Video modeling Pt1

Ok so firstly, yeah I know this isn't Friday, I had better things to do then, that and I was working late. So anyway, I found this article the other day (on Friday I think) http://www.drdouglas.org/drdpdfs/SGAW2010.pdf .

Basically it talks about how TV and video games are the cause of a reduction in attention span. First of all, that statement in general is bad. TV and video games are a medium, they themselves cannot be responsible for anything. Its like saying that all films have artistic merit. I dare you to try and find any in a pornographic film. Second, why is the reduction in an attention span a bad thing? We have email now, no one needs to wait a day to hear from a relative in the country over, so with all these technical advances is it really any wonder that people expect things faster, that they want to always stay in motion? No that doesn't seam bad at all, but its different.

Moving on.

Interactive Video Modeling. First, video modeling is the act of watching a video of someone performing an action so that the viewer will learn said action. Usually the viewer has to watch the tape several times before they get it. That's where he interactive part of it comes in. Right now, video modeling is in its infant stages and interactive video modeling is almost unheard of.

But why interactive? Interactive media have the unique ability that no other media has, which is to put the user in a role. Video on books let us watch but not act. Interactivity lets you stand in someone else's shoes and take control. It forces the user to look at themselves and what they are doing and to learn something from that experience. Artistically and eduction wise this has great potential.

So back to video modeling. Imagine a student watching a video on how to behave when on a play date. No imagine they were given a tool on the iPad to interact instead of watch, to participate in this make believe play date. Would they not learn more on how to act when they are actively engaged? It would allow them to make mistakes and learn from those mistakes without having any negative consequences on the real world. People are always saying that kids are mimicking what they do in video games, that they are “Murder simulators”, so why hasn't there been a social simulator?

I'll finish talking about this next weekend.