Why video presentations?

There are considerable challenges associated with the recent shift to large class lecture modes. Challenges surround the balance between the two extremes of teaching/learning design: from student-centred to teacher-centred learning. Student-centred learning becomes less feasible as class sizes increase. The predominant model for teaching incorporates student contributions to continuous assessment predominantly focused on classroom presentations and/or written reports. In addition lecturer provided materials are mainly in the form of slideware, complemented perhaps by a set text or reading list, and possibly combined with associated practical sessions in tutorials or workshops. However reduced student engagement is an inevitable consequence of lecturing to large classes of 150+ students coupled with reduced availability of tutoring resources.

The argument for video presentations

Video presentations address two gaps in the current situation facing taught programmes in the University. A shortage of time to listen to and discuss student presentations in class (noting that presentations also often overrun the allocated time). A shortage of digital media targeting specific curricula (University students may also contribute valuable sources of new research and analysis). We also aspire to provide students with 21st century communication and presentation skills encompassing digital media technologies (video, graphics, audio etc) beyond the basics of slide-ware tools. Exposure to video presentation enables students to develop personal competencies in digital media production and delivery. Student and lecturer generated digital media content has the potential to complement the taught components of our degree and masters programmes.

Video presentations can enhance student engagement and involvement by structuring the student's own hands-on experience by preparing independent research and presentations for on-line delivery. Digital capture and production tools also empower a students' ability to plan, design and create their own showcase their research projects. An anticipated benefit is that students will also acquire a practical understanding of advanced communication and media production.

Finally, locally generated material (in particular local Irish content) has the potential to make a pedagogical contribution that reflects and disseminates the unique situations and experiences (cases) of (for example) firms in Ireland. This sort of richly illustrated, enacted and narrated media associated with the goals of a particular course may inspire and challenge following classes and also perhaps be of interest to a global community.

Is software eating the world?

Reflecting on Marc Andreessen's 2011 oped piece (link) on the inversion of software over hardware, and moreover the inversion of software as platforms over stand-alone software and apps.

If ever there was a clarion call to the dominance of technology and of internet services over applications this could be it.

But this is not a gold rush, at least not these days. Andreessen states:

"No one should expect building a new high-growth, software-powered company in an established industry to be easy. It's brutally difficult."

And even software engineering as it was know has been inverted. No longer "project oriented release after 3 years of development" style of projects. Instead, Internet services software is continuously evolving as evidenced by companies like LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, Etsy and others (see blob piece by Steve Denning on Etsy). And when we say 'continuously evolving', we mean that the product that customers engage with is being revised hour to hour, on a minute to minute basis. This is the era of continuous deployment and 'Dev Ops', where software services stay up (up-time is crucial) and responds to evolving, adapting requirements and needs; software that is responsive but continuously changing.

Retitled course "Managing Design and Development"

Update: We have retitled the course Managing Design and Development (from Managing Systems Development) reflect the course focus on management practices, and skills for grappling with digital designing.

Winners! Leaders of Tomorrow 2014

Nubi Kayode and Alex Keaney were chosen as winners with OnePlace.

From Alex's FB photos: Pitching for the penultimate time to Accenture leaders and competition.
"Bring on the final — with Nubi Kay at Accenture Grand Canal Plaza."

OnePlace is an application to make messaging simple again. OnePlace aggregates all of your messaging apps, allows for smart sending (so you send to active and priority recipient accounts), and consolidate in-bound messages from multiple platforms for better context.

They will travel to Accenture’s New York Digital Innovation Centre and have the opportunity to pursue their business idea in a dedicated space on the NDRC Launchpad programme, Ireland’s leading digital accelerator platform. They will receive expert mentorship, weekly workshops and more to make their idea their future and become a Leader of Tomorrow. They also have the option of a 6 month Leadership Internship with Accenture.

The Leaders of Tomorrow competition aims to identify, foster and recognise leadership potential and innovative thinking amongst aspiring entrepreneurs in Ireland.

From the Irish Times...

See the video

Accenture's LoT pages

NDRC announcement

Nubi's blog

Leaders of Tomorrow Award 2014

Kayode Nubi and Alex Keaney at the LoT Pitch Meeting

Four students on the MSc iBusiness - Innovation through ICT programme entered this year's "Leaders of Tomorrow" competition.

Cathal McNamara and Darragh Leahy with QR-Stamp, a system for making post easy; and Nubi Kayode and Alex Keaney with OnePlace, an application to make messaging simple again.

Kayode Nubi and Alex Keaney were selected as finalists, while Cathal and Darragh made it through to the second round.

The winner from the top six finalists will be announced at the 2014 LoT award ceremony, Thursday April 10th, 6pm at Accenture, 4th floor, 1 Grand Canal Square.

The Leaders of Tomorrow competition aims to identify, foster and recognise leadership potential and innovative thinking amongst aspiring entrepreneurs in Ireland.

From the Irish Times...

See the video

Accenture's LoT pages

NDRC announcement

Nubi's blog

PPIG 2014

PSYCHOLOGY OF PROGRAMMING INTEREST GROUP
PPIG 2014 Conference, Brighton, UK: 25-27 June 2014

Second Call for Papers

Submission Deadline 25th March 2014

We invite papers concerned with the psychological aspects of software development. PPIG entertains a broad spectrum of research approaches, from theoretical perspectives drawing on psychological theory to empirical perspectives grounded in real-world experience, and is equally concerned with all aspects of programming and software engineering, from the design of programming languages to communication issues in software teams, and from computing education to high-performance professional practice.

Full details, see www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/bend/ppig2014/

Mad idea #12 "Every new project starting off should have a review session of previous projects...

Mad idea #12 "Every new project starting off should have a review session of recent projects and review their key learning (5 things that went well, 5 things that could be improved).

Works for design & development as well as support, marketing and sales initiatives.

Guindon design exercise slideshows

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n.b. G+ is evil. Need to go back to Picasaweb albums to do get generated embed code :( https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/myphotos?noredirect=1

Accenture competition for "Leaders of Tomorrow"

Accenture and The Irish Times hosting a competition seeking business ideas with prizes; the Leaders of Tomorrow Award.

Link = careers.accenture.com/Microsites/leaders-of-tomorrow-award

Of interest for Digital Story Telling...

A chairde,

tá súil agam go bhfuil sibh go maith.
Our recently completed half hour documentary on Branar Téatar do Pháistí will have it's first TV broadcast tomorrow night on TG4 at 8pm.
In the film, we follow Branar as they bring their production of Clann Lir to Cologne. It's a big step for them - their first time bringing their work foreign. They're a great company, it's a nice little story!
As well as offering a window into their quiet and magical world of children's puppetry, the film includes music from a range of contemporary / underground Irish musical acts, inc. David Kitt, Tieranniesaur, Karman Line, Halves.
Here's a brief trailer for the film, please feel free to view / circulate: http://ow.ly/qXWdh
For those of you who are Twitter inclined, the tag is #PuipéadBeag
The full episode can also be viewed on the TG4 player http://nasc.tg4.tv/1c7QKyc

Ádh mor,

James
. . . . . . . . . . .
James Kelly
Feenish Productions
26 South Frederick St
Dublin 2

Fionnuala - Puipead Beag Ar Thuras Mor - airplane landscape

Curious about hardware failure rates?

This post on ExtremeTech identifies aggregate failure rates for a crucial piece of high-tech infrastructure, hard drives. Cloud computing data centres would be expected to have continuous hardware refresh/replacement in place to counter the inevitable failure of storage. (link)

Source: ExtemeTech: "Hard drive failure conforms to the bathtub curve — a curve that reliability engineers use that neatly illustrates the three distinct phases of a product’s lifecycle"

Seminar: Students & Mobile Phone Apps

Students & Mobile Phone Apps: Everyday Uses for Problem-Solving

An interactive presentation by Dr. Crystal Fulton & Hannah Gleave.

When: 14th November at 11.00 am
Where: To be held in Room 107, in the UCD School of Information and Library Studies, Belfield Campus.

Stallman at TCD 1st of November

Richard Stallman will be speaking in TCD again this year on the 1st of November: https://www.netsoc.tcd.ie/news/2013/10/rms-the-second-coming-of-st-ignucius/
(via Mark)

Educational Provocation

“So,” Juárez Correa said, “what do you want to learn?”

This article on Wired (link) on how a radical teaching technique is producing results in disadvantaged settings; it suggests that the basic provision of computing resources, that is, the essential hardware and software for running the machines, coupled with educational materials like encyclopaedia, specialised software and information sources, produces sufficient conditions for people, especially children, to learn effectively in a self-directed manner.

Digital Storytelling: Skills Workshops for Video Production

Two Skills Workshops for Video Production covering basic points leading to introductory level knowledge.
These workshops consist of two practitioner led 2hr sessions in video skills and digital storytelling.

Dates: Afternoon Sessions 3pm-5pm: Tuesday 29/10 and Tuesday 5/11
Location: Lecture Theatre 1, Blackrock.

REGISTER HERE (http://goo.gl/VSTolu) PLACES ARE LIMITED

A Google maps reference with room location and suggested parking zones.
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zI3tiisSQK_k.kqOUvhH4ARXE

And a link to UCD's official Blackrock map
http://www.ucd.ie/maps/Blackrock_Campus_Map_2011.pdf

Context:

To engage in the contemporary digital social networked environment organisations have adapted to new modes of communicating and engaging with clients, partners and markets. Training, explaining, persuading, and just communicating through video offers the potential for more direct and personal impressions of engagement with others. Video blogging has become a mainstream genre for communicating and engaging; the arena of organisational leadership has shifted to presentation and presentations are repurposed as videos. 

Agenda

First session - preparing to film, and filming;

• preparation & visual approach - e.g. shot list.
• employing slideware (Powerpoint or Keynote) to mock/prototype/storyboard the project
• how to shoot - i.e. basic guidelines for framing, camera movement, lighting etc.
• how to get good audio
• scripting and recording a voice-over

Between sessions – homework
shoot footage between classes, to be reviewed at the beginning of the second class.

Second sessions - using your footage - editing;

• review of footage shot by students
• overview of different editing options (mac, pc, iPad etc)
• basic principles of editing
• pacing and rhythm
• use of soundtrack
• uploading options - YouTube, Vimeo

References

Exercise: a 30 second video

Kongregate (case analysis)

As you'd expect, a spreadsheet is probably the best way to model the different scenarios and answer the question...

Here's one I did earlier (http://bit.ly/1cplWdx)

We may disagree about the figures or the methods, but at least we've attempted to address the financial question before moving on to the strategic and subjective decision.

An iBusiness student's perspective

Uma Nedunchezian talks about the masters in iBusiness at UCD at 2012 Dublin Castle event hosted by Education in Ireland for Indian Students (view the video).