Dr. S. Ganesan, Regional Director, IGNOU
While classrooms with blackboards and printed textbooks are still quite common, we are fast moving towards a world, where education is available anytime, anywhere with the help of technology. Revolutionary changes are taking place due to technology playing an important role in educational processes. Even within classrooms, there is a paradigm shift and the teacher is becoming a facilitator and manager of learning as technology plays the role of a surrogate teacher. Therefore, from merely having technology at the periphery of the teaching-learning scenario and using it occasionally, now there are thoughts of integration of technology in teaching and training. In view of these changes in the educational scenario, it is important for teachers and trainers of the 21st century to be well conversant with the techniques of integrating technology into the instructional system. The programme, Post Graduate Diploma in Educational Technology (PGDET) launched by IGNOU introduces teachers, trainers and those involved in developing educational programmes for various media to the field of Educational Technology.
All of us are familiar about international seminar, national conference etc; but the emerging new terminology ‘Video Seminar’ (V-Seminar) is unfamiliar to many. Normally, the power point presentations, short video clippings are part of seminar activities; but, a seminar dominantly with only with video source is an innovative approach. Playing one video after other, and giving a sequence of concentrated academic inputs is possible through video seminar. People are capable of receiving lot of information at a stretch, through organized context presentation.
The visual communication is taking predominant role in our day-today life. It is evident from our shift from simple text SMS to visual icons in Whatsapp messages. Similarly, the people have migrated from small screen key pad mobiles to larger screen smart phones. One of the major reasons for migration is the attraction towards visual communication.
It is a known fact that our mobile bills are more for ‘net’ use as compared to ‘voice’ communication purpose. The data use is dominating over voice (call) charges. Similarly, the technology upgradation from CRT-TV to LED –TV with big screen is another good example of growing use and importance of visual media. The clarity of digital video signal and HD signal is another parameter for the shift. The audio enhancers add to boost the power of video. Being so powerful, still the video medium is under-utilized/un-utilized in teaching-learning process at school/college level.
To sensitize the viewers, the questionnaire of one (or) two pages will boost the curiosity to watch the video, with focused attraction. For example, ‘what do you expect from the video on Higher Education status of India’? The sensitizer questions will motivate to have more concentration to watch video context.
Short-notes (or) hints noted while watching video will foster learning. It will also facilitate for post-video class activities. During small group discussion, on the video watched, the hints will help the participants to have constructive interaction. Pre-video and post-video class questionnaires are easy to measure the impact of video. A short duration of 10-15 minutes discussion/interaction among small group of 8-10 participants after the video is sufficient. It fosters the learning inputs. In-between videos, some component of face-to-face interactions with subject resource person(s) will remove the boredom of continuous watching of videos. For adult persons, such as college teachers, the approach of video seminar is more suitable mode for academic enrichment activity/faculty development programme.
The academic experiment of IGNOU Regional Centre, Port Blair to conduct video-seminar for college teachers was successful. The faculty members from JNRM, ANCOL, Pondicherry University- Brookshabad Campus have participated in the Video-Semianr. The feedback of the participants is encouraging to continue video-seminar model in future too. Thus, for college teachers of Mayabunder town, one such Video seminar is planned for future.
The available video resources can be optimistically used in an organized presentation of a V-seminar. This innovative concept is to be explored further. In future, the video seminars (using recorded off-line video lectures/class) may even replace the international seminars.
