A Valuable Journey: Media & Learning Conference
As the Studio Manager for the Online Course Production Service, I recently had the opportunity to attend and present at the Media and Learning Conference in Leuven, Belgium. This gathering offered a variety of informative sessions and workshops that provided me with insights to further refine our approaches to media production in education.
Gaining New Perspectives
Among the sessions I attended were two workshops focused on the use of generative AI in video production. It was reassuring to find the approaches we have adopted were the same as those being recommended by experts in AI video production. One key method is to use generative AI to create an image from a text prompt and then use that image as a starting frame to generate video. This produces far better results than using a text prompt to generate video directly. Discussions around the ethics of AI in video were focused around how the AI models were being trained. Training AI models on copyrighted material is a common practice for many companies, but the ethics and legalities of this are still being debated. We are currently using Adobe Firefly, as their models are only trained on Adobe owned, public domain and openly licensed images and video. Additionally, a presentation on the principles of multimedia learning by Richard Mayer highlighted research-backed strategies that we are already implementing, yet also pointed to other methods that could enhance our content.
Sharing Our Expertise
I had the opportunity to present in a session on DIY media production, discussing how we support our university staff in creating high quality media content, especially when budgets are tight. I outlined our resources like self-recording tips, audio booth, our own MOOCs on video and course creation, and the hands on media production training we provide. This being my first experience presenting at an international conference, I was thrilled with the positive reception and lively discussions that followed my presentation.
Enjoying Belgium
Besides the conference, I took the opportunity to indulge in the renowned Belgian delicacies—chocolate, waffles, and beer, which provided a delightful break and a chance for informal networking.
Looking Ahead
This conference was not only a platform to affirm our methods but also an avenue to explore new ideas. The insights gained will guide the ongoing enhancement of our media production capabilities, aiming to enrich the learning experiences we provide.
Share
