There were many projects and initiatives for audio and video production originally inspired by the emergence of streaming as a technology in the late nineties. Although conventional (analogue) audio, radio, film, television, and video have a long history in education, their widespread use was always limited by production costs (especially for videos) and, more importantly, delivery difficulties.

Developments in the use of audio-video technology

Starting from the 1990s, there have been a number of developments which made the use of audio and video in education easier and less expensive .

1. Through the 1990s, production costs fell steadily with the introduction of high quality, low cost, relatively easy-to-use cameras, and editing software to the domestic market. The creation and use of digital video and audio suddenly became open to non-specialist educators and even to learners themselves.
2. Distribution of video had been a limiting factor. However, use of CD-ROM eased the delivery digital video and by the late 1990s, for most educators, the web was the medium of choice. However, web-based video and audio files had to be downloaded in their entirety to the computer before they could be played. As media files are usually large, this time delay severely restricted user interaction and largely prevented their extensive use for web-based learning.
3. In an educational context two technical developments have been significant, in particular, for the higher education sector. The widespread use of presentation software such as PowerPoint has familiarised a completely new community of teachers with the possibilities of simple multimedia production in which sound, images, and video clips can be embedded in slideshows. In turn, many institutions have upgraded their lecture facilities to enable multimedia delivery. Web-based virtual learning environments such as WebCT, Blackboard and Moodle have become mainstream, providing teachers with a relatively simple online framework through which to deliver their learning resources, including presentations and media resources to students.
4. Growth of general access to broadband connectivity and the growing availability of public access networks such as those based on Wi-Fi have meant that broadband speeds once available only on campus are increasingly available to distance learners, even via mobile devices such as 3G phones.

With the above mentioned developments the enthusiasts of media-rich learning believe that web-based video and audio could and should become a commonplace component of online education and e-learning, enhancing the visual literacy of students and staff alike, what is now technically possible is not necessarily educationally desirable .

 

Pedagogical possibilities of audio-visual use

Young and Asensio (2002) argued the major barrier to determining what is educationally desirable is not only a lack of awareness among educators as to the pedagogical possibilities of these modes of learning, but an absence of widely-accepted reference models of good practice. From the learning and teaching perspective, the challenge for educators is to understand how video and audio can act as powerful, innovative and creative elements to enlighten teaching and learning.

For those with a media background, it may seem strange that we are still struggling with the basic issue of the role of moving images and sound in education. Indeed there is an unbroken pre-internet research tradition stretching back at least half a century underlining the educational value of moving images, from film to educational television and videocassettes to desktop multimedia applications. However, the lessons from these earlier technologies have been only partially assimilated for a number of reasons. The use of moving images and sound is very uneven across the educational sectors. On the one hand, teachers of media, cultural studies, and the performing arts might be expected to have good reference models. Educators in languages, medicine, sports studies, and natural science generally at least show some experience of the medium. However, in the majority of disciplines there is virtually no widespread tradition of using rich media .

Interactivity and integration

New technologies also attract new participants, both teachers and support staff who have little formal media training. Asensio and Young (2002) noted how interactivity and integration (with other technologies or in a blended environment) were adding value to the power of the image itself, but that this demanded new type of visual and digital literacy from the educational designer. They added that the underlying pedagogical theories we use to interpret new technologies had also shifted from a ‘knowledge transfer' model to a ‘constructivist' model, implying yet another layer of learning design complexity.

Thus although the moving image has a long and honourable pedigree in education, the present day emphasis on interaction and integration in e-learning and an increased focus on student control present not only opportunities but also complex challenges to teachers using media. Young and Asensio (2002) describe this interplay of image, interactivity, and integration as the Three ‘I's Framework.