JISC Digital Media News

Happy 1st Birthday JISC Digital Media!

Tuesday 09 February 2010 8:00am

Today JISC Digital Media celebrates its first Birthday!

Although the service, previously known as TASI, has been in existence for more than ten years, the team re-branded last year to reflect the growth in the service offering increased support and advice to the FE and HE sector.

JISC Digital Media - a JISC Advance service - provides advice, training and guidance on the creation and use of digital media collections (still images, moving images and sound) and their use in learning, teaching and research within the UK FE and HE communities.

From help with finding and using the right media, to advice on creating and delivering digital formats or consultancy on managing a digitisation project, the team promotes good practice, technical expertise, the use of appropriate standards and the sharing of knowledge within education.

The achievements of the last 12 months have also given the team added cause for celebration - in addition to developing new advice documents and training courses for all media (audio, still image and moving image), the increase in team numbers has given us the opportunity to attend and participate in a wide range of both education and media specific conferences and exhibitions. We gained the platform at many events, promoting the JISC Digital Media team’s expertise and services.

In June 2009 the JISC funded project Video Assist was launched by the team. To date, four institutions have been successful in their bids for Video Assist and have benefited from the team’s film expertise.  A final call for the third and final round of entries closes on 26 February 2010 - go to the Video Assist page for further details.

September saw two launches: firstly, our fortnightly on-line surgery - a one-hour online help and support session, with themes ranging from Basic Microphone Technique and Placement to Using Flickr as a Source of Free-to-Use Images. Secondly, the launch of the service’s first newsletter Intermedia - a quarterly update on the work undertaken by the service and happenings in the world of digital media.

Happy Birthday JISC Digital Media!

If you would like JISC Digital Media to attend or present at your event or require any further information please contact Karla Youngs, Director on 0117 331 4380; email info@jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk or call 0117 331 4447.

All you need to know about copyright

Wednesday 03 February 2010 1:47pm

We have just published three new advice documents on copyright and digital media.

Meadows in Imperial Valley, California. Photo from Oregon State University Archives on Flickr: The Commons. No known copyright restrictions

The first is Copyright: An Overview which provides a broad introduction to the subject: What is copyright? How long does it last? What are the exceptions that allow use of copyrighted works?

We also have Audiovisual Copyright: Frequently Asked Questions which answers the most common enquiries we receive through our helpdesk.

Finally there’s Copyright and Still Images: Frequently Asked Questions - these too are based on helpdesk questions.

Negative thinking

Wednesday 27 January 2010 1:27pm

We have just released a new advice document looking at the different materials used to make film for stills and moving images.

A lot of historic film footage was captured on stock which is highly unstable and may not be around much longer. Some collections are potentially explosive and so this document - Analogue Film Types Used for Still and Moving Images - is aimed at helping users identify older film negatives in their collection.

The iconic image of the ‘Migrant Mother’ by Dorothea Lange, 1936. Photo from The Library of Congress on Flickr: The Commons - No known copyright restrictions

This picture was initially photographed on highly unstable nitrate film.

Everything you need to know about MP3

Wednesday 20 January 2010 3:37pm

A new advice document looking at use and management of the popular MP3 audio format. From its suitability for use delivering audio in teaching and learning, to how to use ID3 tags to identify, catalogue and manage your MP3 resources, we look at all aspects of this most well known of sound file types.

If you use digital audio in any way at all, you have probably come across MP3s. Home and office computers, mobile phones, iPods, media players… even car stereos and games consoles all now offer facilities for playing back MP3 audio, as well as viewing cover art, lyrics and the myriad other tags which can accompany them. But while most people are at least familiar with what an MP3 is, many don’t know how MP3 works, and which of its many options to choose to get the best from it.

Our new User Guide to MP3 aims to explain the essentials of MP3 in an accessible way, as well as exploring its more esoteric audio options and extended capabilities for encapsulating rich metadata.

There is a huge range of tools for encoding, decoding and editing MP3, so as well as technical background we cover some common tasks and processes, and include links to resources to enable you to become an MP3 power user!

Two new lighting documents

Monday 11 January 2010 3:44pm

We have just released two advice documents which cover lighting for stills and video production. 

The Taking Pictures under Available Light document provides a useful introduction to anyone using ambient light or other readily available light sources to illuminate a subject.

The Light Sources for Still and Moving Images document looks at a range of lighting from daylight through to specialist studio systems. It also looks at the different qualities and colour characteristics of each light type and how the light quality can be modified.

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Describing your digital resources

Friday 08 January 2010 10:56am

We have just published our completely updated advice documents on metadata.

Photo by Fabrizio Sciami on Flickr. Used under a Creative Commons licence

Metadata is essentially structured textual information that describes something about the creation, content or context of an individual file or collection of many digital files.

If you have a collection of digital resources - images, video or audio files - you and the users of those files will need metadata to describe, organise and find them.

There are eight documents in all - if you are new to metadata, we would recommend starting with An Introduction to Metadata.

• An Introduction to Metadata
• Metadata and Digital Images
• Metadata and Audio Resources
• Metadata and Digital Video
• Metadata Standards and Interoperability
• Putting Things in Order: a Directory of Metadata Schemas and Related Standards
• Controlling your Language: a Directory of Metadata Vocabularies
• Approaches to Describing Images

Latest newsletter now available

Tuesday 05 January 2010 2:15pm

The second issue of our newsletter Intermedia is now available.

*NEW* Acoustic Treatment advice document

Wednesday 16 December 2009 1:35pm

An overview of acoustic treatment methods and materials, and advice on identifying and meeting the acoustic needs of your room.

Acoustic treatment falls broadly into two categories:

• Improving the sound within your audio workspaces - your recording and listening rooms
• Soundproofing (cutting down on transmitted noise)

Our new advice document on Acoustic Treatment looks at a range of solutions to both requirements, from DIY and ‘quick-fix’ tips, to project and professional studio design.

If you need help reducing reverberation, or cutting out unwanted external noise, start here.

Flexible, scalable image formats

Tuesday 15 December 2009 3:34pm

Following our recently updated advice on File Formats and Compression, we have just released an updated Introduction to the Vector Image Format.

Unlike raster images (e.g. digital photos which are usually saved as JPEGs for the web), vector images are fully scalable which means they do not lose their clarity when resized.

This advice document takes a look at what makes vector images scalable and where they can be put to use: Introduction to the Vector Image Format.

Video, audio and image file formats

Friday 04 December 2009 9:01am

We’ve just released a fully updated version of our advice document on File Formats and Compression.

As well as examining still image file formats, our advice now looks at digital video and audio formats. The document uses sample images, videos and sound recordings to highlight the differences between uncompressed and compressed files.

Microphone technique screencast

Wednesday 02 December 2009 2:28pm

A new JISC Digital Media screencast offering advice on microphone technique and choice for voice-over. Recorded for today’s online surgery.

#6 Online surgery - Microphone technique and placement from JISC Digital Media on Vimeo.

The transcript from the online surgery session is also available.

Five new training courses for 2010

Tuesday 24 November 2009 9:48am

We’re very pleased to announce our training programme for January to April 2010… and we have no fewer than five brand new courses in the schedule!

Photo from Musée McCord Museum on Flickr: The Commons - No known copyright restrictions

The new courses are:

• Digitising Analogue Audio
• Digital Media Restoration
• Digitising Grooved Discs and Open Reel Media
• Managing Digital Media Collections
• Video Production 1: Lectures and Interviews 2-day course

To see the full programme of courses please visit our Training page.

Jon Moore is JISC Digital Media’s new service manager

Monday 23 November 2009 12:14pm

Jon Moore has recently joined the JISC Digital Media team as Service Manager.

Commencing his career in traditional print, Jon progressed to magazine publishing production at Future Plc in the early nineties. One of the early pioneers in the area of production, digitisation and colour management of still images in print, he later broadened his expertise into content management, metadata and workflow while managing service delivery and a diverse technical team. After a successful 16 years at Future and prior to joining JISC Digital Media as the Service Manager, Jon founded a tourism based video broadcast business (City TV).

Video Assist deadline is looming

Monday 16 November 2009 2:04pm

The deadline to apply for the next round of Video Assist consultation is less than two weeks away.

Video Assist is JISC Digital Media’s new scheme for bespoke consultation in the area of video production.  Two FE or HE institutions are selected each term to receive 4 days’ worth of consulting on a specific project that they propose.  Applications (MS Word doc) for the next round of Video Assist must be received by Friday the 27th of November.  Successful applicants will be informed by the 18th of December and will receive their Video Assist consulting from the 4th of January to the 26th of March.

Free workshop on finding free images

Friday 06 November 2009 12:51pm

Our training coordinator Dave Kilbey will be running a short workshop on Finding Free Images Online at next week’s RSC Northern event: The North East’s Got Talent: A Showcase for Best Practice in e-Learning.

We will also have a stand within the exhibtion area, so if you are at the event do come and say hello. The other JISC Advance services will also be exhibiting.

Photo by Ninja M on Flickr - used under a Creative Commons licence

Finding and Hosting Videos

Friday 30 October 2009 9:19am

JISC Digital Media is pleased to announce the release of three new advice documents exploring the issues of using web-based services to host and find video resources to support institutional objectives related to teaching, learning and business and community engagement.

Firstly there is an overview paper, detailing how the research was undertaken for this suite of papers and also providing a brief introduction to why organisations may investigate these services for finding resources and for hosting resources.

Secondly, a paper looking at how effective web based services are for finding suitable video resources that will support teaching and learning.

Thirdly, a discussion of the issues relating to using the web-based services for hosting videos that will impact the decision making process of whether to adopt this model of working or not.

Winter tour of RSCs

Wednesday 28 October 2009 9:13am

We will be visiting various JISC RSC (Regional Support Centre) events in the coming months.

Tomorrow (Thu 29 October 2009) we will be at RSC South East - e-Learning Fair: Making the Most of What You Have Got.

You can also come and talk to us at the following events:

• RSC Northern - The North East’s Got Talent, Mon 9 November 2009
• RSC South East - Servicing Your e-Learning Needs with JISC Advance,  Thu 3 December 2009
• RSC Scotland North & East - The JISC Winter Fayre, Tue 15 December 2009

Access all areas

Friday 23 October 2009 10:50am

‘Accessibility’ applies to us all, all of the time. This is easy to say, but when we battle to watch a Flash movie online, only to find that we don’t have the correct plug-in or the admin rights to install it, it really rings true.

But of course digital audio or video needn’t always exclude people, it can be used to include as well.

Adding Closed Captions to Flash Video is the first of several how-to guides intended to get anyone started on the road to building accessibility into their digital media collections.

The document is intentionally hands-on and this will also be true of all the accessibility papers we have planned. The idea is not to provide wide-ranging advice (for this you could visit our sister service JISC TechDis) but to provide all the information needed to get started immediately.

One of the issues which came up during the researching of this document was that there are now literally dozens of ways to archive similar results. Adding Closed Captions to Flash Video assumes that users have already secured access to Adobe Creative Suite (CS) in order to create .flv files and so Adobe CS tools are used, but there are several excellent alternative opensource tools available.

If there are other advice documents you’d like to see which involve widening accessibility through digital media, or accessibility-related software tools you particularly like, please let us know.

Choosing an Audio Interface - The Trilogy

Friday 16 October 2009 11:06am

Three new advice documents designed to assist you in choosing an audio interface for your computer system.

There is a vast range of computer audio interfaces available, all of which seem to offer different capabilities and features - choosing the right one for your needs can be quite a challenge.

Our three new documents cover the key points of the audio interface, its audio performance, project suitability, and technical specifications respectively:

• Choosing an Audio Interface - Technical Considerations
• Choosing an Audio Interface - Project Requirements
• Choosing an Audio Interface - Unit Specifications

The audio interface - along with the computer itself - is the core element of a digital audio system, and whether you need a simple interface for podcast production or a high specification unit for audio archiving, or anything in between, you will find relevant information here to help you make the right choice.

Seminar slides now available

Thursday 15 October 2009 2:50pm

The presentation slides from our two recent digital media seminars are now available.

Summaries and slides of each presentation, together with videos of the panel discussions are on the Digital Media Seminars page.

The two free seminars - Successfully Building and Managing a Digital Media Collection and The Digital Media Collection +100 Years - were funded by the Joint Information System Committee under the JISC ITT Workshops & Seminars: Achievements & Challenges in Digitisation & e-Content strand.

Blogs, wikis and photo sharing sites

Wednesday 14 October 2009 2:43pm

We’ve just released three newly updated documents in the Still images advice section.

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

• Photo Sharing Sites looks at the most common features offered by a number of photo sharing sites, highlights the pros and cons of using such sites, and offers some practical tips for both finding images and organising your own images.
• Using Blogs to Find and Organise Images provides an overview of blogs, considering how they can be used as both sources of images and as tools for managing and presenting your own images.
• Using Wikis to Find and Organise Images looks at ways in which you might use wikis as a source of images for use in your own work. It also provides an overview of how wikis handle images for those who already use or are thinking of setting up a wiki.

Performance seminar resources now available

Friday 09 October 2009 10:04am

Following the success of our three-day seminar themed around the digital documentation of performance, we’ve made a whole host of documents available.

Attendees created, managed and delivered documentation of Paul Hurley’s performance Becoming-snail. A wide range of different documents were generated: from scanned diagrams and sketches to digital video, photographs and audio.

Many more are hosted by the Internet Archive, you can find these by searching the archive with the seminar hashtag of #jdmperform09 (don’t forget to include the hash!). We’re hoping this resource will continue to grow so please get in touch if you have any related documentation which isn’t yet included.

Three new moving image documents just added to the website!

Friday 25 September 2009 3:57pm

After some delay, the Basic Guide to Videoing Interviews, the Basic Guide to Videoing Lectures and the Basic Guide to the Flip are now up on our website.

In addition, a new section has been added to the Basic Guide to Shooting Video which covers the topic of “crossing the line”—and if you don’t know what that is, that’s all the more reason to read the doc!

Please note, however, that all three docs (and the crossing the line addendum) are still awaiting video clips to illustrate various concepts.  These have been delayed, but such was the demand for the documents that we have decided to release them as is.  Questions, comments and unalloyed praise should be directed to the usual email address.

On the level - audio compression and dynamics

Friday 25 September 2009 11:03am

New advice document now online, introducing the mysterious art of dynamics processing, including compression, limiting and gating.

Managing the volume level of your audio recordings is a sometimes surprisingly difficult challenge. Variations in loudness of recorded sources can play havoc with recording and playback equipment, and lead to poor or even unusable results.

Our new advice document covering Audio Processing - Dynamics and Compression looks at some of the tools available to help you control variations in the level of your recorded signals, and particularly the compressor. Compression is an invaluable aid to the audio recording and mixing workflow, but is generally little understood outside of the music production, recording and broadcast industries. This document aims to explain why it was developed, and give an overview of its rôle in improving quality and consistency in audio production.

As well as explanation of how dynamics processing works, this document includes some advice on when you might need to use these processors, and some guidelines and tips.

JISC Advance

Friday 18 September 2009 3:28pm

JISC Digital Media is now working together with seven renowned JISC services to provide a unique tailored service for those working within the education sector.

For those of you may not have spotted the new logo in the footer of our website, the new not-for-profit organisation JISC Advance launched this month.

JISC Advance has brought together the collective expertise of eight established JISC services to address the new and challenging requirements emerging within the education and research communities and beyond:

• JISC Digital Media
• JISC infoNet
• JISC Legal
• JISCMail
• JISC Netskills
• JISC Procureweb
• JISC RSC UK
• JISC TechDis

JISC Advance will provide a comprehensive source of knowledge and support, inspiring progress through technology to meet individual needs. To find out how JISC Advance can assist your organisation, please visit the website.

Free online support

Friday 11 September 2009 9:00am

The 23rd of September 2009 will see the start of our new online surgery support sessions. The team will be available between 13:30 and 14:30 every fortnight to answer ANY questions regarding digital media. Full information can be found on the surgery page which is also where the sessions will start.

Having met  a diverse range of roles across the UK and having listened to how we can better support your needs we figure that this approach will further extend our reach for offering support, which currently consists of face to face training and the free helpdesk. We hope that it will be a success and would be grateful if you could spread the word for the first date. After the first session we will let you know how it worked out and then from time to time update you on developments. We will also document our process from idea through to execution in the near future.

If you have any questions please leave a comment below or email us.

See you online!

Read our new Intermedia newsletter

Thursday 03 September 2009 2:31pm

We have just published the first issue of our new Intermedia newsletter.

Intermedia aims to give you a brief insight into the work we do and what is happening in the world of digital media.

The first issue includes news on forthcoming events as well as articles on:

• Mobile learning
• Podcasting
• Using Flickr
• Pinhole photography

Job vacancy - Service Manager

Monday 24 August 2009 12:21pm

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

Thursday 20 August 2009 11:57am

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

Thursday 20 August 2009 10:00am

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

Monday 17 August 2009 10:02am

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

Free-to-attend digitisation seminars

Wednesday 05 August 2009 11:36am

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.

And the winner is…

Monday 27 July 2009 5:13pm

The first two institutions have been chosen for JISC Ditital Media’s new Video Assist programme.

The University of Nottingham applied for support in the creation of video materials for their Master’s degree in Contaminated Land Management, while Bournville College’s application concerned the production of a video introduction to their Learning Resources Centre.  Each institution will receive 4 days’ worth of bespoke consultation, including on-site supervision during the production phase of their projects.

A number of excellent proposals were received for Video Assist, but unfortunately only two could be chosen.  However, there is a second round coming up very soon.  The deadline for applications for the next Video Assist is the 20th of November.  The two institutions selected from this round will receive their Video Assist support between January and April of next year, and all FE and HE institutions in the UK are invited to apply.  For further information please see the Video Assist pages on our website.

JISC Digital Media at DIVERSE ‘09

Thursday 23 July 2009 11:56am

Steve Hull, one of JISC Digital Media’s Technical Support Officers for moving images, gave a talk at this year’s DIVERSE conference in Aberystwyth on the 25th of June.

Steve’s presentation was titled Improving the Quality of Visual Media in Education or Anyone Can Make a Movie! In it, he spoke about how, by paying attention to a few simple points, it is possible for non-professionals to make quite presentable videos using the simplest equipment.  As with almost all of the presentations at DIVERSE, Steve’s talk was recorded.

Everyone had a wonderful time at DIVERSE, a conference dedicated to the use of video in education.  The small, friendly crowd, meeting in a beautiful part of Wales—with uncharacteristically lovely weather—spent the three days talking, brainstorming and getting inspired about this exciting area of research.  Next year’s conference is at the University of Southern Maine in the US and should prove to be just as beneficial to all attending.

A caveat about the recording: unfortunately, the sound quality of the video clips that were played is very poor.  We have, however, re-rendered the clips for the JISC Digital Media website and present them herewith.

A further caveat if you’re looking at the clips without seeing the presentation: the first one is intentionally horrible.  With each successive clip we remove some of the problems of the first clip until by clip 5 we achieve something which, while not brilliant, is nonetheless acceptable and usable.

Clip 1 - doing everything wrong

Use this link if you would prefer to download the clip or if our video player is not showing

Clip 2 - now we can see and hear and get a bit of useful visual information

Use this link if you would prefer to download the clip or if our video player is not showing

Clip 3 - at last, a tripod - and no CRT monitor

Use this link if you would prefer to download the clip or if our video player is not showing

Clip 4 - using better interviewing techniques

Use this link if you would prefer to download the clip or if our video player is not showing

Clip 5 - after a little editing

Use this link if you would prefer to download the clip or if our video player is not showing

New digital restoration course among autumn training dates

Wednesday 22 July 2009 1:20pm

The keen-eyed among you will have already noticed we have just released details of our new training programme for September to December.

In addition to our July and August dates, we now have the following courses scheduled - note the brand new Digital Media Restoration course, and look out for an announcement soon on more new video and audio courses…

• Audio Production: Recording Lectures, Seminars, Interviews and Podcasts - 09 September 2009 or 10 November 2009
• Essential Techniques in Digital Image Capture - 28 July 2009
• Advanced Techniques in Digital Image Capture - 29 July 2009
• Using Digital Media in VLEs - 04 November 2009
• Digitising Analogue Video Recordings - 06 October 2009 or 11 November 2009
• Introduction to Image Metadata - 10 September 2009 or 09 December 2009
• Building a Departmental Image Collection - 07 October 2009
• Finding Free-to-Use Images Online - 13 October 2009
• Scanning with the CLA Licence - 14 October 2009
• Digital Photography - Getting started with your SLR - 27 October 2009
• Digital Photography - Taking Control of your SLR - 28 October 2009
• Colour Management - 18 November 2009
• Essential Photoshop Skills - 01 December 2009
• Digital Media Restoration - 02 December 2009

For full details on each course, please visit our Training page.

Video: 1978 Folk Arts Conference, State Library and Archives of Florida on Flickr

Pocket audio toolbox

Monday 20 July 2009 2:29pm

We have a new advice document now online, looking at using your mobile phone as a portable audio recorder:

Using a Mobile Phone as an Audio Recorder

Many mobiles now have facilities for recording sound through their microphones and transferring them to computer, or even uploading straight to the web. As a tool for making simple recordings and capturing unforeseen audio moments the everyday mobile phone has enormous potential, and this new document looks at how and why you might do this in an educational context.

We also look at what to expect in terms of sound quality and functionality, and how to start incorporating audio from your mobile into teaching, learning and research.

Newly updated Flickr advice

Tuesday 14 July 2009 9:00am

We’ve just released a completely updated advice document on using Flickr to find images.

Finding Images on Flickr looks at the pros and cons of using the hugely popular photo sharing site as a source of images.

Photo by Mark Strozier on Flickr - used under a Creative Commons licence

Illustrated throughout with Flickr images that have been cleared for use under Creative Commons licenses, the document discusses the best ways of finding appropriate images to use for educational activities including teaching, research and business and community engagement (BCE), while pointing out some of the pitfalls you can avoid.

*NEW* advice on recording telephone conversations

Monday 13 July 2009 5:14pm

We’ve just published a new advice document about the practice and legalities of recording telephone conversations for oral history and research purposes.

Hot on the heels of Joel’s guide to Recording Skype Calls is another new advice document relating to Recording Telephone Conversations. This covers the simple hardware you need to be able to feed both sides of a conventional ‘land line’ telephone call into your recording system, and the related audio considerations.

It also covers the basic legal requirements for making these recordings, with links to further legal resources.

JISC Digital Content Conference

Monday 13 July 2009 3:47pm

June 30th saw the JISC Digital Content Conference hosted at the Cotswold Water Park.

The conference was a large affair with multiple themed strands expertly choreographed over two days. JISC Digital Media presented a vision of digital media in a pedagogical context under the umbrella of the ‘Content in Education’ strand. Other strands included ‘Content Development’ and ‘Managing Content’. These themes seemed a little diverse at first, but it soon became apparent that we had been covering an overlapping and increasingly important issue: user engagement.

In the plenary sessions too, high profile speakers (for instance Robert Miller of the Internet Archive and Nick Poole of the Collection’s Trust) asked the same kind of question: who is the user of all this digital stuff and just what are they doing with it?

Conferences generate buzz words and this conference was no different: ‘crowd sourcing; was discussed in every session. The idea is that the user is not longer a passive receptacle but an active partner and contributor to a digital collection.

The Galaxy Zoo project is built upon the statistical analysis of galaxies, contributed by millions of dedicated users. The First World War Archive presents informal family stories relating to the Great War. Both projects are highly successful examples of crowd sourcing.

The idea of the productive user is fairly straightforward but the implementation can be fraught. The team from the Old Bailey Proceedings digitisation project warned of the confusion that can result from taking an open approach to user contributions. Without strong guidance the user can and does upload anything or nothing. The conference also looked at possible relationships between digital content collections both nationally and internationally.

In a rapidly evolving environment (technologically, financially, legally and politically) it was the nature of the changing relationship that seemed to dominate proceedings, while matters such as collection building or digitisation took a back seat. The tentative verdict seemed to be that building or sustaining a valuable digital collection using young Web 2.0 technologies was both positive and inevitable, but some casualties would be unavoidable. Learning valuable lessons from others by the sharing of direct personal experience underlined both the need for cautious crowd souring and the value of the conference itself.

Hanging on the Telephone

Tuesday 07 July 2009 4:22pm

With the rising popularity of Skype and other VOIP tools, recording calls is a great way of creating resources, for example, long distance interviews or even preparing assessment material for language courses.

A new step-by-step guide on how to record Skype calls using free software is now available.

Free consultation on creation of video resources

Wednesday 24 June 2009 11:18am

If you are involved in the creation of new moving image resources over the academic year 2009-10, we are offering free consultancy support and training through Video Assist.

Video Assist is open to those working in UK further or higher education. We will provide specific project support for 6 projects (2 per term). The deadline for applications for the first round is next week - Fri 3rd July 2009. Please see the Video Assist page for further information and the application form.

Video: Care and Feeding of a Mermaid, State Library and Archives of Florida

Helpdesk and training provide expert guidance

Tuesday 23 June 2009 12:10pm

A new case study reveals how we have been of help to our FE colleagues.

The JISC Service Case Study on JISC Digital Media highlights how our guidance helped Barony College’s Learning Materials Development Unit to produce a variety of visually rich learning and training materials.

JISC Digital Media’s free Helpdesk Service provided expert information and guidance on capturing and formatting images, managing resources and copyright issues.

In addition, our hands-on training courses in Photoshop skills and image management were invaluable:

“I found the day so useful, very intense, but very good. I understood things that had never struck me before, like why it might be better to use black and white images rather than colour in our workbooks. Colour can be a distraction when you are trying to illustrate something very detailed and specific. It’s also cheaper if you are going to print the document.”
Christine Dudgeon (Learning materials development unit manager, Barony College)

The JISC website has a series of JISC Service Case Studies that demonstrate the expertise available to learning providers in the FE sector.

RSC summer conference tour

Thursday 18 June 2009 4:53pm

We’re mid-way through our tour of the JISC Regional Support Centres’ summer conferences.

We’ve already exhibited or presented at events hosted by RSC Yorkshire & Humber, RSC Scotland South & West and RSC South West, but if you’re planning on attending any of the following events, do come and find us:

• RSC East Midlands e-Fair - 23 June
• RSC Northwest Annual Event - 25 June
• RSC London Regional Feedback Event - 25 June
• RSC Wales Conference: Integration - Learning Together - 1 July
• RSC Eastern e-Fair - 3 July
• RSC South East e-Learning Fair - 29 October (ok this one’s not a summer conference)

Dates for RSC Northern and RSC Scotland North & East are still to be confirmed.

Advice doc - Quandary

Tuesday 09 June 2009 11:50am

We have just released our advice document that will introduce you to the Quandary interactive decision software.

We will demonstrate how Quandary exercises can be enhanced using digital media to support your teaching material. We hope you enjoy Using Quandary to Add Interactive Learning Objects.

Announcing Video Assist!

Monday 08 June 2009 12:07pm

JISC Digital Media today announces the launch of Video Assist, a new service offering free in-depth support to projects in HE and FE institutions which require the creation of moving image resources.

Video Assist provides a service to complement JISC Digital Media’s existing support framework of a helpdesk, advice documents and workshops. A project which qualifies for Video Assist will receive 4 days’ worth in total of bespoke off-site support and on-site supervision, helping the project to achieve its ambitions more quickly and effectively. The interaction with project personnel will embed skills and knowledge, leaving as a legacy a team of people able to carry out similar work in the future with a new degree of skill and professionalism. Video Assist will run during the 2009-2010 academic year in three rounds, with two projects selected for support in each round.

Advice doc : using WebCT

Tuesday 02 June 2009 9:25am

We have just released an updated version of our Using WebCT with digital media. This advice document aims to introduce WebCT and how you can use digital media to support your WebCT course content.  We look at why digital media can enhance the teaching and learning experience.

New doc: Basic Guide to Videoing Groups

Friday 29 May 2009 3:40pm

A new video document has just been published.  The Basic Guide to Videoing Groups is a basic guide to—well, to videoing groups.

Companion documents soon to follow include the Basic Guide to Videoing Interviews, the Basic Guide to Videoing Lectures and the Basic Guide to the Flip.

Updated advice on vector graphics

Thursday 28 May 2009 2:30pm

We’ve just released four fully updated advice documents on vector graphics.

• Introduction to the Vector Image Format
  Digital image formats fall into two main categories: raster and vector. The raster format lends itself to continuous tone images such as photographs. This document introduces the vector image format which is more suited to the defined lines, curves and shapes of charts, logos, web graphics, technical drawings, cartoons and fonts.
• Vector Graphics Resources
  The links listed here have been gathered to provide a useful collection of vector graphics resources.
• Vector Drawing Software
  If you need to create your own diagrams, illustrations, logos or other graphics, there are a number of programs to choose from. This document looks at the main applications as well as some more specialist programs. It also highlights the main points to consider when choosing software.
• Vector Graphics Illustrated Glossary
  An alphabetical list of commonly-used terms in vector graphics. Each term is defined and accompanied by one or more illustrations.

Feeds available

Thursday 21 May 2009 2:00pm

Just a brief announcement to the community that we have just opened up our advice documents to RSS and Atom feeds.

What is RSS and Atom?

RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and Atom (Atom Syndication Format) allow content providers to share content with their audiences and offer an additional way of keeping up to date with their websites. Using RSS readers, you can subscribe and receive our content in your chosen feed reader.

Why use Feeds?

Its usefulness by way of example:

As an e-Learning Officer, Zak Mensah of JISC Digital Media is primilarly interested in our Cross-media content. By subscribing to the Cross-media RSS feed (available on all pages in that section) Zak will automatically be notified when an advice document is published or updated.

Interested?

If you are interested in using RSS or Atom but are not sure how to go about using it, please get in touch via our helpdesk or contact your IT support. We are always looking at how we can provide our content to you in ways that best suit you. Comments welcome.

List of RSS feeds

• Blog RSS feed and Atom feed
• Training RSS feed and Atom feed
• Still images advice documents RSS feed and Atom feed
• Moving images advice documents RSS feed and Atom feed
• Audio resources advice documents RSS feed and Atom feed
• Cross media advice documents RSS feed and Atom feed

Updated digital camera document

Monday 18 May 2009 12:27pm

To reflect recent developments in digital camera technology we have updated the Digital Camera paper.

The new paper looks at all cameras from consumer compacts through to medium format and large format camera systems.