New Educational Media Technology

Cunningham, J., & Gonzalez, L. (2009). Collaboration: the library media center and educational technology. Teacher Librarian, 36(5), 33-35. Retrieved October 30, 2010, from the Academic OneFile database.

This article takes the views of both an Education Technology Coordinator & a Library Media Specialist to show how communication and collaboration between all involved is the key to increasing student access to technology. The authors also guide the reader through a three step action plan of justification, start small and display. Make sure the instructional needs of the teachers drive the demand and accessibility of the desired technology.

Ekart, D. F. (2010). Location, location, location: making foursquare work for your library.(tech tips for every librarian). Computers in Libraries, 30(9), 42-43. Retrieved November 15, 2010, from the Academic OneFile database.

The author of this article reviews a social software called "foursquare". You can use your cell phone or other portable device but could also go in to foursquare.com if your expensive phone has been misplaced. To use this program for your library is an excellent way to get information out to patrons or those around the neighborhood. The use of tags and tips within foursquare allows the library to help people with what's available at your library. Harvard implemented foursquare as a campus wide orientation/exploration tool. This is something that I will bring back to my library's associate director and web designer.

Kingsley, K. V. (2007). Empower Diverse Learners With Educational Technology and Digital Media. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(1), 52-56. Retrieved October 30, 2010, from the ProQuest database.

Designing a flexible curriculum allows educators to reach all learners by using diverse approaches for control of curricular content. Kingsley uses this article to describe twenty ways teachers of diverse learners can harness the power of instructional multimedia to create opportunities for students to become active learners. Learning is a challenging endeavor for the teacher as well as the learner. With hard work and persistence, teachers can leverage technology to design and discover what they need to make learning enjoyable for students at all levels.

Kozikowski, C. (2010). Five steps to help you determine if you need the new 'it' technology. Computers in Libraries, 30(6), 6-8. Retrieved November 15, 2010, from the Academic OneFile database.

Kozikowski, an educational technology specialist at Boston College Law Library, give five questions to help with the critical examination of new technology. The questions help answer questions from those who control the budget. Research is a extremely significant part of the evaluation. Kozikowski recommends you to be prepared for a series of questions from others regarding the technology. Other questions to consider are: Who is going to be the 'guinea pig'? How will you make sure the technology is used? and Where does it come into future plans? By answering these questions you'll be able to get a structured launch to any new technology that comes to the library.

Spector, J. M. (2010). Educational Technology and Change. TechTrends, 54(5), 6-7. Retrieved October 30, 2010, from the SpringerLLink Contemporary database.

Spector, AECT President, reminds the reader that if "a person has learned something, it is necessary to establish that a person now knows or can do something that he or she did not know or could not do previously." Spector emphasizes that educational technologists need to confirm that students' knowledge has changed and we need to be able to find ways to make the change more effective and efficient. Technology changes. Technology changes what people do. Technology changes what people can do.

Starr, J. (2010). California Digital Library in Twitter-Land: social bookmarking is now an integrated part of how we interact with the communities we serve and also the wider world of people we don't yet know. Computers in Libraries, 30(7), 23-27. Retrieved November 15, 2010, from the Academic OneFile database.

Joan Starr takes the readers of her article through the way the California Digital Library (CDL) created and effectively use a Twitter account. Starr led a small group to consider Twitter. One area of interest for the California Digital Library was to use the content their staff members had already created for the monthly newsletter. Starr's group decided to use a tool called Tweethopper to automate the conversion of RSS feed into tweets. Starr also covers the guidelines the committee drafted for the Twitter account as well as the assessment for Twitter. The CDL has seen a striking increase in the number of followers for the California Digital Library.

The Flip Video: Tips and Best Practices

Powering the Camera

The basic Flip camera operates on two AA batteries, which can be accessed by sliding the latch on the bottom of the camera to the unlock position, then sliding the front piece of the camera down and off. Be sure to have extra AA batteries on hand in case the need arises.

More advanced Flip cameras, including the high-definition Flip MinoHD and UltraHD, recharge automatically while the camera is docked in the USB port of your computer. A wall charger also can be used, which will fully charge the batteries in a shorter time.

Basic Pointers

1. Turn it on and off using the gray switch on the side.
2. Record by pressing the red button once.
3. Stop by pressing the red button twice.
4. Review video by pressing the arrow icon to the left of the red button.
5. Delete video by pressing the trash can symbol to the right of the red button. * On the HD Flip cams, you have to say “Yes” to delete a video. The play/pause button is the “Yes” button.
6. Zoom in by pressing the plus sign above the red button.
7. Zoom out by pressing the minus sign below the red button.
8. Go forward or backward through video clips by pressing the arrows on either side of the red button.
9. Download video by flipping out the USB connector on the side of the camera and plugging it into the USB port on your computer.

The original Flip camera and MinoHD use a 1.5-inch screen and have 60 minutes of recording time. The UltraHD has a 2-inch screen and two hours of recording time.

Tips for Shooting

In most cases – unless you’re recording a meeting or event -- limit length to 1:30 minutes or briefer. That makes for easier downloading and tighter bites. As you’re shooting, look for a moment that seems like a natural stopping point. Cutting the clip off at the right time helps in the editing process.

Avoid unnecessary and fast pan shots. Instead, stay with an image and let the action move through the scene you are taping. When panning a scene, hold the camera steady and move it very slowly. Keep the subject in focus. In all cases, keep the camera steady as much as possible and avoid jerky movements. Bracing your elbow with your non-shooting hand, or keeping your “shooting elbow” close to your body, can help steady the camera. A tripod, sold separately, can also keep the camera stationary.

Avoid using the zoom feature unless necessary. The digital zoom will result in loss of image resolution. Though magnified, the image has less quality than what you would get from a camera with an optical telephoto zoom. Instead of zooming, stay at the wide part of the lens and move your whole body closer to the subject. This will also make the image more stable.

In an interview setting, be as close to the person as possible for the camera microphone to sound good. This means you do not use the zoom on the camera but you hold the camera and stand close to the interviewee for the recording.

Adjust for ambient noise. Make sure the sound around you is not distracting. In particular, try to stay away from or minimize your exposure to street noise or lots of talking. If you cannot get away from intrusive background sound, then make sure to include the source of noise in the shot behind your interviewee. That way, the image explains where the extra noise is coming from. This makes the distraction more acceptable to the viewer.

Avoid high-contrast scenes as much as possible. Dark shadows will go black in the transfer, and shadows across someone’s face will not transfer well. Try to put your interview subject in even light so their face is in an even light level throughout. Also avoid backgrounds behind the subject that are too bright or too dark, since this will increase the image contrast and make the image hard to see on the Web. If you are inside a building, try to avoid bright walls behind a dark-skinned person when doing interviews or b-roll. The contrast could be too extreme. Also avoid the fluorescent flicker of lights on the wall behind someone, particularly overseas, where the electrical power is a different voltage and produces a light flicker with cameras set for United States electrical current settings.

What to Shoot

Remember, less is more if you plan your shots and the interview ahead of time. You can do your interview first and then take what you heard and decide what cutaway shots (b-roll) to get. Always try to cover a scene with a wider cover shot for location identification, and then go in to get close-ups, which give the viewer an intimate feel for the setting and the action.

An effective use of the camera is to record a standup of someone relating an anecdote or explaining something that is happening in the background.

Before you begin shooting, coach the person to think for a moment about what they are going to say – and who the audience is. Tell her or him to stay within a specific time limit -- 1 minute is good. That limit will help them focus their thoughts and keep their comments to the point. Once you turn the camera on, the first thing the person should do in a standup situation is say who they are – “Hi, this is Jane Doe and I am a in Anytown, Arkansas.”

Direct your camera in such a way that your subject doesn’t fill the frame, and the viewer can get a sense of place from the background.

Additional Resources

How to use a Flip Video Camera

The Flip Video Store

Information reused

See this newsletter entry in print (click image for a larger view).

Purchasing Media-Related Equipment

The supervisor of the Media and Digital Projects Laboratory (MDRL) at the Auburn University Libraries needs to purchase additional flip video cameras for faculty, staff or student checkout. This order will replace lost equipment but also increase the number of video cameras the MDRL have available.

With the flip cameras it is advantageous if the following additional items can be purchased as well: camera bag, tripod, extra battery. The camera bag must be large enough to hold the camera manual as well as the other equipment. USB extension cables have been requested at various times from patrons so they don't have to get into precarious positions to connect the Flip cameras to the computers for downloading of their files.

These items need to be in place and ready for checkout by close of business day on Friday, September 3.

After an informal discussion with the Assistant Director of Technology and because of the budget constraints within the Auburn University Libraries, we have been told that this purchase amount must be no more than $1,000 (including shipping/handling).

After some discussion, this is the purchase order that we will be submitting.



There will be no taxes applied to this order since the company has an equipment contract with Auburn University.

Estimated shipping for 2nd day is $27.91.

So the total of the purchase will be $999.56