Cowboys with cameras: an interactive expedition

Abstract

Utilizing the same technologies pioneered by the embedded journalists in Iraq, the University of Central Florida (UCF) teamed up with TracStar, Inc to create a small-scale, satellite-based expedition transmission package to accompany a university film and digital media professor into parts of Utah and the Moab Desert that had a historical significance to American Western Films. The expedition took the group to many locations where scenes from John Wayne and John Ford movies were filmed. Students along on the trip camped out and suffered similar tough conditions as did the original film crews, experienced the wilderness, and participated in lectures and interviews with locals, who supported the films and acted as extras and stunt persons. The project brought a live experience back to the university campus in which students personally interact firsthand with the people, places, things in as real a manner as what the remote travelers encountered.This article presents details about the experiences of the first implementation of the live broadcasts from the remote desert and the reactions of focus groups to the experience. One group watched archived broadcast, convinced that they were live. Their impressions and reactions were recorded and analyzed and compared to those who were part of a control group. Conclusions and recommendations for future trips are introduced. BackgroundMany educational institutions and businesses have embraced the concept of e-learning through the use of the Internet and other digital technologies and media. These organisations have been creating virtual (distance) classrooms that provide many advantages for themselves and their students and employees. Students, especially those who live

Leveraging Multitasking Opportunities to Increase Motivation and Engagement in Online Classrooms

“…Our previous informal research indicated that some students in large face-to-face classes were turning to multitasking activities in an attempt to find their own resolutions to the unanswered questions that arose. These observations were very similar to some others we noted in a previous study in which we analyzed the relative advantages of live, remote video broadcasts delivered for a college-level eLearning course (Kenny & Lenz, 2009). In that study we found that more than one-half of the thirty-five participants responded that their enthusiasm for the course content waned when they were not able to ask questions directly of the remote instructor during the live broadcasts.…”

“…Admittedly, the novel concept of being able to participant in live, satellite-based, remote broadcasts formed the basis of the initial attraction of many of the members of those enrolled in the course, however, just as it was reported in many of the studies as to the value of CMC, it appears that it was the ability to interact with peers and the instructor real time that created the most significant sense of satisfaction. As was reported in our previous study (Kenny & Lenz, 2009), after the initial novelty wore off, it was the instructional environment of the course that had the highest impact.…”

“…There already existed considerable data collected in other studies about the value of teacher immediacy and social presence (Rath & Gunter, 2012;Gunter, 2008). In addition, our previous study had further validated these concepts (Kenny & Lenz, 2009). The goal of this iteration was to validate the interface and to determine the extent which social presence and student interaction would be added using the chat widget and the updated interface screen.…”

A REVIEW OF E-LEARNING TECHNOLOGIES - Opportunities for Teaching and Learning

“…Many other attempts have been made to provide simulated learning experiences to students including:  The use of live broadcasts using a small-scale, satellite-based expedition transmission package into remote areas which brought a "live experience" back to students on campus (Robert & Lenz 2009).  The creation of a virtual learning environment on CD that emulated a fire investigation activities scenario (Davies & Dalgarno 2009).…”

The role of live video capture production in the development of student communication skills

“…Vranch (2005) reports the use of a similar system for surgical training and for other workplace training applications (Vranch and Kingsworth 2002). More recently Robert and Lenz (2009) made use of the same satellite transmission technology used by journalists to report stories during the Iraq War to create a live connection between students on a field trip in Utah and their peers at the University of Central Florida. Though the groups experienced a number of technical difficulties and scheduling problems, the study concludes "the ability to broadcast live from remote areas is only worth the effort if the operation can be configured for two-way interaction".…”