Curation (and low cost creation) - a guide

Curating Learning – Thoughts from my blog
Curation of learning
Thoughts from my blog

Image by Gerd Altmann from pixabay.com

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................... 4
Setting the bedrock.............................................................................................................. 5
A primer on curation ........................................................................................................... 8
Creating and curating video.............................................................................................. 10
Doing it low cost ................................................................................................................ 14
Creating using PowerPoint – using animations............................................................... 17
What’s in a video?.............................................................................................................. 18
Podcasting.......................................................................................................................... 21
That’s all folks ................................................................................................................... 22

Introduction
One of the key aspects of our new Learning Management System has been the curation
of over 200 pieces of content for users to access. This content is a mixture of online
modules, videos, documents and a range of links to other content.
The process of curation is one which is not uncommon to some, but I have been amazed
at how many people don’t realise the ease with which content can be gathered and
shared and the positive way it is received.
My initial thoughts on curation overflowed into some elements of how to create low cost
materials for yourself. As a result the blogs are a bit disjointed, but hopefully will be of
use to you.
Please enjoy
Bob Price
Cardiff
January 2020
http://about.me/bob.price
Copyright 2020 Bob Price. All rights reserved

Setting the bedrock
We probably all remember our parents’ speeches which started ‘when I was
young…’ at which point we zoned out.
However, looking back to when I was young can help us to understand more
about why learning has changed and why, in some cases, we haven’t.
Life has changed, we know that. Life when I grew up was linear.
What do I mean by that?
Watching the TV that was an ongoing process. No choice apart from three
channels, no streaming, no recordings to watch later. We watched what was on
and that was it. The concept of binge watching simply didn’t exist.
One of the biggest spikes in UK electricity usage was at the end of a drama
called ‘Thornbirds’ in 1994 when millions of people got up and turned their
kettles on, causing a demand of 2600 Mega Watts, or about 1.1 million kettles.
These were the days when we watched because there was little alternative.
I was living in Telford when Channel 4 launched in 1982 and it was only in the
early 90’s we started to get choice when our analogue cable came into play.
Today the concept of watching something because ‘that’s all that’s on’ is
unthinkable. If we are not able to find anything on the hundreds of
cable/satellite channels, we can turn to Netflix, Prime, Apple or one of the
myriads of catch up apps which exist. If all else fails we watch YouTube videos,
something which my son seems to live on – his chosen subject, wood based house
building.
The same is true for music. Record companies would produce singles and albums
when they wanted. They would fill albums at times with songs that weren’t
brilliant but were there to pad out the few good ones. When CD’s came in, we
could skip these but we often listed to so many bad songs to get to the good ones.
Enter streaming and downloads.
At first some artists and companies refused to take part in the process. Not a
problem, people simply ripped off the CDs and shared what they had (remember
Napster and Limewire?). The industry soon woke up and realised their refusal to
offer tracks and artists simply meant they were losing money. We took control of
what we listened to. Streaming services such as Spotify and Deezer mean we can
create our own playlists and listen for hours uninterrupted.
The Internet meant thousands of radio stations became available but even these
can be viewed by some with suspicion. I heard a story about a girl who
challenged her Mum listening to the radio – “why are you listening to what they
tell you to?”

Our viewing and listening options have changed. So have learning options but
for many they remain static?
Many people have learning focused on the training room. In some people’s mind
there is no other way to learn. Sit in a classroom with someone talking, setting
you exercises if you’re lucky and if you are not, a day of PowerPoint. If the
trainer is entertaining, then some will probably say it was a ‘good training
course’.
Anything else is considered inferior. We don’t learn by watching a video or
reading a paper or completing an online module. We can’t possibly have learnt
anything by sitting and shadowing someone or being coached. These are ‘nice’
things, but they can’t possibly help us develop!
Can they?
You know the answer, but I’ll put it here anyway. Yes, they can, if you have the
mindset to allow them to. Just as we no longer have entertainment dictated to us
by the TV companies, we can choose what we learn, how we learn it and when we
do it. We are not mandated to use face to face training courses which are often
forgotten before they have finished and take a massive amount of time.
This change is being driven by the way we learn outside of work. If we want to
find information about anything, we simply use Google or YouTube. 99% of the
time information is on hand. To offer an example, we recently bought a baby
bath chair for my new granddaughter (due in March). The instruction were
followed but we couldn’t get the fabric over the frame to sit flat. Enter YouTube
in which the person on the video highlighted the exact same issue and instructed
us to push hard, even if it looks like it may break. Instructions followed and one
chair assembled.
No course. Just me, my wife, my son and a YouTube video.
So how do we ensure we are able to provide the learning people need via the
range of media available?
Welcome to curating content.

“Why are you listening to what
they tell you to?”

A primer on curation
Curation is defined by the Google dictionary as “The action or process of selecting and
organising and looking after the items in the collection or exhibition.”
Curation of learning is therefore searching out and finding the appropriate learning
content for your organisation and sharing it in the appropriate manner.
Most organisations have key learning relevant to their function. As well as compliance
and safety topics there will be sector and role specific content relevant for their staff
The housing association where I work focus on equality and diversity, mental health,
safeguarding, domestic abuse, suicide awareness and matters relating directly to
housing, including welfare benefits.
Other common topics include building development, digital subjects, and finance.
Therefore, there is a massive range of topics to curate information for just in my
organisation.
The content I curate is a mix of formats. There is custom-made content such as online
modules and videos. There is online video content including YouTube and TED talks.
There are documents, e-books, podcasts and links to external courses. In short there is a
wide range of content out there available free of charge to link to from your own site
(though make sure you acknowledge the source).
Within your organization you may also have subject matter experts who would be
willing to talk to you about the role they do. This can be done by document or video or,
if they have time, involve themselves in developing online learning modules.
Content can also be purchased. There are a number of online learning libraries who will
sell online modules and bite sized learning (including animations) which you can add to
your own learning management system.
Content may be curated by people in a L&D role, or by people involved with the day to
day running of the organisation. My original thoughts on curating content for my site
was disrupted by Steve Wheeler (ace disruptor) who asked me if I allow people to curate
their own content. It stopped me in my tracks and made me realise that I was too rigid
in how I was controlling the process and needed to allow more leeway with who, and
what, is curated. More of this later.
To start on your curating journey, make sure you have the tools you need, make use of
the expertise you have, and make sure you have a learning system to deliver the content
to users.
Over the next few blogs I will look at some of these areas in a little bit more detail.

“The action or process of
selecting and organising and
looking after the items in the
collection or exhibition.”

Creating and curating video
In the 1930’s it was Lights, camera, action – the day of the cinema, when
celluloid film ruled supreme. The world of domestic film was limited to a few
people with cine cameras, filming on low quality reels for home projection.
Everything else cost money and a lot of it.
Fast forward and today video is commonplace. The ability to pick up a camera
phone and take pictures has changed everything. Now everybody is a film maker,
and anyone can produce, shoot and distribute video footage. This results is a
massive range of content available, some of which can be curated and added to
your learning management system.
Online platforms host videos of varying quality on a bewildering range of topics
tailored to the end users. Gone are the moans that there are “no TV shows about
X or Y”, instead you can tune into a weekly show on nearly any subject you can
name. There is a running joke in Big Bang Theory about a web show called ‘Fun
With Flags’, and yet there is a web show called ‘Fun with Flags’.
What has made this change?
Firstly, a place to host.
Think online video and most people will say YouTube. YouTube is owned by
Google and is the de-facto site to posts and share video content. 300 hours of
video are uploaded to YouTube every minute and nearly 5 billion videos are
watched every day.
Some people create and broadcast to YouTube and have made a lot of money
from the platform (via embedded ads). Some YouTubers have huge influence on
people. For example, The F2, footballing skills have had 2 billion view since they
started their channel in 2011. A lot of young footballers will count the success of
their Saturday morning game by how many F2 tricks they can get into a game –
the score doesn’t actually matter to some.
With all this video how do we find what we need to see?
1. Learn how to search. The impotence of keywords in searching is vital.
Too many and you will get nothing, too few and you will get too much.
2. Make use of filters. These will allow you to narrow down the search to
relevant and recent content as well as the size
3. Use Boolean operators, known to you and me as + and -. So if you
search for a video by the artist Donald your search will being back
content featuring Donald Trump and Donald Duck. Therefore,
searching using Donald -Trump -Duck will filter out both man and
duck.
4. Use “ “ to get an exact match, eg: “Universal Credit in Wales”. Can
limit options but has its uses.

Once you have content, watch it and make sure it is relevant. For example, there
is a lot of content on equality and diversity, however a lot is American and not
necessarily of use to me in a UK based organisation under UK legislation.
Once you have good content make a list of the links to add to you LMS. Click on
the Share option and a window will pop up from where you can copy the link.
A quick note on copyright. At all times if you link to a YouTube video make sure
you acknowledge the content. Do not download the video and host it yourself,
this would breach the terms and conditions of YouTube. Curation is about
signposting to content not stealing it.
There are other platforms available such as Vimeo and Dailymotion (great for
European rugby games), but YouTube remains the leader of the pack.
Secondly, the ease to make
I have in my time made video content which has been uploaded to YouTube.
Some of it has been for MOOCs and is me, my camera phone and a small tripod
in my spare room. It is watchable but I am not about to influence a generation
and be invited onto Celebrity MasterChef just yet. Others have been professional
videos where I have had the equipment and post editing software to do it. Some
of these are still lurking around the depths of YouTube, others have disappeared.
The reality is you need two things to produce usable video for a learning
management system:
1. A camera – your phone will probably do
2. Software to edit – this doesn’t have to break the bank
Then simply shoot, transfer to your computer or laptop and edit. Software such
as Adobe Premiere Elements is about £100 (less if you have an Adobe
subscription) or Camtasia (again about £100) will both allow you to cut out the
bits you don’t want, add titles and overlay music. To learn how to use them see
point one. Apple Mac computers have iMovie built in for free.
External microphones, tripods, backdrops etc are useful, but are not essentials.
Today's Netflix generation look for things which are short, sweet, and to the
point. Therefore, if you make it too long people may get bored. Conversely
making it too short could be seen as flippant.
Who do you interview? Anyone. Anyone who is working in your organisation who
is happy to sit in front of a camera. You could have a theme, for example, one
thing you know now that would help people starting on day 1. Then add these in
and grow your collection.
Not everything you produce will be sparkling and slick – I did some travelogues
using a Panasonic TA1 video camera, they were deleted not long after I left the
organisation. However, what you will have will be yours and totally focused on
your company.

The combination of a channel full on content and the ease to make your own
ensures any LMS can be filled with a wide range of curated content relevant to
your organisation.
In my next blog I will look at how you can make movies using PowerPoint and
how they can be used to send simple messages to end users.
.

Not about to be invited onto
“Celebrity” anything!

Doing it low cost
When discussing content you cannot ignore the possibility of creating your own.
This doesn’t have to be major projects and high quality slick options, it can be
short, simple and targeted at your end users. In the past I have used professional
cameras and green screens to create professional video, today I simply point my
phone. The difference is there to see, however I can quickly create a small
targeted video and have it on my LMS in a matter of minutes. My ‘professional’
videos would of the take overnight to render!
About 5 or 6 years ago I spoke on the subject of “e-learning on a shoestring”. It
was a gathering of learning professionals in London and I spoke about our
project at Yell. At that time we had a Moodle server, downloaded and installed
for free, filled with content created using an authoring tool called CourseLab.
This was a forerunner of modern tools, PowerPoint in nature and most
importantly also available free of charge. Its downfall, it only produces content
using Flash (ask your IT department) and it hasn’t been updated since 2016.
The question is, do you need to spend a huge amount of money of you want to
develop content for a LMS? Of course, the answer is no, or I wouldn’t be writing
this blog. So, let’s delve.
It is fair to say in order to create high quality professional content a good set of
tools are needed. Articulate 360 is one the most popular ones, alongside iSpring,
Elucidat, Knowly and a list that seems to go on forever. There are some very
good systems available. However, whilst a good tool is expensive, if you are
developing e-learning content it may be worth spending the money to create the
level of quality expected by your organisation.
If on top of this you are looking at video and audio, software, equipment and a
computer to for processing start to dent the budget.
However, if you are looking for short, quick, bite sized video, audio and e-leaning
content then there are a lot of alternatives that won’t break the bank.
Video
In one of my roles I had access to a top of the rage PC, stuffed full of memory and
access to high end editing software such as Premier and After Effects. In reality
a lot of us have a laptop or desktop which would melt if you tried to render an
After Effects Project.
This shouldn’t stop anyone from developing video content. Windows has a free
basic video editor (called Video Editor) and Apple Macs come with iMovie
bundled.
If these are not sufficient then two alternatives which won’t break the bank are
Adobe Premiere Elements, and Camtasia. Both allow video content to be
imported, edited and overlaid with text and sound. Premiere Elements can be
purchased at the time of writing for about £70 and Camtasia is a bit more
expensive at about £250. However, Camtasia will also allow a very powerful
screen capture option, very useful for developing IT based learning.

Audio
Recording audio and creating clips and Podcasts are a very popular method of
communication. A blog on Podcasts is coming. In the meantime if you want to
create audio content then there are two tools to starts with.
Audacity is an open source cross platform audio editor which can be used on
Windows, Mac, and Linux. It allows recording, editing, modification of quality
and export in a variety of different formats. I have used this software in a
number of organisations and successfully developed a series of bespoke Podcasts
for staff in a call centre to keep them up to date with developments in their
particular sector.
Also available on Mac OSX is GarageBand. This is free software which comes
with a library of lops allowing music tracks to be added at the start and end of
your recording. Whilst designed for music creation it can also be used to develop
Podcasts.
E-learning creation
The majority of developers of e-learning use professional tools which often
include Articulate Storyline, iSpring Suite, Adobe Captivate or a mix of these.
However it is possible to create e-learning content using low cost or free options.
Most learning management systems make use of the SCORM file format and to
create content you need a tool which will output in this format.
Among the options available, two stand out.
iSpring Free allows the user to create small bite sized content containing 15
course slides, which can include quizes (3 types are included). The slides are
created using PowerPoint and any branching, links and interactivity required
will need to be authored using PowerPoint functionality.
Once a module is completed it can then be ‘published’ which will create a
SCROM file which can be uploaded to your LMS.
More information can be found at: https://www.ispringsolutions.com/ispring-free
Adapt is a different authoring tool and allows content to be created resembling a
web page. It consists of a number of elements which can be combined to create a
scrollable module.
Adapt has been built by a consortium of users and is open source. Different
members of the consortium bundle the tool into their packages, but anyone can
download it to use. However, it is a server based system and as a result the
download has to be hosted in order to use it. If you have a friendly IT team this
may not be an issue.
More about the Adapt project can be seen here: https://www.adaptlearning.org/
This blog just scratches the surface of the different tools available to help create
simple content which can be added to your LMS.

Using low cost tools

Creating using PowerPoint – using animations
Whenever I see a PowerPoint presentation with lines of text fading in one by
one, I let out an inward groan. Add that to an e-learning package and I genuinely
want to scream. I was introduced to a series of module recently which would
mean ‘I didn’t have to produce my own’. One screen in, fading writing, no. Just
No!
However, PowerPoint animations can be useful to produce content over which
you can add your voice. It is not the text which needs animating, it is the
graphics.
The animations section of PowerPoint is very powerful, with transitions and
animations. For most online presentations only the fade or appear/disappear
ones are of use, but motion paths are also useful. Likewise, the use of triggers for
actions.
To demo this, I have created a short video. This shows how objects can be
displayed and turned off again by using triggers, and how motion paths work.
Before you view it there are a couple, of other elements to consider. The screen
capture which is part of this process was not done with any other software. It is
built into PowerPoint. So now you can screen capture content, insert it into
PowerPoint and then ‘Save As’ a MP4 movie for use later.
Likewise, a PowerPoint presentation can be exported as a MP4 movie. This
allows a sequence of actions to be created and then using an editing package, add
a voice and titles to create your own walkthroughs.
Thus, using an established software package and a low cost video editor it is
possible to create your own animated videos.
The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/txXOw-mXVy8

What’s in a video?
Every year there is a graphic released showing what happens in an Internet
minute. It’s important to understand when curating content, as it shows the
power of the online world and who is sharing content.
Apart from the 1.4 million swipes on Tinder (not me btw) the number worth
noting is 4.5 million views on YouTube every minute. YouTube has become the
number 1 source for video content in the world. If you want to see anything
about any subject, YouTube is the place to go. I have documented previously
how YouTube helped us assemble a baby chair and provided us with much
needed information about visiting Orlando. If it can help with day to day
activities as trivial as a baby chair, how much more can it help with learning
relating subjects?
YouTube is not the only platform with video content. Vimeo and DailyMotion are
smaller, however both have very good streaming options and there is useful
content to be found.
Another major source for content are TED and TEDx talks.
TED was a concept set up in 1984 to spread ideas via talks in respect to
technology, entertainment and design. Talks have been held regularly and
shared online for audiences to view remotely. Over the years they have featured
thousands of speakers at both the main TED talks and regional TEDx talks.
Locally TEDx talks have been held in Cardiff with subject matters including
metal health issues, future learning, leadership and development and everything
in between. More can be found by looking at the website TED.com
How do we physically curate?
At one time copying video links from YouTube and other sites was hard.
However, they have now made sharing very easy. On most videos there is a
button labelled ‘Share’ which, when clicked, will display a link. There is even a
copy to make it easy.
Once you have the link then you can then add this to your LMS, SharePoint site
etc. Most LMS’s also allow you to open this link in a new browser window.
Some LMS’s restrict which links can be used. For example, some only allow
YouTube and Vimeo, which limits the ability to link to TED talks. However,
most TED talks can be found on YouTube.
How do we know we’ve got the right stuff?
Curating video content is a good time to make use of your subject matter experts.
There is a lot of content which is not always relevant to us in the Wales, or the
UK as a whole. For example, there is a lot of good content on homelessness,
however a proportion of it is how the issue is being tackled in the USA. Sift
through this and there is more relevant material, but this process needs to have
some oversight. Therefore, you may gather a batch of content, but need someone
to let you know if it is will help develop staff in your organisation.

How do we get people involved?
In order to get people involved and contribute ideas they need to feel their
submissions are welcome. Try to make as much use as possible of the material
submitted, unless there is a practical reason (eg: linking from a Facebook video)
a copyright reason, or the video is totally irrelevant to the organisation. In these
circumstances you need to explain why they can’t be used but encourage them to
supply alternatives.
There is a school of thought that the LMS should be open to anybody who wishes
to contribute content. This is a discussion you would need to have within your
particular organisation, but it may mean people will think long and hard about
what they post especially knowing other people in the organisation will be seeing
it.
As people feel they own the videos they are putting forward they are more likely
to encourage other people to view them and to share them with their teams. This
can be a positive way of bringing people to the learning management system and
start contributing their own videos.
A word about copyright
When you link to videos via your learning management system it is important
people's copyright is protected. If a YouTube video cannot be shared the option
will not be available. Where possible list the name of the video as it appears on
YouTube and the contributor.
Under no circumstances make use of apps and add on’s which allow you to
download the content illegally. This is breaking the terms and conditions of the
site and should not be condoned in any way.
There are millions of videos available to be viewed which will be relevant to your
work. The task is now to go and find and share them.

This is what happens in an
Internet minute in 2019

Podcasting
One of the major cultural shifts in audio entertainment was the release by Apple
of iTunes. This online store allowed people to purchase individual tracks from a
central store and either listen through their computers or via an iPod (and later
an iPhone). This revolution in listening changed the way music was created and
sold for ever, moving people away from fixed media to a selective model where
individuals chose what they listened to rather than having to buy albums with
filler tracks just to hear the few you wanted. Whilst CDs and Vinyl’s are still
sold, digital download and streaming has become the way music is listened to.
One side effect of this change was access to a new style of content, the Podcast.
This was, in effect, a radio show which could be downloaded and listened in the
same way that music could. The name is derived from the media used, the iPod
and the concept namely it is a broadcast POD – CAST. Podcasts are very easy to
make, vary in length and feature a huge range of subjects. The top choices
include food, questions, sports, news and information about TV shows.
Today Podcasts can be downloaded free of charge from Apple’s Podcast store and
accessed via streaming apps such as Spotify and Podbean. Some can also be
listened to online via specific websites and are unable to be downloaded, just
streamed to a phone or computer.
The traditional file format for Podcasts has been MP3, though more modern
formats are also used. This format is important when curating and creating
content for use in your organisation. Most Learning Management systems will
allow hosting and playing of MP3s. As a result, if you have the software, you can
create your own Podcasts.
What do you need?
1. Something to physically record it
Sound can be recorded easily to a desktop computer or a laptop. What is needed
is a microphone plugged in to the line in socket. For internal use this doesn’t
have to be studio quality, and a simple one can be bought for about £20 (a
popshield is handy to stop breath noises being picked up). These usually plug in
the 35mm jack port and as such allow easy recording.
2. Something to edit it
Audacity is an open source cross platform audio editor which can be used on
Windows, Mac, and Linux. It allows recording, editing, modification of quality
and export in a variety of different formats. I have used this software in a
number of organisations and successfully developed a series of bespoke Podcasts
for staff in a call centre to keep them up to date with developments in their
particular sector.
Also available on Mac OSX is GarageBand. This is free software which comes
with a library of loops allowing music tracks to be added at the start and end of
your recording. Whilst designed for music creation it can also be used to develop
Podcasts.

Record, edit and enjoy
What are you going to say?
This is another area where you can make use of your subject matter experts.
There is no doubt many will have a lot to say and a lot of stories to tell. It is more
likely SME’s will be more willing to be recorded than appear in videos.
Some ideas which you can use include:
• Updates to regulations or compliance
• Backgrounds to changes in your organisation
• Changes in your market situations
• Advice from experts who have been doing the job for a while
To be successful, plan, storyboard and structure what you want to say. If you
have questions, make sure people have these beforehand so they can think about
them and come up with answers. If multiple people are involved, make it a
conversation rather than a dialogue and try to sound as natural as you can.
To see how Podcasts work, have a listen to a couple and think how this would
sound if you were recording it.
Finally have a go. It may be rough at the edges but if it’s right for you and your
organisation then no one will lose any sleep over it.
s

That’s all folks
So, these are a few ideas about curating video and audio content and how to use
low cost tools to create your own content.
There are other ways you can add to your content via e-books, reports and other
documents used for learning. Some organisations have combined their LMs with
their intranet and there is some merit in doing so. This will allow learning
content to sit alongside policy and procedures.
I also came across one organisation who works with the local college to produce
short clips for them on various topics relevant to their organisation, especially
surrounding equality and diversity, bringing a different perspective to their
learning.
There are so many ways to obtain legally a range of content and make your
learning options relevant for you and your organisation.
After all, today its more than simply ‘click next’

Curation (and low cost creation) - a guide

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Curation (and low cost creation) - a guide