WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.640 Welcome back to The Deep Dive. Today, we're taking 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:07.540 a look at K -12 education, specifically how multimedia 00:00:07.540 --> 00:00:10.160 technology is being used in classrooms and what 00:00:10.160 --> 00:00:12.740 that really means for the IT teams who have to 00:00:12.740 --> 00:00:15.480 support it all. We've got a really fascinating 00:00:15.480 --> 00:00:18.100 stack of sources here that get into the current 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.079 trends, the tools that are really dominating 00:00:21.079 --> 00:00:22.980 instruction right now. And also the challenges, 00:00:23.239 --> 00:00:25.839 the tech challenges, and maybe more importantly, 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:28.920 the legal ones. Exactly. And when we say multimedia, 00:00:29.079 --> 00:00:30.859 just to be clear, we mean it in that classic 00:00:30.859 --> 00:00:34.740 sense, text, images, audio, video, the multi 00:00:34.740 --> 00:00:37.880 part, the multi part. And this deep dive, it's 00:00:37.880 --> 00:00:40.079 really for anyone who's working in school technology 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:42.679 or, you know, just needs to get up to speed on 00:00:42.679 --> 00:00:44.759 this stuff quickly. A shortcut, basically. It's 00:00:44.759 --> 00:00:46.979 a shortcut. We want to explain not just what 00:00:46.979 --> 00:00:50.340 tools are popular, but how using them creates 00:00:50.340 --> 00:00:53.920 these core support challenges, especially the 00:00:53.920 --> 00:00:56.420 ones tied to legal mandates. OK, so where do 00:00:56.420 --> 00:00:58.679 we start? Because this feels like a very modern 00:00:58.679 --> 00:01:00.920 problem. Well, what's surprising is how long 00:01:00.920 --> 00:01:03.060 this has actually been going on. You picture 00:01:03.060 --> 00:01:05.040 a student making a video today. You think Chromebook, 00:01:05.140 --> 00:01:07.739 right? Or a tablet. Something new, yeah. But 00:01:07.739 --> 00:01:10.079 you can actually trace the beginnings of this. 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:14.780 of student -driven multimedia software back three 00:01:14.780 --> 00:01:16.620 decades. Three decades, you mean the 90s? To 00:01:16.620 --> 00:01:19.640 the early 1990s, yeah. Wow. So we're not talking 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:21.480 about a post -2000 thing at all. We're talking 00:01:21.480 --> 00:01:25.439 about programs like, what, HyperCard and HyperStudio 00:01:25.439 --> 00:01:28.319 for those old Apple computers. Exactly. Those 00:01:28.319 --> 00:01:30.939 were the big ones, marketed heavily to schools. 00:01:31.239 --> 00:01:33.260 They were, I mean, revolutionary for their time. 00:01:33.519 --> 00:01:37.400 They let students and teachers mix text. images, 00:01:37.780 --> 00:01:39.959 sound clips. And that interest just took off, 00:01:39.959 --> 00:01:41.799 right, once the hardware could actually handle 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:44.319 it. It exploded in the mid -90s. Yeah. Suddenly 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:47.260 you had computers with basic video cards, color 00:01:47.260 --> 00:01:49.879 displays. No, and audio cards and speakers became 00:01:49.879 --> 00:01:52.319 standard. Right. It went from being a cool idea 00:01:52.319 --> 00:01:54.000 to something you could actually do in a classroom. 00:01:54.200 --> 00:01:56.439 That history is fascinating. But you mentioned 00:01:56.439 --> 00:01:58.799 the lethal side, and for public schools, that 00:01:58.799 --> 00:02:01.849 often trumps everything else. It does. And that 00:02:01.849 --> 00:02:05.349 brings us straight to the non -negotiable foundation 00:02:05.349 --> 00:02:08.629 for all of this, accessibility. Schools are public 00:02:08.629 --> 00:02:11.110 institutions. So the second they use technology 00:02:11.110 --> 00:02:13.370 for teaching, they have to follow the Americans 00:02:13.370 --> 00:02:16.449 with Disabilities Act, the ADA. So this isn't 00:02:16.449 --> 00:02:19.550 just a best practice, it's the law. It's a legal 00:02:19.550 --> 00:02:22.449 pillar. This is where IT strategy begins and 00:02:22.449 --> 00:02:25.909 ends. The ADA means that every single piece of 00:02:25.909 --> 00:02:29.389 multimedia, a slideshow, a video, anything, it 00:02:29.389 --> 00:02:31.590 must be accessible to all students. Including 00:02:31.590 --> 00:02:34.250 students who use things like screenwriters. Precisely. 00:02:34.449 --> 00:02:36.210 So when you're talking about IT budgets, you 00:02:36.210 --> 00:02:38.770 think about devices. But the real driver, the 00:02:38.770 --> 00:02:41.229 thing that shapes everything, is this legal mandate. 00:02:41.840 --> 00:02:44.979 OK, so with that in mind, let's talk about the 00:02:44.979 --> 00:02:47.780 absolute workhorse of the classroom, the slideshow. 00:02:48.400 --> 00:02:50.659 PowerPoint, Google Slides. All of them. And it's 00:02:50.659 --> 00:02:52.219 not just teachers using them anymore. Students 00:02:52.219 --> 00:02:54.340 are creating them constantly as projects. Yeah, 00:02:54.340 --> 00:02:56.919 and it's easy to forget that the tech to even 00:02:56.919 --> 00:03:00.439 do this well is pretty new. The ability to just 00:03:00.439 --> 00:03:03.560 capture high -res images or video with a built 00:03:03.560 --> 00:03:06.099 -in webcam on a Chromebook. That's a relatively 00:03:06.099 --> 00:03:08.800 recent thing for schools. Very recent. Suddenly 00:03:08.800 --> 00:03:11.759 every kid has a mini production studio, but everything 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:15.439 it produces has to meet these strict legal standards. 00:03:15.780 --> 00:03:17.479 And the way they're shared has totally changed. 00:03:17.680 --> 00:03:19.979 It's not a file on a hard drive anymore. Yeah. 00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:22.780 Students and teachers now share and embed web 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:24.939 -based presentations right into their virtual 00:03:24.939 --> 00:03:27.979 classrooms. And that shift from a local file 00:03:27.979 --> 00:03:30.949 to something that's live on the web? That's the 00:03:30.949 --> 00:03:33.409 whole challenge right there. That content has 00:03:33.409 --> 00:03:36.949 to be compliant 24 -7. So IT has to step in. 00:03:37.050 --> 00:03:40.870 IT has to deploy and support accessibility checkers. 00:03:41.250 --> 00:03:43.469 These tools are absolutely critical for managing 00:03:43.469 --> 00:03:45.569 that legal risk. So for someone listening who 00:03:45.569 --> 00:03:47.750 isn't familiar with these, what do these checkers 00:03:47.750 --> 00:03:50.270 actually look for? What makes something non -compliant? 00:03:50.770 --> 00:03:52.750 They're mostly looking for structural things 00:03:52.750 --> 00:03:56.050 that trip up assistive text. So number one is 00:03:56.050 --> 00:03:59.000 missing alternative text on images. That's the 00:03:59.000 --> 00:04:01.300 description a screen reader reads out loud. Exactly. 00:04:01.699 --> 00:04:04.020 They also check for missing navigation aids. 00:04:04.340 --> 00:04:06.840 What do you mean by navigation aids? That's basically 00:04:06.840 --> 00:04:10.360 the internal structure, like using proper headings 00:04:10.360 --> 00:04:13.379 and lists so a user with a screen reader can 00:04:13.379 --> 00:04:15.360 jump through the document instead of having to 00:04:15.360 --> 00:04:17.079 listen to the whole thing from start to finish. 00:04:17.220 --> 00:04:20.759 Okay. And finally, they check for missing metadata, 00:04:21.259 --> 00:04:23.360 things like the author, the title, all stuff 00:04:23.360 --> 00:04:25.399 that helps process the document correctly. That 00:04:25.399 --> 00:04:27.959 makes sense. The automation enforces good structure. 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:30.620 But the sources also say these checkers aren't 00:04:30.620 --> 00:04:33.439 perfect. Not even close. And this is a huge point. 00:04:33.680 --> 00:04:36.740 They provide a baseline, but they can't verify 00:04:36.740 --> 00:04:39.319 everything. So what do they miss? The big one 00:04:39.319 --> 00:04:42.959 is color contrast. Wait, really? The built -in 00:04:42.959 --> 00:04:46.600 tools in, like, Google Slides or PowerPoint can't 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:48.680 check if the text color is readable against the 00:04:48.680 --> 00:04:50.620 background color. They can't do it reliably? 00:04:50.839 --> 00:04:53.079 No. Which is a massive issue for students with 00:04:53.079 --> 00:04:55.120 low vision. So if a school just relies on those 00:04:55.120 --> 00:04:57.459 built -in checkers, they're still at risk legally. 00:04:57.689 --> 00:05:01.209 Absolutely. So IT then have to find and support 00:05:01.209 --> 00:05:04.170 other tools, sometimes third -party add -ons 00:05:04.170 --> 00:05:06.389 you have to pay for just to check for contrast. 00:05:06.870 --> 00:05:09.269 It has this whole other layer of complexity and 00:05:09.269 --> 00:05:11.569 cost. That really drives home the point about 00:05:11.569 --> 00:05:15.055 compliance being an ongoing cost. So moving from... 00:05:16.250 --> 00:05:19.329 slideshows to video, that seems like the next 00:05:19.329 --> 00:05:22.329 big step up in complexity. It is. The demand 00:05:22.329 --> 00:05:24.649 for video editing in schools has just spiked. 00:05:25.170 --> 00:05:27.569 The sources point to three main drivers. Okay, 00:05:27.670 --> 00:05:29.129 well where are they? First, you've got teachers 00:05:29.129 --> 00:05:31.810 creating their own videos to supplement instruction. 00:05:32.269 --> 00:05:33.730 You know, short lessons, that kind of thing. 00:05:33.889 --> 00:05:36.569 The flipped classroom model. Right. Second, you 00:05:36.569 --> 00:05:38.750 have students making videos to show what they've 00:05:38.750 --> 00:05:40.829 learned. It's replacing the old book report. 00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:44.100 And the third driver is capturing student performances. 00:05:44.420 --> 00:05:47.899 Like sports or the school play. Exactly. Sports 00:05:47.899 --> 00:05:50.819 teams reviewing games or maybe the theater department 00:05:50.819 --> 00:05:53.860 recording a show, which can get pretty technically 00:05:53.860 --> 00:05:56.040 demanding. What's interesting there is the disconnect 00:05:56.040 --> 00:05:59.240 in expectations. A huge one. A lot of users, 00:05:59.379 --> 00:06:02.019 teachers, and students both, they really underestimate 00:06:02.019 --> 00:06:04.000 the time it takes to make even an acceptable 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:06.420 video. But at the same time, they also... They 00:06:06.420 --> 00:06:09.540 also overestimate the need for professional quality 00:06:09.540 --> 00:06:11.949 editing. For most class projects, you know, a 00:06:11.949 --> 00:06:13.970 few simple cuts is really all you need. Good 00:06:13.970 --> 00:06:16.389 enough is fine. But because you have such different 00:06:16.389 --> 00:06:19.550 needs, from a simple student project to a full 00:06:19.550 --> 00:06:22.329 theater production, one piece of software won't 00:06:22.329 --> 00:06:24.750 work for everyone. No, you have to manage a whole 00:06:24.750 --> 00:06:26.990 ecosystem of tools. So let's break that down. 00:06:27.050 --> 00:06:29.310 What's at the simple end? You start with web 00:06:29.310 --> 00:06:31.810 -based options. YouTube, for instance, lets you 00:06:31.810 --> 00:06:34.430 do some very basic trimming after you've uploaded 00:06:34.430 --> 00:06:36.819 a video. But the challenge there is the upload 00:06:36.819 --> 00:06:39.819 itself, right? Sending a huge video file over 00:06:39.819 --> 00:06:42.560 a school network. That and the tools are just 00:06:42.560 --> 00:06:45.120 very limited by design. So then you move up to 00:06:45.120 --> 00:06:47.560 consumer software. For anyone on a Mac, that's 00:06:47.560 --> 00:06:50.000 iMovie. Which comes pre -installed, it's pretty 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:52.399 easy to use. It is. It handles most academic 00:06:52.399 --> 00:06:55.259 projects just fine. Yeah. But then you get to 00:06:55.259 --> 00:06:57.819 the high school level and there's a real interest 00:06:57.819 --> 00:07:00.379 in teaching professional software. And what's 00:07:00.379 --> 00:07:02.160 the key difference there? Why need it at all? 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:05.220 It's about control and complexity. Professional 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:07.980 software lets you work with multiple video and 00:07:07.980 --> 00:07:10.259 audio tracks at the same time. Which brings us 00:07:10.259 --> 00:07:12.839 back to that theater department example. Exactly. 00:07:13.060 --> 00:07:15.600 Imagine you have three cameras on stage, plus 00:07:15.600 --> 00:07:18.560 a separate high quality audio recording. To edit 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:21.060 that together, to sync it all up perfectly, you 00:07:21.060 --> 00:07:24.139 need a professional tool. iMovie just can't do 00:07:24.139 --> 00:07:26.579 that. So that's the dilemma for IT. A single 00:07:26.579 --> 00:07:29.180 tool just won't cut it. Not at all. You might 00:07:29.180 --> 00:07:31.720 have middle schoolers using a web tool, teachers 00:07:31.720 --> 00:07:34.379 using iMovie, but the theater department needs 00:07:34.379 --> 00:07:37.660 something much more powerful. IT has to support 00:07:37.660 --> 00:07:39.879 that whole range, which means more licenses, 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:42.800 more training, more everything. That tiered approach 00:07:42.800 --> 00:07:45.500 is so important to understand. Let's pivot now 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:47.819 to a technology that basically became essential 00:07:47.819 --> 00:07:51.000 overnight. Video conferencing. Yeah, during the 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:54.139 2020 pandemic. That was the glue holding everything 00:07:54.139 --> 00:07:56.319 together. It was the platform for remote teaching. 00:07:56.660 --> 00:07:58.740 And even though most remote instruction has wound 00:07:58.740 --> 00:08:01.839 down, the tool itself isn't going away? No, it's 00:08:01.839 --> 00:08:04.480 found its long -term place. It's still incredibly 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:06.199 effective for things like professional development 00:08:06.199 --> 00:08:08.620 training and meetings. It saves on travel time 00:08:08.620 --> 00:08:11.329 and costs. A lot of it. Yeah. And it's just as 00:08:11.329 --> 00:08:13.310 effective as being there in person for many of 00:08:13.310 --> 00:08:15.810 those things. But it can also enhance in -person 00:08:15.810 --> 00:08:17.930 classes too, which is an interesting application. 00:08:18.250 --> 00:08:20.689 Right. Students can record video conferences 00:08:20.689 --> 00:08:22.970 of their group discussions or presentations. 00:08:23.310 --> 00:08:25.569 And then they can share that recording for review. 00:08:25.810 --> 00:08:28.230 Exactly. The instructor can go back and assess 00:08:28.230 --> 00:08:31.490 not just the final product, but the collaboration 00:08:31.490 --> 00:08:34.950 process itself. It makes that interaction permanent 00:08:34.950 --> 00:08:38.419 and assessable. But that very feature, the ease 00:08:38.419 --> 00:08:41.759 of recording students, that leads us right to 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:44.720 the biggest issue. It really does. The critical 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:47.620 consideration here is privacy. The privacy of 00:08:47.620 --> 00:08:50.500 students and, importantly, their caregivers. 00:08:50.860 --> 00:08:53.039 Explain that tension. Well, educators have good 00:08:53.039 --> 00:08:54.759 reasons to ask students to turn their cameras 00:08:54.759 --> 00:08:57.820 on, for engagement, for interaction. But doing 00:08:57.820 --> 00:09:00.470 so, especially when they are at home, poses a 00:09:00.470 --> 00:09:02.889 serious threat to their privacy. Because you're 00:09:02.889 --> 00:09:04.929 recording their personal environment. You're 00:09:04.929 --> 00:09:07.149 recording their home. Maybe a parent walks through 00:09:07.149 --> 00:09:10.870 the background. That image is now captured, archived 00:09:10.870 --> 00:09:13.809 on a server somewhere. The school is now responsible 00:09:13.809 --> 00:09:16.250 for that data and the liability that comes with 00:09:16.250 --> 00:09:18.759 it. It's a huge data management challenge. So 00:09:18.759 --> 00:09:21.399 if you pull all this together for you, the listener, 00:09:21.940 --> 00:09:24.940 the big takeaway here is that understanding multimedia 00:09:24.940 --> 00:09:28.860 in schools is about managing this constant tension. 00:09:29.019 --> 00:09:31.659 You're dealing with a history that goes all the 00:09:31.659 --> 00:09:34.620 way back to hypercard. You have this huge range 00:09:34.620 --> 00:09:37.940 of user needs. From web tools to professional 00:09:37.940 --> 00:09:40.779 editors. And it's all underpinned by that absolute 00:09:40.940 --> 00:09:43.919 non -negotiable legal mandate of ADA compliance. 00:09:44.139 --> 00:09:46.200 And if you look at the role of the IT professional 00:09:46.200 --> 00:09:48.759 in all this, it's completely changed. It's not 00:09:48.759 --> 00:09:51.139 about fixing hardware anymore. It's proactive. 00:09:51.200 --> 00:09:53.519 It's proactive ecosystem management. They're 00:09:53.519 --> 00:09:56.870 managing this complex web of software that's 00:09:56.870 --> 00:09:59.649 being driven by very specific curricular goals 00:09:59.649 --> 00:10:02.350 on one side and very strict legal requirements 00:10:02.350 --> 00:10:04.470 on the other. And that balancing act just gets 00:10:04.470 --> 00:10:06.549 harder as the technology gets more personal. 00:10:07.009 --> 00:10:09.409 The ability to record and share a student's discussion 00:10:09.409 --> 00:10:12.090 is a fantastic instructional tool. It offers 00:10:12.090 --> 00:10:14.460 incredible insight, no doubt. But when you factor 00:10:14.460 --> 00:10:16.460 in the need to protect student and caregiver 00:10:16.460 --> 00:10:19.379 privacy, the use of that technology raises a 00:10:19.379 --> 00:10:22.440 really important final question. It does. And 00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:25.379 that is, how must schools balance the incredible 00:10:25.379 --> 00:10:27.919 utility of recorded discussions and presentations 00:10:27.919 --> 00:10:30.899 against the inherent and permanent threat to 00:10:30.899 --> 00:10:32.960 personal privacy that comes with this kind of 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:35.440 constant digital documentation? That is something 00:10:35.440 --> 00:10:37.860 for you to mull over until our next deep dive.