Ruminations of an Online Instructor / MD

Using Virtual Guest Speakers – New Meaning to Talking Heads

April 23, 2008 at 1:15 am | In Uncategorized, Virtual Speaker, Web 2.0, YouTube | No Comments
Tags: California Community College, Distance Education, Education 2.0, FCS Flash, online teaching, Virtual Guest Speakers, Web 2.0, YouTube

I get updates from the FCS FLASH, an electronic newsletter for California Community College Family and Consumer Sciences faculty.

A week after creating and posting the Voki this blurb came through the newsletter, about using Virtual Guest Speakers. My first reaction, of course was thinking about the Voki talking heads, but Orange Coast College Fashion instructor, Mika Yamamura, is finding another way of using Virtual Guest Speakers

Using Virtual Guest Speakers
Orange Coast College instructor, Mika Yamamura has found a way of using YouTube to help students reach out and connect with the fashion industry entrepreneurs virtually.

Mika has figured out a way to bringing an array of guests by inviting them to do quick YouTube interviews. He invites people from the fashion world to answer questions about their work via a YouTube video.

The Virtual Guest Speaker Process
The guests tape and post their responses on YouTube. When the Fashion class meets, they begin the class by watching and discussing the guest interview of the week.

Here are several interviews from this inspiring series.

• Yana Gorbulsky of Supayana, a young New York fashion designer, explains how she got into design, her unique approach, and how she started selling her designs online at Etsy.
• Jeff Yokoyama from Generic Youth taped his interview from his store in Costa Mesa, CA. Jeff, a seasoned designer, has developed and sold a number of fashion lines.
• Wendy Ann Gardner owns and operates her multimillion-dollar creation, Scary Stories. Wendy shares some of the things that inspire her and shows samples from her extensive product line.

Using YouTube Mika is able to provide students with examples of successful role models. Mika found that her invited guests were enthusiastic about participating in the interviews and able to figure out the YouTube process on their own.

Bottom Line – Think of YouTube as a Potential Resource

YouTube allows guests to record interviews; this would be an effective teaching tool for many different courses. I’m not sure if everyone can figure out YouTube, but the technology and with Flip Video Camcorders it is getting easier.

Source:FCS FLASH ISSUE Number 85: April 22, 2008

Image Source: Virtual Heads, Composite image © Kirsti A. Dyer. Craig Jewell. Isolated LCD Computer Monitor with Clipping Paths. Royalty Free Use. Sarah Dawn Nichols. Mannequins in New Orleans. Royalty Free Use.