digital academic revolution mentorship competency · online learning consortium research center for...

DIGITAL ACADEMIC REVOLUTION

MENTORSHIP COMPETENCY

#4 THE TECHNOLOGY: Vision-Driven Instead of Vendor-Pushed Solutions Whentherightpeoplemaketherighttooltosupporttherightmission

BY MARTIN MEHL & LUANNE FOSE | DECEMBER 2016

This research provided by the Online Learning Consortium Research Center for Digital Learning and Leadership. © 2016 2

KEYWORDSAJGregory|Customer-Driven|DigitalAcademicRevolution|DigitalWorkflowOptimization|DigitalMentorship|LifestyleInnovation|LuanneFose|MartinMehl|MattChampagne|Screencast-O-Matic®

PREAMBLE

Thein-depthsegmentsoftheMehl/Foseresearchfrommotivationtoconceptualizationtoadaptationthroughadoptionanddiffusionarefeaturedinamulti-partseriesbytheOnlineLearningConsortiumResearchCenterforDigitalLearningandLeadership.TheDigitalAcademicRevolution:MentorshipCompetencySeriesshareswithOLCmembersthe“insidescoop”andtransparencyofdigitalmentorshipcompetencyinteachingandlearning.

Inthe3rdarticle,wewilldiscussmorein-depththeleadership&learningsupportofBigNerdSoftwareLLC’sScreencast-O-Matic©-thescreencastingTECHNOLOGYwechosetoimplementfortheDigitalCommentaryGradingProject(DCGP)anditsconceptualization.Asweresearchedwhichtoolwouldbethemostappropriateforthetask,ourfinalsoftwareselectionwasbasedon7imperativecriteria:

1. Theselectedtoolmustbeintuitivetolearnforeventhemosttechnologically-challengedinstructors.

2. Thetoolneedstobecrossplatformcompatible.

3. Softwareeditingcapabilitiesaredesirable(butnotmandatory)sincethegoalofvideoassessmentissimplicityandinstructortransparency,efficiency,andexpedience.

4. ForfulladoptionitmustbeADAcompliant(i.e.,includecaptioningcapabilities)toaccommodatestudentrequests.

5. Itmustincorporateexceptionalvideocompressioncodecsinordertominimizeuploadanddownloadtimesforstudent-instructorandinstructor-studenttransferenceintheLearningManagementSystem.

6.Sincevideoassessmentsmustmaintainstudentprivacyandnotbepubliclyposted,theselectedtoolmustpossesstheabilitytosavescreencastsdirectlytotheinstructor’scomputerratherthansolelytopopulardigitalrepositoriessuchasYouTubeorVimeo.

7. Finally(butcertainlynotleast),theselectedtoolneedstobeaffordable,ideallyfreeorofminimalcosttotheuniversity,facultyandstudents.

7CRITERIA


ThetoolthatmetallsevenoftheserequirementswasScreencast-O-Matic©.SeveralmonthsintoourDCGPpilot,wedecidedtocontactthedevelopersofScreencast-O-Matic©tofindoutmoreaboutthecompany’sorigin,mission,andcurrentR&D.MattChampagne,COOofthecompany,respondedtoourinquiries.Weweresoimpressedbythesharedideologythatwethoughtyoushouldknowmoreaboutthecompanyandtheireducationalvisionaswell.Inotherwords,wethinkyoushouldknowwhywefeelthattheyarethe“right”peoplesupportingthe“right”mission.ThisarticleisaninterviewweconductedwithMattChampagneandAJGregoryinfallof2016.

MartinMehl/LuanneFose:ORIGIN-Howdidyourcompanygetstartedandhowlonghaveyoubeeninbusiness?

SOM-MattChampagne(COO)&AJGregory(Founder):

Screencast-O-Matic©wasfoundedin2006.ThecompanywascreatedoutofaneedidentifiedbyAJGregory(Founder)foraverysimpleandeasy-to-usescreenrecordingtoolthatcouldaidinthelearningprocess.Specifically,atoolwasneededtocapturethecomputerscreenthroughvideorecordingtobesharedasascreencasttobetterfacilitatelearning.WhenAJresearchedexistingsolutions(conductinghisownproductreviewviacommunitycomments),hefoundthattheexistingsolutionswereverycomplex,expensive,anddirectedtoanarrowuserbaseoftechnologyandvideoprofessionals.Thegoalwasforanybody,notjustvideoortechnologyprofessionals,tobeabletoquicklycreateandpublishscreenrecordingswithouthavingtoinvestasignificantamountoftimelearningthetools.Thistoolcouldbeusedbyanyteacherinaclassroomsettingbutalsoinotherlearningscenariossuchassupportingnovicecomputerusersinlearningorsupportscenarios.

ThemanagementofourcompanyincludestheFounder,AJGregory,wholeadsalltechnicaloperationsandMattChampagne(COO),wholeadsallbusinessoperations.

HISTORY/BACKGROUND

MattChampagne AJGregory


Together,themanagementhasover40yearsoftechnologyexperiencespanningbothFortune500companiessuchasAmazon,MicrosoftandAT&Tinadditiontostartupventuresincludingfieldssuchasgridnetworking,webperformancemonitoring,andecommerce.Ourcompanyissmallandnimbleandweintendtostaynimbleandconnectedtotheusercommunityaswetransversethenextphaseofourdevelopment,drivingnewinnovationandnewscenariosandenablingeveryone,everywheretoeasilycapture,shareandexperiencevideocontent

Today,Screencast-O-Matic©isusedbymillionsofusersgloballyacrossdiverseindustriessuchaseducation,userexperiencetesting,designvalidation,marketing,supportservices,games,andenterprisevideo.Ineducationscenarios,thiscanincludecreatingablended/flippedlearningclass,usingthetoolforteacher-studentevaluations,lecturecapture,schoolcommunications,professionalworkforcedevelopment,adhoctrainingscenariosforco-workers,etc.acrosstraditionalK-12andhighereducation,dedicatedprofessionaldevelopment,andenterprisetraining.Screencast-O-Matic©hascontinuedtodeliveraneasy-to-usesetoftoolsthatcanbeusedwidelywhileaddinganextensivesetofscreenrecordingandeditingcapabilities.EverydayourusersarediscoveringnewwaystouseScreencast-O-Matic©.MM/LF:MISSION-Whatwouldyousayistheoverallmissionofyourcompany?

SOM:ThemissionofScreencast-O-Matic©istoenableeveryone,everywheretoeasilycapture,shareandexperiencevideocontent.MM/LF:PRODUCT–Pleaseexplainbrieflyforourreaderswhatthetoolactuallyis.

SOM:Screencast-O-Matic©isasimple,powerfulcomputerscreenandwebcamrecorder.TheRecordercomesinbothafreeandpaidversionwiththepaidversionincludingadditionalrecordingtoolsandafullsuiteofEditingTools.WealsoprovideasetofHostingServicesfororganizationsthatpreferadedicatedhostingspaceforservingtheirscreencastsasopposedtousingapublichostingservice.MM/LF:BRAND-Whythename?Whatalternativesdidyouconsideradecadeago?

SOM:Thenamewaschosenasafun,retrowaytocommunicatewhattheproductaccomplishedandhoweasyitwastouse.Today,welookatthebrandasawayofcommunicatingouruniquevalueofbeingfun,easytouseandaccessiblewhilenottakingourselvestooseriously.MM/LF:GOALS-Sincethisyearmarksthe10-yearanniversary-whataretheshort-termandlong-termgoalsforScreencast-O-Matic©?

SOM:OurneartermgoalsarefocusedaroundmakingimprovementstotheScreenRecorderandHostingServicesthatourcustomershaverequested,addingkeypointsofinnovation,andbeingmoredirectlyengagedwithourcommunity,thatis,notonly


existinguserswhoknowaboutScreencast-O-Matic©butalsoreachingouttousersandcommunitieswhohaveneverheardofourproductandcompanytoevangelizethebenefitsanduserscenarios.

Longertermwearelookingtodriveinnovationintooursolutionsthatenablenewscenariosandbroaderreachofexistingscenarios,addressamuchmoreglobalaudience,integratewithsynergistictechnologiesandservices,andrealizeavisionofourtoolsasbeingubiquitous.

Weintendtoaccomplishalloftheabovewhilemaintainingourcoremissiontoenableeveryone,everywheretoeasilycapture,shareandexperiencevideocontent.

MM/LF:LOCATION-WhyareyouheadquarteredinSeattle,WA?

SOM:Thisiswherethefounderandpartnersresideandwefeelveryluckytobeinacommunitywheresuchadiversesetoftechnologyskillsandpassionforsoftwareinnovationexists.

MM/LF:TEAM-CanyougiveusanexampleoftheR&Dprocessandtheteaminvolved?

SOM:Thisprocessstartswithourcustomerswhowecommunicatewithinavarietyofways.Thisincludesoursupportsitewherecustomerscansubmitnewproductideasorexistingissues,customersurveys,oursocialnetworkingsites,productreviews,and1:1calls.Wegatherthecustomervoiceandcombinethatdatawithourownknowledgeoftheindustryandideasaboutinnovation.Thisdatasetisthenorganizedintothemesthatareprioritizedintoshort-andlong-terminitiatives.

Usingtheprocessabove,weexecuteanagileapproachtoscheduleworkintospecificsprintsandhaveagoalofreleasingrelevantfeaturesorimprovementsatleastonceperquarter.Youmayalsoexperienceinterimreleasestoaddressbugsorourownoperationalneeds.Theprocessentailsateamthatspansproductmanagement,businessdevelopment,softwaredevelopment,QA/test,andoperations.

MM/LF:EDUCATION-Itseemsthatyourcompanyhasaverystrongfocusoneducation.Couldyouexplainabitmoreaboutyourcompany’sdesirestoimpacteducationandwhatareasyouhopewillseeanincreaseinusage?

SOM:Webelievethecreationofpersonalizedscreencaptureandvideocommunicationsshouldbefundamentaltohowteachersandstudentscollaborate.Thisgoesbeyondblendedlearningtoincludeothercommunicationsscenariossuchasworkpresentations,assessments,generalannouncements,etc.andacrosstheeducationspectrumfromtraditionaleducationenvironmentsthroughcontinuingandprofessionaldevelopment.Ourmissionofeveryone,everywheremeansthatwestriveforteachersandstudentstobecomebothcreatorandconsumersofpersonalizedscreenrecordingsthatleadto

RESEARCH&DEVELOPMENT


richerconversations,moredifferentiatedandreflectivelearningexperiences,andmoreproductiveuseofteacherandstudenttime.MM/LF:HOSTING-WearealsoexcitedthatyouofferarepositoryforScreencast-OMatic©ProuserstokeepcontentonastreamingserverthatisabitmoreprivatethanYouTubeorVimeo.Isthisinanattempttogiveteachersamoreprivatevenuetoserveupscreencaststostudents?

SOM:ProHostingwascreateddirectlyfromourusers’feedbackoftheneedforadedicated,professionalspacetohosttheirscreencaststhatincludedadditionalsecurityandcollaborationopportunitiesnotavailableonpublichostingservices.Thisincludesprotectingvideos,videochannels,ortheentiresite,sharingmanagementofuploadswithotherusersinthegroup,customerbrandingofthesiteincludingusingthecustomers’domain,andsupportingverylargerepositoriesofcontentinacosteffectiveapproach.OurhostingservicesarebuiltontopofAmazonWebServices(AWS)toprovidetherightlevelofscalability,reliabilityandsecuritywhilestillbeingaffordableforourcustomerbase.

MM/LF:APPLICATIONS-Inpedagogythebestlecturersandlearning,inourexperience,aresometimesaccidentaldiscoveries.Whatapplicationofyoursoftwaresurprisedyouthemost?

SOM:Screencast-O-Matic©iscurrentlyutilizedacrossadiversesetofindustriesthatspaneducation,technology,legalservices,accounting,financialservices,insurance,marketing,customersupportservices,gaming,andmanymore.Ofcourse,educationisacorefocusandScreencast-O-Matic©hasaverystrongcommunityineducationthatsharesnewexperiencesonusingtheScreenRecorderandtools--blendedlearningacrossjustaboutanysubject,schoolcommunications,assessments,teacherpeerlearning,etc.

OurusersarecontinuallyfindingnewwaystoapplytheuseofScreencast-O-Matic©.Itiscommonplacetoday,buttheconceptofflippedorblendedlearningwasnotyetpopularwhenScreencast-O-Matic©launchedandthegrowthofthatparadigmisprobablywhathasbeenmostsurprisingandexcitingforus. MM/LF:MOBILE-WeloveScreencast-O-Matic©.It’strulyintuitiveandeasyforpeopletolearnwithoutalotoftimespentoninstruction–eventheProversion.Onyourwebsiteyouhaveprovidedalotofexcellentvideotutorialsthatcoverinstructiononalltheavailableeditingfeatures.Thisisespeciallygreatforthoseofuswhoareresponsiblefortrainingteachers.Theonlythinglackinginmyopinionisaversionthatworksontablets.Isthereatablet(iPad,Android)versionintheworks?

SOM:MobileplatformsincludingtabletsrunningonAndroidandiOSareoneofthebiggestcustomerrequestswegetandweareactivelyresearchinghowbesttosupport.Wedon’thaveanythingtoformallyannounceatthistime.


MM/LF:MARKETPLACE-Whodoyouconsideryourmaincompetition?Why?WhatisbetteraboutScreencast-O-Matic©?

SOM:Ourmainfocusisonourcustomersandwedon’tspendmaterialtimeworryingaboutourcompetition.Wehavefoundhavingalaserfocusonthecustomerandservingtheirneedshasalloweduscontinuedgrowthandgreatcustomersatisfaction.ThefollowingareexamplesofhowourcustomertalkaboutScreencast-O-Matic©:

“Ihaveexperimentedforyearswithfreetoolsthatmakeiteasytocreateshortvideos.Theycanserveasintroductionstolessons,tutorials,conceptreviews,orinstructionsforabsentstudents.Fortechnologynewbies,myfavoritevideocreationtoolcontinuestobe…Screencast-O-Matic.”~Dr.CurtisChandler,ProfessorofEducation,BrighamYoungUniversity-IdahoinRexburgID&2011KansasTeacheroftheYear.

“What’sgreataboutScreencast-O-MaticisthatitdoeseverythingIwantittoactuallywithScreencast-O-Matictheeditingisevenbetter,moreuserfriendly.”~Dr.NellieDeutsch[http://moodle4teachers.org]

“ThequestionthatIseemtoreceiveinmyemailmorethananyotheris,"whatsoftwaredoyouusetocreateyourtutorialvideos."IuseScreencast-O-MaticPromostofthetime.Screencast-o-maticProisperfectformyneeds.”~RichardByrne,Teacher[http://practicaledtech.com]

“Screencast-O-Maticismygotoforbothrecordingandediting.”~JoelSperanza[https://twitter.com/joelbsperanza/status/766874343401938945]

“BestLectureCapture/ScreenRecording”

• Platinum:Screencast-O-Matic• Gold:TechSmithSnagit• Silver:TechSmithCamtasia”

~THEJournalReaders’2016ChoiceAward[http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/10/prweb13806406.htm]

MM/LF:PRICING-Whatistherationaleofyourpricingstructure?Isn’teverybodyjustgoingforthefreeversion?

SOM:Toenableeveryone,everywheretoenjoythebenefitsofScreencast-O-Matic©,weneedourtoolstoprovidehighvalueattherightcost,especiallywhenconsideringtheeducationmarket.Atthesametime,wewanttocontinuetoaddvaluetotheproductandthatisenabledbyourProUserswhopayasmallfeetousetheProFeatures.WestrivetoprovidetherightsetoffeaturestofreeandProusersthatallowustogrowthecommunityrobustlywhilecontinuingtoaddinnovationintoourproductsandservices.

MM/LF:UPGRADE-It’swonderfulthatyouhaveafreetoolavailabletoanyonewithacomputerandabrowser.WhatarethemajoradditionalfeaturesonegainsiftheyupgradetotheProversionofScreencast-O-Matic©?

SOM:WiththeProRecorder,therearenotimelimitsonyouvideo,youcanrecordcomputersystemaudio,youhaveaDrawandZoomtoolsetavailablewhilerecording,

COST,CLIENTS&COMMENDATIONS


youcancreateascripttoreadwhilerecordingandyougetadditionalautomateduploadoptionssuchasGoogleDrive.Youalsogetafullsuiteofeditingtoolsincludingcut/copy/insertvideo,insertimages/overlay,animationsincludingtransitions,blurtext,editingaudio,andmuchmore.WithProHosting,usersgettheirowndedicatedsiteforscreencasts,whichincludescreatingchannels,theirbranding/logo,videosupto2hoursinlength,andgreatsecurityandcollaborationfeatures.MM/LF:INSTITUTELEVEL-ThetypicalProlicenseisonly$15ayear,correct?However,weknowthatyourcompanyoffersScreencast-O-Matic©PrositelicensesforuniversitiesorK-12schoolsthatareinterestedinpurchasingScreencast-O-matic©Prolicensesinbulk.Couldyouexplainabitmoreabouthowthatworks?

SOM:Wehaveacoupledifferentoptionsforeducationalinstitutionsandbusinessesthatarelookingtoserviceagrouporentireorganization.Foragroupsolution,weofferourGroupSiteLicensewhichcanbeacquireddirectlyfromourwebsiteandallowstheorganizationtoserviceanumberofcomputerspermonththatneedtoaccesstheProRecorderandEditingTools,uptoamaximumof2500computers.Thissolutionrequiresminimaladministrationastherecorder,toolsandservicesarehostedbyScreencast-O-Matic©.

Forcustomersthatneedtosupporttheentireorganizationand/orneedtocontrolthesoftwarein-house,wealsohavetheEnterpriseSiteLicense.ThisallowsunlimiteduseoftheProRecorderandEditingToolsandallowstheadministratortohostthesoftwareon-premise,includingspecifyingadefinedendpointforuploadingscreencasts.Thissolutionalsoincludesdedicatedsupportservicesincludinganaccountmanagerandphonesupport.

MM/LF:FINALPERSPECTIVE-Isthereanythingelseyou’dliketoadd,clarifyorsharewhenreviewingthebackground,thedevelopmentandthedistributionofyourproduct,yourcompanyandleadership?

SOM:Screencast-O-Matic©startedfromtheneedforaneasy-to-use,easilyaccessibletooltoaidinthelearningprocess.Today,throughacommunityofpassionateusers,theservicehasgrowthtousersacross170+countriesthatcreateover1Mscreencastsmonth.IntheUS,thereareusersin98ofthetop100universitiesandweserviceadiversesetofindustriesandscenarios.OurSolutionsandServicesareprovidedtobothindividualsneedingapersonalizedscreenrecordingsolutionandinstitutionsthatwanttofacilitatescreenrecordingforagrouportheentireorganization.

OurusercommunityisverypassionateaboutScreencast-O-Matic©andwegetfeedbackdailythatvalidatesweareprovidingeaseofuse,value,andaccesstoawidevarietyofusers.


CONCLUSION

WhenwereachedouttoMattandAJinSpringof2016inpreparationforourLessisMore–DigitalCommentaryGradingOLCconferencepresentationinNewOrleans,ourkeygoalwastoshareourresearchfindingsandourmissiontorevolutionizetheacademicandknowledge-transfermarketplace.WewerehopingtopotentiallysolicitafewfreeProlicensesfromScreencast-O-Matic©inordertomotivateattendeestoparticipateinourpresentationandlearnfirst-handtheadvantagesofthetool.ThemostsignificantdifferenceinourinteractionwithMattandAJ,comparedtoothertechnologycompanieswehaveencounteredoverthecourseofourcareer,wasintheirtimelyandrefreshingresponse.Theydidn’tupholdthetypicalvendormindsetof“What’sinitforus?”Instead,theyrespondedtoourrequestswithinquiriesof“Whatcanwedoforyou?”“Whatdoyouneed?”“Howcanweavoidthisbecomingavendor-drivenapproachbutinsteadfocusontheneedsoftheinstructors?”OurkeypurposeforconnectingwithScreencast-O-Matic©onanR&DdimensionwastodiscussthepossibilityofstreamliningtheLMSintegrationandunderstandingmoreaboutthescopeandscaleofsystem-widedeploymentatouruniversity.Wealsowantedtogenuinelyshareourappreciationforthecreationofatoolthatallowedustoaccomplishourintendedoutcomesforastrongpedagogicalfocusthatisintuitive,extremelywelldeveloped,andexceedinglybudgetfriendly(i.e.,free).Aswementionedattheonsetofthisarticle,wesetour7criteria,conductedourresearchandestablishedtheselectionofthebestfit,fortheleastcomplex,mostrobustandcost-effectivetoolthatwouldcatertothewidestaudiencepossiblewithoutanybudgetresourcesandwefounditinScreencast-O-Matic©.Itseemsalmostserendipitousthatbackin2006whenMartin&Luannewereexploringthepossibleimpactofpodcastingontheacademiclandscape,AJsimultaneouslyfoundedScreencast-O-Matic©thatsameyear.LittledidweknowwhenwestartedthisprojectthatwewoulddiscoveraresourceintheleadershipandmissionstatementofBigNerdSoftwareLLC’sthatiseagertosupportthelong-termlearningoutcomesfortheDigitalRevolutionwithoutfocusingupontheirpurse.TheScreencast-O-Matic©teamismorethanwillingtoshareacommongoalofasimplesolution-drivenproductwithapurpose-drivenprocessandweapplaudthemforit.


Article#5PREVIEW:DIGITALACADEMICREVOLUTIONMENTORSHIPCOMPETENCYSERIESTHEANALYSIS:LearningfromourMetadataArticle#5ofthisserieswillfinallyunveilthequantitativeandqualitativedataweaccumulatedanddigestedfromourresearchandthe“myth-busting”wecansupportwithourdata,testimonials,developedrubricsand,finallyinArticle#6,therealworldapplications.Fittinglythenewyear,2017,willusherintheconcurrentdeploymentofourlong-termmissionandthethreetiersofCommonCoreCurriculumTeacherTraining,DigitalMentorshipCompetencyCertification&LegacyExpertAccreditation.


RESEARCHTEAM

digital academic revolution mentorship competency · online learning consortium research center for...

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