (The Distance Learning Resource Network, 1999).

Increasingly there are fewer comments about the wonders of technology and more about the new forms of community brought about by ICT, about the new learning environment in cyberspace.

Schools are not only for the delivery of knowledge. There is a lot more involved in the learning process than just accessing information. We can not be looking at distance learning or technology as an alternative to things that happen in schools. We have to use new technology in distance learning as a place for learning activities, and the access to the learning environment.

In addition, also, today's theoretical interest on which instructional models are based affects not only the way in which information is transferred to the student, but also the way in which the learning of students need be considered.

With regard to this, Carroll [6] proposed roles of education for learners that

(1) All learning tasks should be meaningful and self-contained activities.

(2) Learners should be given realistic projects as quickly as possible.

(3) Instruction should permit self-directed reasoning and improvising by increasing the number of active learning activities.

(4) Training materials and activities should provide for error recognition and recovery.

(5) There should be a close linkage between the training and actual system.

These roles should ideally take place within the framework of what Bruner (1996) refers to as the "psycho-cultural" approach to education. However, an increasing demand for competence-based and fixed knowledge acquisition-based curricula in ICT will cause disproportion with these roles. Then, tactical decision for deployment of course with regard to methodological approaches that are reflected both pedagogical principles and technological benefit must be inspired. Table 1 below provides pedagogical changes in understanding of learning associated with technological innovation.

It could be formulated from the recent pedagogical movement that resource based learning would outweigh conventional top down lesson in cyberspace. In resource based learning, there are two major views which impact a course design of distance learning: constructivist theory and information processing theory (Bredo, 1994).

Table1: Pedagogical Changes in Learning and Instruction

	Traditional Lesson	Mediated Lesson	Resource-based Learning
Place of Learning	Classroom	Course in Network Site	Cyberspace
Learning Style	Text Based, Competitive Learning	Text Based, Competitive Learning	Mind-on, Independent Learning, Sometimes Cooperative Learning
Principle	Behaviorist Based	Behaviorist Based	Constructivist Based or Information Processing Theory Based
Major Materials	Textbook, Teacher	Digitized Material, Tele-Teacher	Authentic Situation, Student's Prior Experience and Knowledge
Supportive Materials	Books	Database, Books	Distributed Information in Cyberspace
Knowledge (fixed)	Content	Content	Intentional Learning
Content	Many Topics and Little Depth	Many Topics and Little Depth	Few Topics and Depth
Teacher's Role	Providing Knowledge	Manage the Students' Process, Remedial Instruction	Facilitator, Expert
Objectives	Fixed Knowledge Acquisition	Fixed Knowledge Acquisition	Knowledge Building
Evaluation	Fact Oriented	Fact Oriented	Concept Oriented

The dominant view is based on constructivist principle, in which a learner actively constructs an internal representation of knowledge by interacting with the authentic materials to be learned (Lave et al, 1991). This is also the basis for situated cognition and problem based learning (PBL). The alternative view is the information processing approach, and based on cases. This principle is called as Case-Based Reasoning (CBR). In CBR, solutions are generated by retrieving the most relevant cases from memory and adapting them to fit the new situations. Thus in CBR, reasoning is deeply relevant to remembering (Schank, 1982). The CBR approach derives from two tenets about the nature of the world. The first tenet is that the world is regular: similar problems have similar solutions. The second tenet is that the types of problems a student encounters tend to recur. When two tenets hold, CBR is an effective reasoning strategy (Leake, 1996).

Solutions

Designing learning environment in ICT must begin with the articulation of vision. We need to reconsider by returning to basics, what we mean by good learning in the light of the versatile technologies now. Both principle above needs authenticity of content, and a capacity for self-organization and confident self-direction of students are required, if they are to process effective resource based learning.

Monitoring through ICT is one of the solutions for supporting resource based learning. Monitoring is a way to actually involve students in a research project (Bartlett et al., 1996). In monitoring, students analyze aspects of environment and their conclusions are more comprehensive and valuable when data have been summed and drawn from a site. For example, 'Science Monitoring' is the way that actual science data can allow students to see the entire future of the concept that they are studying. Also, long-term data show students that a single experiment does not tell the whole story, and offer the opportunity for students to compare their own experimental results with information spanning days, weeks, seasons, and even years (Yoshida, 1996). In addition, monitoring give them a chance to lead them to authentic situation and enhance their engagement.

As a fact of this, one of the monitoring sites; 'Nasubino heya' that relates to a TV program in Japan had gathered tremendous 16 million accesses during merely 24 hours.

Equally, monitoring with streaming video has likelihood to become a worldwide common event across the different mother language students.

Media Literacy and Skills in Instruction (MLSI) Project at National Institute of Multimedia Education (NIME) attempts application research of MPEG-4 to education cooperating with educational staff of universities and specialists in Toshiba Ltd. and Kanematu Electronics Ltd.

MPEG-4 is a standard of moving picture developed by MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) (Fig1). MPEG-4 standard of simple pro-file for Internet targets the very low coded bit rates between 6K and 384Kbps, and enables streaming videos in low bit rate Internet over analog telephone lines (Fig2 includes bit rates of core pro-file of MPEG-4).

MPEG-4 enables the production of content that has far greater reusability, has greater flexibility than is possible today with individual technologies such as digital television, animated graphics, World Wide Web (WWW) pages and their extensions. It also brings multimedia to new networks.

With merely a camera, an MPRG-4 encoder, and a server, a monitoring system can be composed and transfer streaming videos or motion pictures to a number of students (Fig3).

Another solution for supporting resource based independent learning is streaming video (Fig4).

When the students had time unlimited for solving an open-question assignment, time spent was different across them, and it could not be seen correlation between time spent and achievement of product (Yoshida et al., 1999). Students' engagement is not a subordinate issue of designing, but an implicated issue that need to be refined. Nowadays, even educators working at distance education institutions formulate that main source for distance education should be printed materials, not a broadcasting TV program.

It has relevant role as a pacemaker to maintain students' engagement, and it should conserve students' drive potentially. Alternatively, it was remarked motivational effects on multi mode contents, such as, "Integrated sound, motion, image, and text create a rich new learning environment awash with possibility and a clear potential to increase student involvement in the learning process (Task Force on Distance Education, 1992)." Now, there are various video codecs known for Internet streaming videos, such as, QuickTime, RealPlayer, StreamWorks, VDOLivePlayer. Some of these have the efficiency to synchronize video with texts and images in a same html window. Consequently, MPEG-4 is aiming to standardize these varieties of codecs within same interface. Equally, MPEG-4 has been evolved to be able to control objects inside the streaming video. Thus, MPEG-4 has more flexibility and benefit to make rich feature, for instance, developing multi language or cultural program, adding cues or information inside streaming videos. Potentially, streaming video of MPEG-4 is constituent to invigorate distance learners.

Conclusion

With regard to above-mentioned solutions that enhance students' distance learning, it could be honed the following comparison between PBL and CBR (Table2).

Table2: Two Principles of Resource based Problem Solving

Although both principles intend to lead the students into authentic situation, PBL differs in the ultimate goal of the learning process from the CBR, since the emphasis is on the chain the rules for reasoning. This contrast yields strategy for design, educator should emphasize sequence of solving a problem, if a course is embedded PBL. Understanding the importance of selection of scenes that show crucial cues and evidence for reasoning is fairly requirement for an educator.

As one of recent response to effective application of video, Bransford et al. (1990) proposed 'Anchored Instruction' for students to pose and solve complex, realistic problems. Videos were served as "anchors" for all subsequent learning. Continuously, students were asked to examine the video (e.g. "Young Sherlock Holmes" was used) in terms of causal connections, motives of the characters, and authenticity of the settings in order to understand the nature of life in Victorian England.

In order to achieve this learning in cyberspace, MPEG-4 will profoundly be pervasive to elicit deliberate design by effects to synchronize various modes in HTML with streaming video.

On the other hand, CBR make more stress on schema based learning that works best when it is exposed to a pattern to be learned in its authentic full complexity. In attempts to address authentic environments in cyberspace outlined by reality, "Classroom Connect" developed an interactive Web site (http://www.classroom.com/). It conducts students to direct an expedition (called quest) that explores one of mysteries of all time on a continent, and its animals and traditional peoples is sure to stimulate the natural curiosity of students' minds. During a quest, scientists and explorers investigate the animals, plants, geology and so on. Each week student collaborators vote to help decide their route and with whom they should interact. Until now, MayaQuest, AfricaQuest, AsiaQuest have been executed with millions of participants of students and will go on the next GalapagosQuest soon. Thus, monitoring through cyberspace enables to be as effective example for CBR, and MPEG-4 will exceedingly be pervasive to lead attractive authentic design.

Note

More information of MPEG-4 and some samples can be seen at Web Site below.

(http://www2.toshiba.co.jp/mmotion/)

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POONYAKANOK, Puangkaew
Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Education
Bangkok 10330, Thailand / pkaew@chula.ac.th

TIRANASAR, Ampai
Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Education
Bangkok 10330, Thailand / tampai1@chula.ac.th

MORI, Sohei
Kanematsu Electronics LTD., Open Systems Sales Division Sect.1
2-17-5, Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan / smori@kel.co.jp