Transcript of video
This is my Assignment 1 for LRNT523.
I am sharing a couple of related resources today. One is information about a blog post I found on alternatives to talking head videos, which you can read in my blog post here…
…and the second is a show-and-tell about using Adobe Character Animator to simulate a talking head. In this case, my head. The process is not plug-and-play, or drag-and-drop, or any other hyphenated combination of words, although it is much simpler than its forerunners, like Flash or AfterEffects, or other software like Anime Studio.
You can draw your own character in Photoshop or Illustrator (like mine), or even purchase a custom fully-programmed avatar [available from custom animation studios, such as graphicmama.com]. For a simple recording like this one, I add the puppet to a scene, and record the audio, which displays on the timeline as visemes—discrete vocal sounds that correlate with mouth motions. To add hand gestures, I drag my arms around and use keystrokes, like the S to wave my hand, or the Q to give the old thumbs up. My ponytail moves according to the regular laws of physics, and I can control eye blinks using motion capture on a webcam.
Addendum: How my post fits into the course content
As George pointed out in his comment to my assignment, “However, there was no mention in the post about how this resource relates to the course and to what we were studying over that week. For instance, it would have been helpful to learn how you see digital talking heads relate to theories of learning or what roles they might take in educational settings as per the readings of the week.”
Quite right.
Both my talking head demo and my article reference the way information is conveyed to learners and users. It is a common practice in teaching about software for the instructor to appear on camera as a part of video demonstrations. As outlined in my blog post for Activity 5, “Reflection on my theoretical and pedagogical stance,” I use both behavioral and cognitive modeling consistently. In general, I use the ‘talking head’ content to convey cognitive modeling ideas, such as exploring how specific techniques demonstrated either in the text of the lesson or as part of the lesson’s videos factor into the decisions the student or user makes in choosing one technique over another. So, for example, in a course comprising 12 lessons, there are 12 videos that use the talking head format for exploring the way a lesson’s techniques may be used within a larger workflow.
Five Alternatives to the Talking Head Video
Five Alternatives to the Talking Head Video for MOOCs & Online Courses
Video is a common form of distributing content in online courses. In this blog post, the author looks at talking head videos—those featuring the subject matter expert delivering a lecture on camera.
Findings from a study done by Guo, Kim & Rubin, 2014 described in the post reported the following:
- The optimal video length is six minutes or shorter
- Videos produced with a more personal feel could be more engaging than high-fidelity studio recordings
- Khan-style tablet drawing tutorials (screencasts) are more engaging than PowerPoint slides.
The author looks at alternatives to the talking head video, including podcasts, interviews, simulations, screencasts, and informal end-of-week recorded discussions (such as those we have in our courses, although usually at the start of the week).
Reference
Morrison, D. (2015, February 24). Five Alternatives to the Talking Head Video for MOOCs & Online Courses [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2015/02/24/five-alternatives-to-the-talking-head-video-for-moocs-online-courses/
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