One of the things that we try to get across in the show each week is that – for all of its promise – educational technology has potential downsides as well, especially when you’re pushing the edge of the envelope just a bit and trying new things. This week, we used uStream ( related field report) to videoconference as we recorded the show’s audio; we also tried recording video of the conference itself using iShowU.
As Michael notes, one of the things we strive for is a measure of authenticity. Authenticity is powerful, and can engender connections among people. It also necessitates – or requires – a measure of vulnerability. We don’t want to keep our failures secret, for doing so telegraphs a message about technology use that doesn’t accurately reflect the struggles it requires. We’re going to put it out there for all to see, for better for worse. With that in mind, here is the video we recorded. You’ll notice that the audio is quite good, but the video consists of a strobe-like effect as iShowU couldn’t keep up with the live frame rate of the broadcasted Ustream video. We’ll continue to work on it, trying other settings and different tools. In the meanwhile, we hope you see this as we do – as a learning experience – and that you’ll provide feedback and suggestions to help us improve the show.
– Michael, Mark, and Steve