Doing it Right: Collaboration, Shared Workspaces, Syndication and Broadcasting at the ANimated Tutorial Sharing Project

Paul Betty and Cassandra KvenildWyoming Library Association Annual Conference September 29, 2011

What is ANimated Tutorial Sharing Project (ANTS)?

Inter-Institutional Collaborativ

e Project

Shared Online Video

Tutorials

ANTS Goals

Goal #1

“To create a critical mass of Open Source Tutorials for online resources used by libraries everywhere”

ANTS Goals

Goal #2

Rationalize Development of Learning Objects and thereby “Eliminate Duplication of Effort across Institutions”

ANTS GoalsGoal #3

Make library related Learning Objects “Ubiquitously available” to online learners and thereby enhance librarians ability to reach out and educate online users where they are online.

ANTS Goals

Goal #4

Provide Screencasters with guidance and support so as to build up the number of potential contributors to the project.

HOW ANTS WORKS

DSPACE

Getting started…

Consult the Guidelines for Tutorial Development

Select a tutorial for development

Consult the How to Contribute section of the ANTS wiki

Share your work…

Edit the project wiki with updated information for the

tutorial

Upload the newly created tutorial to the DSpace project

repository

Behind the scenes magic…

ANTS team members transfer .swf files to Screencast.comANTS team members convert .swf to

digital video and upload to LION TVBoth sites offer RSS feeds and

embedding code!

Spread the word…

Syndication

YouTube

Internet Archive

iTunes

Stay in touch…

Wiki includes discussion forums covering software, production tips and

techniques, assessment, and

more…

RSS feeds for all sites means never missing

a new tutorial!

Why Participate?

“An increasing number of customers prefer to watch a step-by-step procedure through online video sharing than to read it from a website”.

Molisani, J. (2010). Is Social Networking for You? [Abstract] Intercom, 57(6), 8-13. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

#1 Serve the Needs of Today’s Library Users

#1 Serve the Needs of Today’s Library Users (cont)

“Practical skills acquired, however, were significantly higher among users of video-based instructional materials.”

Donkor, F. (2010). The Comparative Instructional Effectiveness of Print-Based and Video-Based Instructional Materials for Teaching Practical Skills at a Distance. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 11(1), 96-116. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

#1 Serve the Needs of Today’s Library Users (cont)

Embed Tutorials anywhere you think patrons will look for them.

Use to reinforce live info lit and research instruction sessions

Know your patrons can more easily find Learning Objects because of ANTS syndication.

2. Address needs of individuals with different Learning Styles

3. Increase the Visibility of Librarys

Push Technology (Facebook,

Youtube Channel)Syndicate (iTunes, Youtube, Internet Archive)Embed

(Libguides, Blogs,

Websites, Course Sites,

Wikis)

Libguides

4. Help Others without depleting local resources Altruism: Help your Colleagues! “[L]ibraries must have a ‘bias for action

and collaboration’” and not “turn inward and focus on protecting local resources [as] they could [then] pull back from essential cooperative work.”4

ANTS = No strain on local resources (staff and servers).

4. ARL. February 2009. Transformational Times: An Environmental Scan Prepared for the ARL Strategic Plan Review Task Force. P. 5-6

5. Derive Personal Benefits Work receives Attribution – even when

syndicated! (as per CC License) Open Source = greater impact.

measurable via data at ANTS sites.

Get help with Screencasting Discussion Forum Best Practices in Screencasting

http://ants.wetpaint.com/page/Best+Practices+in+Screencasting

6. Community: Hey, it’s a big job!Collaborative Screencasting

If done collaboratively in a coordinated fashion, large numbers can be createdIdentify content for developmentUtilize large number of developersCommunicate work occurring in each institutionsMake it easier to locate files

Saves all of us time!

6. Community: Hey, it’s a big job!

Get to know other screencasters

Both contribute to “the Hive” and learn from it. Become a screencaster faster.

7. Sustainability of ANTS ANTS aims to be a sustainable Open Educational Repository (OER)

Modular

Adaptable

Interoperable

Discoverable

Accessible

Downes, Stephen. 2007. Models for Sustainable Open Educational Resources. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects. v 3, p. 41. Available Online: http://ijklo.org/Volume3/IJKLOv3p029-044Downes.pdf Retrieved: December 2008.

7. Sustainability of ANTS

"[T]he sustainability of OERs - in a fashion that renders them at once both affordable and usable - requires that we think of OERs as ... part of a larger picture, one that includes volunteers and incentives, community and partnerships, co-production and sharing, distributed management and control.“

Downes, Stephen. 2007. Models for Sustainable Open Educational Resources. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning Objects. v 3, p. 41. Available Online: http://ijklo.org/Volume3/IJKLOv3p029-044Downes.pdf Retrieved: December 2008.

Questions to consider…

ACRL 2009 Strategic Thinking Guide for Academic Librarians in the New Economy

Report delineates series of strategic questions for libraries that include:

Questions to consider… “What new organizational structures are necessary to

support emerging client demands given new fiscal constraints? How can libraries creatively redesign functions and services to realize cost savings…? How will the work of librarians change?”

How will libraries create Web-based products and services that can compete with commercial products sold directly to students and faculty? Should libraries compete or collaborate in this arena?

Questions to consider…“How can Libraries develop a meaningful electronic

presence as students shift away from static web sites….How can libraries more effectively create awareness about their content so users can discover it?”

“How can the library demonstrate impact and value by developing or expanding programs to support student form low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds?

http://ants.wetpaint.com http://liontv.blip.tv DSpace http://www.screencast.com/users/ANTS Facebook Internet Archive

Find some answers!

The future of ANTS

Promoting the merits of collaborative library work

Soliciting new team members for the “farm”

Handheld and other mobile devices

The future of ANTS High Definition digital video on the Web

and HTML5

Increased visibility on high traffic sites: YouTube, iTunes, Facebook, etc.

Soliciting funding, sponsorship, and institutional support

How will you participate?How might you participate in the

ANTS project?

A. ) Contributing tutorials B. ) Using tutorials (source code or

embedding) C. ) Communication via the wiki D. ) Become a team member E. ) Not sure