Visualizing the New World Television Studio...It Can Be Part of the New Landscape

Today, I flowed energy into visualizing what the New World Television Studio might look like and include, as part of the "new world television landscape" that I have been talking about. Here are some of the core components...or "pieces" to this:

• Strategic Planning, Community Outreach, Technical Consulting and Systems Engineering with key clients - It's nice to have a television background, and an Internet consulting background as well as a business development background and teaching background, and be able to help people,  organizations and entire communities move forward with community-authored television....with new tools & strategies ... even in spite of economic challenges with older-think ones. See my recent post about "re-thinking" television.
  
  
• Mobile Laptop Studio Console -This  uses Ustream Producer Pro and Wirecast Pro for more complex productions involving chroma key and possibly even remote IP-based video feeds.  All kinds of people already are taking off with this stuff. See my recent blog about these fantastic new, low cost real-time streaming and recording applications.
  
  
• Low-cost SD/HD Camcorders - Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) formats are both important and I have been evaluating several camcorders that do these. What's great is how much simpler these devices have now become to operate. Special features like presets, image stabilization and being able to use external mics and headsets can make a qualitative difference.
  
  
• Inexpensive Remote Control Tripods and even dollies - The explosion of consumer television has driven the price for this stuff way down. Sony is smart to make low cost tripod with a remote control built right into the handle and dollies that fit these are now less than $50... nice!
  
  
• Green Screen Set-up - This is for chroma keying people on top of a virtual background or set for a nice professional look. Some striking effects are possible with this stuff.
  
  
• 3-Point Lighting - Having decent lighting can not be over-emphasized and up until now its been heavy, cumbersome and expensive. The good news however is that the consumer marketplaces has driven the available of new lower cost and lighter weight lighting solutions. I have been tracking this. Now even community folks and employees can learn how to light sets well... I can teach them.
  
  
• Audio Package - Having decent audio can also not be over-emphasized, if it can be made affordable. My professional filmmaking and videographer friends and colleagues have been teaching me how to shop for professional audio gear.. at bargain basement prices at special websites and on E-Bay. By shopping there we can all the right stuff - Mixer with EQ, wireless mics...the whole enchilada. All I had to do was ask and the professional community has come to the rescue again... Their hearts are in the community too and love to be a part of the kind of social change we and other friends and colleagues of mine are about to facilitate
  
  
• Value Innovation... "The Secret Sauce" - A bunch of hardware and software no more makes great television.. than does paintbox automatically paint a Rembrandt...but that's where I and talented colleagues come in... We've even got some creative strategies for developing business and revitalizing communities... and even help recover the economy with this stuff. Call me and let's connect. This is gonna be good...even if I have to take a "day job" to keep the vision alive for positive social change and community service ...and a more sustainable world.. continuing to move forward - 425-780-6872

CIO Magazine Has Good Article About The Schoolhouse of the Future

This morning I am flowing positive energy after reading Chris Yeh's article on "The Schoolhouse of the Future" in the December 2010 issue of Chief Learning Officer magazine. This a nice article that brings together three emerging trends in learning that are rapidly becoming part of that "new world communications landscape" that I've personally been paying attention to and blogging about.

One emerging trend is what Jeff Howe in a June 2006 Wired magazine article coined as "crowdsourcing" in his article, "The Rise of Crowdsourcing". Since then the meaning of "crowdsourcing" itself continues to evolve driven by people defining it. (See wikipedia). One is example cited is using a "crowd" of people as a "source" of information contributing to a web-based Wiki. or community-authored information website, typically using a text type format. Wikipedia itself is a prime example of this. 

The second important emerging trend that the article acknowledges is the power of web video that fast-forwards innovative learning and it cites KhanAcademy.org as a shining example of this, where millions of people are learning by watching short 12 minute videos. Citing the power of web video for innovation is what I just blogged about..just yesterday..after getting ecstatic over Chris Anderson's web video-based TED Talk.

The third and newest emergent trend that Yeh sites is the development of learning "apps" for mobile devices. Actually if you publish your video learning content on YouTube you can already deliver mobile learning, but what the development community is interested in is mobile applications they can sell, so don't be surprised if you see more and webcasting and web conferencing companies also extending their capability to mobile devices. The folks at Ustream.tv are already tauting this..however the jury is still out as to whether mobile users using 4G networks have enough bandwidth to send and receive video of acceptable quality. Changes in codecs and standards are own their way that will of course improve the situation. 

In the meantime, it not too early to jump in now, especially when it comes to leveraging low-cost, almost no cost resources that already exist... with that special "secret sauce" that can make all the difference in the world... value innovation. Call if you'd like to learn more about developing the schoolhouse of the future...but doing in now... in a newly emergent new world communications landscape - 425-780-6872.