CBA Conference

							Video Conferencing

Something appealing, or something appalling?




Jonathan Drori

UKERNA
16th March 2006
The next 15 minutes



• What are we trying to do?
• Opportunities
• Barriers
Making the Chain



• Stimulate interest
       Engage
              Guide
                      Communicate
                           Create or Do something

• With careful use, new technologies can
   – enable each stage
   – lower barriers between stages
   – help to create virtuous circles (mfa)
Richness of Communication




Richness




                            Reach
Video Conferencing - Opportunities


• Access
   – Collapse distance
      » E.g. Rural, specialist, the ‘other’, but use wisely
   – Explore the unexplorable
      » LSO, NASA, DR
   – Be part of something bigger


• Use the medium!
   – Use multiple media
   – Enable collaboration and participation
Video Conferencing - Barriers



                                ohmygod
Did I say cheap?


                   1965   1975   1985   1995   2005
      Stamp        2.0m   1.6m                 1.6m
Did I say cheap?


                   1965   1975   1985   1995   2005
      Stamp        2.0m   1.6m                 1.6m
      Mars Bar     6m     4m     2.5m   2.2m   2.5m
Did I say cheap?


                   1965   1975   1985    1995    2005
      Stamp        2.0m   1.6m                   1.6m
      Mars Bar     6m     4m     2.5m    2.2m    2.5m

      Hi-Fi         18     7      39      20      13
                   days   days   hours   hours   hours
Did I say cheap?


                   1965   1975    1985    1995     2005
      Stamp        2.0m   1.6m                     1.6m
      Mars Bar     6m      4m     2.5m    2.2m     2.5m

      Hi-Fi         18     7       39      20       13
                   days   days    hours   hours    hours
      1Mb         228      15      2        2        25
                 years    years   days    hours   seconds
Did I say cheap?


                    1965    1975    1985    1995     2005
      Stamp         2.0m    1.6m                     1.6m
      Mars Bar       6m      4m     2.5m    2.2m     2.5m

      Hi-Fi          18      7       39      20       13
                    days    days    hours   hours    hours
      1Mb            228     15      2        2        25
                    years   years   days    hours   seconds
      1 min           2      30      9                 6
      Call to USA
                    hours   mins    mins            seconds
Did I say cheap?


                    1965    1975    1985    1995     2005
      Stamp         2.0m    1.6m                     1.6m
      Mars Bar       6m      4m     2.5m    2.2m     2.5m

      Hi-Fi          18      7       39      20       13
                    days    days    hours   hours    hours
      1Mb            228     15      2        2        25
                    years   years   days    hours   seconds
      1 min           2      30      9                 6
      Call to USA
                    hours   mins    mins            seconds
      House          4.2     4.5     3.9     4.3      8.5
                    years   years   years   years    years
New services flourish when economic thresholds
are reached…
…but cost isn’t everything




            Are conditions right yet?
Compelling Experiences



                         mmm… nice
Compelling Experiences



•   Defined
     – Can you name it? Describe it? Say what it does and what it is?
•   Fresh
     – Does it feel new? Is there a twist?
•   Accessible
     – Can you find it? Do it? Work it? Does it do what you want? Can you get
       what you want?
•   Immersive
     – Can you lose yourself in it?
•   Significant
     – Does it matter? Do you want to tell others? Do you connect with others or
       develop?
•   Transformative
     – Something you’re left with? Have you changed? Would others think you
       have?
Video Conferencing - Barriers



• Definition unclear
• Inaccessible
   –   Total costs large and unknown
   –   Hard to buy, install (where?), maintain, use
   –   Who’s the intelligent buyer?
   –   Who can you call when it goes wrong (network or system?)
   –   Who can you call when it goes right?
   –   Training for the cultural sector? For teachers?
• Not always immersive
   – Latency, usability, perceptions of experience
   – Danger of technology dictating the experience (fixed, ppt)
• Significance and value not well demonstrated
Responding to the challenge



•   Don’t wait for central Government!
•   Push and pull
•   Create exemplar projects
•   Ensure access to those projects
    – By cultural and educational institutions
    – By policy makers
• Deliver training and reward partcipants
• Ensure success in terms of those you target
• Demonstrate value over other uses for the money
Do feel free to get in touch but please, no mailing lists!

jonathan.drori@culture.gsi.gov.uk
jonathan.drori@cnml.org.uk
Appendix



George Orwell’s six elementary rules
   [Politics and the English Language, 1946]


    – Never use a metaphor, simile or other figure of speech which you are used
      to seeing in print
    – Never use a long word where a short one will do
    – If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out
    – Never use the passive where you can use the active
    – Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or a jargon word if you can
      think of an everyday English equivalent
    – Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous