Connecting the instructional design dots
This may be a “duh Bart, we knew this already” post for some of you, but for some reason this morning (after a large coffee) my brain started to connect the dots on a couple topics I have not thought about in a while.
I was doing a basic web search trying to figure out how to capture video footage from game consoles down to a computer. The third hit was a YouTube video, so I checked it out. Not exactly what I was looking for, but the ‘related videos’ on the right led me to this gem:
I then ran this query in YouTube, “record video game console to computer” which yielded 51 results. Many videos are great, step-by-step instructions on different methods to do this. I then recalled using YouTube for Second Life Tutorials in my class a few semesters back (that search string yields 1,200+ results). For fun, I then ran “change car oil”: 800+ results on YouTube.
From an instructional design standpoint, we talk a lot about “Just in time” learning, or JIT. The design field has struggled with this for many years. How do you get that critical information to your employees or students exactly when they need it the most? I think YouTube provides a great example of doing this well. I’m finding it extremely easy to use an application like Fraps or Screenflow, capture video, drop it into Movie Maker or iMovie, add narration and publish.
By putting these small snippets of information on something like YouTube or your organization’s network in a searchable manner…JIT learning becomes very feasible and easy (for both you the designer and your audience!)
