JISC Digital Media Blog Archive
August 2009

Hashtags and Tweets

Posted by John Hargreaves on Friday 28 August 2009 at 1:18pm
Tags: accessibility | metadata

Do you want to increase the amount of people that find and then follow your Tweets on Twittter?

If yes then have you thought of using Hashtags (#hashtags)?

Hashtags are used by the Twitter community as a way of identfying and tracking Tweets of particular interest.

For an intorduction to #hashtags and some uselful tips on how they might be used visit Twitter Fan Wiki

Happy tweeting

iTunes U in practice

Posted by Joel Eaton on Friday 28 August 2009 at 10:13am
Tags: case studies | e-learning | podcasts

With a handful of universities in the UK starting to use iTunes U for delivering their audio and video productions online, Barry Cornelius from Oxford University Computing Services (OUCS) has shared this account of Oxford University’s use of iTunes U. Oxford started using iTunes U in October 2008 and now hosts links to a wealth of audio and video resources, the most popular ones being downloaded 2500 times a week!

This paper, Time for iTunes U, is from a presentation given in July this year and covers all the aspects of using iTunes U, including copyright issues, iTunes functionality and optimising delivery and has information on creating a workflow for producing online content. An essential read for anyone considering using iTunes U.

DIY Internet radio station

Posted by Steve Hull on Tuesday 25 August 2009 at 12:37pm
Tags: delivery | music

S3FM is a simple facility that lets anyone create their own Web-based radio station.

All you have to do is sign up to Amazon’s Simple Storage Service (S3), an Internet data storage service similar to Dropbox (except the first gigabyte isn’t free) and fill your bucket with mp3s.  Anyone who then goes to the S3FM website and enters the name of your bucket has the bucket’s contents streamed to them in a random order.  It couldn’t be simpler.  And the creative possibilities of randomly-streamed audio are fascinating…

Can you name this photographer?

Posted by Nigel Goldsmith on Monday 24 August 2009 at 12:28pm
Tags:

Magnum photographer Martin Parr spotted today photographing the queue outside the Banksy exhibition at the Bristol Museum.

Parr is one of the UK’s leading documentary photographers, his work often documents modern society. You can see more of his work on his website.

Job vacancy - Service Manager

Posted by Zak Mensah on Monday 24 August 2009 at 12:21pm
Tags: news

Salary: £38,757 (pro rata)

Deadline: 14th September 2009, 9am

Full information on the University of Bristol website

Based at the University of Bristol, this newly created post will provide the opportunity to make your mark on JISC Digital Media, which supports the UK’s Further and Higher Education communities in the creation, management and use/reuse of still images, moving images and sound resources in teaching, learning and research.

You will manage service activity and delivery of a range of technical advisory services to the audiences of JISC Digital Media. You will also have direct line management responsibility for a number of specialist and technically expert team members, and lead responsibility for development of specific areas of the service’s strategic plan and budget.

You will have substantial experience at a national level of service delivery, managing a team and HE/FE community needs relating to digital media. In addition you will have high-level IT and service management skills, excellent interpersonal skills in influencing and motivating, and the ability to manage risks and resolve problems to deliver results in a challenging environment. Part-time applicants (for no less than 4-days/week) will be considered.

Updated advice document - audio digitisation service providers

Posted by Joel Eaton on Thursday 20 August 2009 at 11:57am
Tags: news

The Digitisation Services document has been updated to include audio in addition to still image and moving image digitisation service providers.

The extensive list includes the leading national and international services catering for all types of media formats from small to large projects.

If you or your company would like to be added to the list, or you have a recommendation, then please contact us at info@jiscdigitialmedia.ac.uk

New doc - bookmarking

Posted by Zak Mensah on Thursday 20 August 2009 at 10:00am
Tags: news

We have just released an advicement document about the use of the Delicious bookmark web service. The service is worth considering for anybody who needs to manage many bookmarks, I for example have 2446 to date and consider it to be one of the best web services for me (along with Dropbox). Thoughts/uses of Delicious welcome in the comments.

New workshop - Digitising Analogue Audio Resources, 15th December 2009

Posted by Joel Eaton on Monday 17 August 2009 at 10:02am
Tags: news

A new addition to next terms training timetable is Digitising Analogue Audio, a full-day hands on introductory workshop covering the essential aspects of digitising audio resources to archival standards. Starting on th 15th of December 2009.

Photo by mab @ flikr on Flickr. Used under a Creative Commons license

Overview

To meet the increasing trend in libraries, archives and institutions to digitise their existing analogue collections, this course aims to provide a complete introduction to the theory and practicalities of successfully digitising analogue audio resources. The workshop will provide hands-on tuition alongside theoretical knowledge and group discussions of topics surrounding the digital lifecycle, in a digitisation project based context.

Audience

This course is aimed at departments that wish to begin to digitise their audio collections, including librarians, archivists and support staff. The course is also aimed at project managers wishing to understand the technical aspects of digitisation. It is aimed at those with little or no previous knowledge of the subject area, however a good general understanding of IT is required.

Content

• Theory of analogue and digital audio
• Selection and identification of media
• Equipping and preparing a digitisation system
• Digital capture and basic editing techniques
• Quality control issues and standards
• Digital audio and metadata

For bookings or further enquiries please contact info@jiscdigitialmedia.ac.uk

That sounds cheap

Posted by Joel Eaton on Friday 14 August 2009 at 2:29pm
Tags: finding audio | music | sound recordings

We are often being asked about where to find copyright-free sound resources online for use in teaching and learning, especially for creating new media.

Photo by mmatasic on Flickr - used under a Creative Commons licence

Although we are soon to be re-vamping the document Finding Video, Audio and Images Online, here’s a taster of some great websites that offer resources (of varying quality) which can be used for free, either under the Creative Commons licence or the specific conditions given on each site.

When downloading user content from any of these sites (and any others for that matter), you must ascertain that the content is not from a third party where copyright has been infringed.

• Musopen - Online library of copyright free music
• FreeLoops.com - Free sound effects, music loops. Start creating your own idents!
• British Lirary Sound Archive - A wealth of digitised content available for educational use
• Soundcloud - The Flickr of audio. A free hosting space where users agree to share content for free on registration
• Jamendo - Copyright free music at your fingertips. at the time of writing over 15,000 albums available

Cover creation timelapse

Posted by Zak Mensah on Wednesday 12 August 2009 at 9:37am
Tags: inspiration | time-lapse | video | workflow

I just came across a great time-lapse video (3:17) detailing the creation of a cover for Macworld magazine. Peter details it in full on his website, including hardware used and the overall process. Well worth a watch if you have never seen the effort it takes to create a professional photo and cover design.

Cover creation from Peter Belanger on Vimeo.

One year on

Posted by Zak Mensah on Monday 10 August 2009 at 1:20pm
Tags: e-learning

Today marks one year on as JISC Digital Media’s sole e-Learning Officer and being back in Bristol. Due to a lack of memory I wont reflect too much but noticeable points include the following:

I made a decision that I wanted to speak at 5 events in my first year and I can safely cross that off the list having spoken at least twice that. From this I have learnt to speak at a normal pace, stop saying the word “obviously” quite so much and actually enjoy the opportunity. If you would like me to contribute to any event you’re running please do ask as I’d probably say yes.

I now use twitter. I was at the 9th annual blackboard users conference and after my presentation was asked by several people what my twitter name was. I explained I didn’t quite see the point of me personally using it, 1 hour later I was convinced to try and haven’t looked back since, thank you Sarah. Sorry if you follow me and are constantly bombarded lol.

In February this year we went from TASI to JISC Digital Media and did a bit of a tour, from which I’m sure we should start a hire vehicle blog. I helped build our website CMS using Expression Engine and lived to tell the tale.

I delivered my first workshop in July under the team banner and look forward to doing more this year.

Met a bunch of talented people and made some super friends which is a bonus.

Looking forward

Already in motion for release before the year is out are regular webcasting support sessions and tips online from myself and the team.

More speaking engagements (mobile, using digital media for teaching and learning, etc)

Harnessing mobile device for teaching and learning as over 2 billion people using them cannot be ignored.

Seeing if VLEs can shake their current rep for being outdated and too slow to run with all the new kids on the block.

Greater collaboration with our sister services as there is a lot of talent in the other camps.

If you want to get in touch you can find me here, here and here:

twitter.com/zakmensah

slideshare.net/zakm

flickr.com/photos/tribehut

PS

Oh and we purchased our first home.

Sounds of the Brum-derground

Posted by Joel Eaton on Friday 07 August 2009 at 9:24am
Tags: digital collections | music | sound recordings

The Birmingham Music Archive (BMA) is a cracking new project spearheaded by Jez Collins as a collaboration between Birmingham Central Library and Birmingham City University.

The idea originally came from an exhibition hosted at the BCL to celebrate and educate people about the Birmingham music scene all the way from the 50’s and 60’s right through to more recent times, when a lack of information available to the public on music from the Birmingham area was identified.

The project, and website, are still in the early stages of development but there is gradually growing information available on local bands, artists, DJs and venues from past and present. The website features audio interviews from predominant local figures (you’ll have to visit the podcast page to find out for yourself). Bands such as P.W.E.I and Credit to the Nation, who were pioneers in their day are presented alongside more popular bands such as heavy metal gurus Black Sabbath. Did you know that Phil Lynott was born in West Bromwich?

The site contains some great little gems. However, it is the emphasis on the information behind the music which makes the BMA important. Information on the geography of bands and venues, the contexts of eras, genres and scenes in relation to the social environments of the time, can deepen the understanding of music and its development, as well as the new directions it took in a locale. The archive is extremely keen for user-generated content to add to the collection of knowledge through individual memories and experiences.

It is this desire to research and then present this previously undocumented cultural landscape online which makes the BMA much more than a wiki or a database of local music, and we look forward to seeing the project blossom.

Free-to-attend digitisation seminars

Posted by Dave Kilbey on Wednesday 05 August 2009 at 11:36am
Tags: digital collections | digital preservation | digitisation | event | news | training

JISC Digital Media have just announced a series of free-to-attend seminars in September.

First, we are hosting two free Digital Media Seminars which focus on key topics for individuals involved with digital media:

• Successfully Building and Managing Digital Media Collection - 15 September 2009
• The Digital Media Collection +100 Years - 16th September 2009

Full details and how to book a free place are available on the Digital Media Seminars page.

Later in September, we are co-hosting with the University of Bristol Drama Department a series of three one-day Digital Performance Seminars:

• Creating Digital Performance Documentation - 23rd September 2009
• Managing Digital Performance Documentation - 24th September 2009
• Delivering Digital Performance Documentation - 25th September 2009

Full details and how to book a free place are available on the Digital Performance Seminars page.

All the seminars are funded by the Joint Information System Committee under the JISC ITT Workshops & Seminars: Achievements & Challenges in Digitisation & e-Content strand.

The new Final Cut Studio has arrived

Posted by Steve Hull on Wednesday 05 August 2009 at 11:19am
Tags: compression | dvd | software | video

Apple has just announced the new release of Final Cut Studio, including Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, Color 1.5, Compressor 3.5 and DVD Studio Pro 4, for those of you who like version numbers.

There are far too many changes to the suite of tools to list here.  A few highlights:

• new ProRes codecs for a variety of applications
• viewing Final Cut video in iChat
• simplified creation of travelling mattes
• automatic transfer of footage from a variety of camcorders, including direct importing of footage from Panasonic camcorders without transcoding
• closed captioning support
• background rendering and exporting
• sophisticated gesture support on the Multi-Touch trackpad
• Variable depth of field in Motion 4

The basic price is £799 for the suite and £249 for an upgrade, but educational discounts are available.

Flickr’s new search results page

Posted by Antony Theobald on Wednesday 05 August 2009 at 10:57am
Tags: finding images | flickr | interfaces | photography | usability

The new layout for Flickr search results is now live.

While we were researching our newly-updated Finding Images on Flickr advice document, we were among a number of users given a preview of the new layout.

Photo from New York Public Library on Flickr

The Flickr blog has all the details, but these are the main changes we think are most useful:

• Exclude photos by a particular user from your search results - this is useful if you are sorting by most recent as you will often find one user who has uploaded an entire holiday’s worth of pictures using the same description or tags for every photo regardless of actual content
• View related ‘things’ in a side panel - e.g. group pools or photographers who have content that relates to your search; narrow your search to a particular location. Be aware that if your current search is for Creative Commons licensed material only, and you click one of these related links it will no longer be limited to Creative Commons material
• Choose the new ‘Medium’ view - in addition to the existing Small (was called Thumbnail) and Detail views, the new Medium view is useful for scrolling through larger previews without accompanying text
• View more images per page - 28 as Small (was 24), or 60 as Medium or Detail (was 24)
• Read more information about each image when not in Detail view - in Small and Medium view you can now click the new (i) information button to display the same info you get in Detail view without leaving the page