Comments on: Networked Learning workshops http://learnonline.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/networked-learning-workshops/ Mon, 08 Sep 2008 05:04:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: Leigh Blackall http://learnonline.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/networked-learning-workshops/#comment-426 Leigh Blackall Thu, 11 May 2006 22:05:00 +0000 http://learnonline.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/networked-learning-workshops/#comment-426 Hi Doug, This issue comes up quite a bit in our work, as many people in New Zealand have limited bandwidth as you do. A lot of people here choose to stay with dial up connections as well, I guess there'll always be people like that too. Access, digital divides and stuff like that have always been an important issue to keep in mind, and so I look at it like this: At the moment I am uploading videos to the free streaming services like YouTube. For those on average connections who can't get much joy from YouTube, I upload to OurMedia for people to set their computer to download the video and come back the next day to (hopefully) see it on their desktop. On top of that I am saving them all to burn to CD when I have a CD's worth, for mail out or by ordering from lulu self publishing or something. The last thing to do is transcribe the audio in a wiki for key points mentioned so people with various access isssues can at least get an idea. This should just about cover the access issues... eventually. I don't do it all at once, just progressively and not all of it gets done. So that more or less covers the access issues. As for the digital divide, yes I do thing those on slow connections are getting left behind (again). Brewster Kharl talks about ways of networking WiFi around small towns and remote areas to achieve significant improvements in bandwidth. He is of the opinion that if we can't get Internet bandwidth to a level of streaming DVD quality video, then we're not there yet. It's well worth listening to <a HREF="http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail400.html" rel="nofollow">Brewster's speach</A> hey! Perhaps download it when you're at work or the town library. I remember thinking (back when I was on dial up) that all these multi media for the web monkeys just didn't live in the real world.. but now I'm lucky enough to have access to, and be able to afford broadband, I have discovered a whole new dimension of the Internet!--> Hi Doug,

This issue comes up quite a bit in our work, as many people in New Zealand have limited bandwidth as you do. A lot of people here choose to stay with dial up connections as well, I guess there’ll always be people like that too.

Access, digital divides and stuff like that have always been an important issue to keep in mind, and so I look at it like this:

At the moment I am uploading videos to the free streaming services like YouTube. For those on average connections who can’t get much joy from YouTube, I upload to OurMedia for people to set their computer to download the video and come back the next day to (hopefully) see it on their desktop. On top of that I am saving them all to burn to CD when I have a CD’s worth, for mail out or by ordering from lulu self publishing or something. The last thing to do is transcribe the audio in a wiki for key points mentioned so people with various access isssues can at least get an idea.

This should just about cover the access issues… eventually. I don’t do it all at once, just progressively and not all of it gets done.

So that more or less covers the access issues. As for the digital divide, yes I do thing those on slow connections are getting left behind (again). Brewster Kharl talks about ways of networking WiFi around small towns and remote areas to achieve significant improvements in bandwidth. He is of the opinion that if we can’t get Internet bandwidth to a level of streaming DVD quality video, then we’re not there yet. It’s well worth listening to Brewster’s speach hey! Perhaps download it when you’re at work or the town library.

I remember thinking (back when I was on dial up) that all these multi media for the web monkeys just didn’t live in the real world.. but now I’m lucky enough to have access to, and be able to afford broadband, I have discovered a whole new dimension of the Internet!–>

]]> By: Doug Noon http://learnonline.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/networked-learning-workshops/#comment-425 Doug Noon Thu, 11 May 2006 19:40:00 +0000 http://learnonline.wordpress.com/2006/05/11/networked-learning-workshops/#comment-425 Leigh, the link to Videora may be useful for me, thanks. If you ever want to test your new ideas on someone who is stuck with a slow dial-up connection, you can contact me. Because of where my house is located relative to the rest of the planet, I can't seem to do much better than 26400bps. Podcasts, video, even big images are all a pain and not generally worth it. (There's still a big white spot in the middle of your post.) Don't know how long it's going to be until I can use some of this stuff away from the fast connection at work, where I don't have time to mess with it anyway. It's hard for me to get interested in all the talk about networked audio and video that has sprung up in the last year. I've considered writing about this problem, of feeling "left behind," but I'm afraid it will come off sounding like an irrelevant whine. I'm curious to know if you think that the technology is going to push the connection speed, the file compression ability, both, or whether the entire business is going to leave a lot of people wondering what the hell everyone else is doing? I don't know if I'm in the minority or not. But that's the benefit of living near the edge. I generally don't need to care about what I don't know....just curious. Leigh, the link to Videora may be useful for me, thanks. If you ever want to test your new ideas on someone who is stuck with a slow dial-up connection, you can contact me. Because of where my house is located relative to the rest of the planet, I can’t seem to do much better than 26400bps. Podcasts, video, even big images are all a pain and not generally worth it. (There’s still a big white spot in the middle of your post.)

Don’t know how long it’s going to be until I can use some of this stuff away from the fast connection at work, where I don’t have time to mess with it anyway. It’s hard for me to get interested in all the talk about networked audio and video that has sprung up in the last year. I’ve considered writing about this problem, of feeling “left behind,” but I’m afraid it will come off sounding like an irrelevant whine.

I’m curious to know if you think that the technology is going to push the connection speed, the file compression ability, both, or whether the entire business is going to leave a lot of people wondering what the hell everyone else is doing? I don’t know if I’m in the minority or not. But that’s the benefit of living near the edge. I generally don’t need to care about what I don’t know….just curious.

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