A VIDEO ANNOTATION TOOL FOR PERSONAL AND COLLABORATIVE USE

Background:

This paper describes a design science (Nunamaker 1991) approach to the design, implementation and evaluation of a modular Video Annotation Tool (VAT) utilizing a Rich Internet Application (Silverlight) synchronising with the Cecil 2010 Learning Management System (SharePoint).
Annotating resource material has been an everyday activity for people ever since media has existed. On paper underlining, the use of highlighters and margin notes enable us to make quick summaries of the points on which we want to focus on in some way. This may be, for the student as a revision aid and for the teacher as a presentation aid. Annotation is similarly possible on document-based electronic media.
Several video annotation tools are available the most public being YouTube. The system described is designed specifically to be integrated with existing on-line discussions in the Cecil 2010.

Description of approach used:

The work is being carried out by a small team of developers using the Agile methodology. Evaluation is via constant user feedback into the next design/implementation cycle.
The system described in this paper allows people to annotate videos for both personal use and collaboratively by linking annotations into online discussions. The VAT is based on the Managed Extensibility Framework (MEF) for Silverlight. This framework allows for a plug-in architecture at either source code or binary level

Results of work done:

The Video Annotation Tool has been written using Silverlight which allows cross-browser, cross platform use. It has been deployed to a pilot course and an informal evaluation will be carried out. Data is stored both within the client and in Cecil 2010 if the client is on-line. In on-line mode connection is made to Cecil 2010 discussions. Annotations can be made to a video at any URL with the annotations stored either locally or on Cecil 2010.

Conclusion:

The deployment of the VAT is currently on release candidates of both Silverlight 4 and SharePoint 2010 so only a limited no of uses have access to it as a beta release. The use of this tool is just beginning, with teachers to able guide students and with students better able to make focused use of video learning resources. While annotations are currently only text in future versions voice, ink and even video will be added.
Integration with taxonomies will also be provided in future versions.

References

Nunamaker, J.F., Chen, M., and Purdin, T.D.M. 1991. “Systems Development in Information Systems Research,”
Journal of Management Information Systems (7:3), pp 89-106.