Do You Jing??

Remember show and tell? Remember the days when you knew you had the absolute BEST thing to share with the rest of the class? That’s what I feel like today. I have something cool to share! So here’s my show and tell for today. About a year ago I was introduced to a very cool tool – Jing.

It’s a tool that allows you to capture images on your computer screen. (Not really special… you can already use shortcuts to do that on your own computer.) What is special, you can either snag what’s on screen by recording what you’re doing or you can snap an image. If you choose to record what’s happening on screen you can also add audio to describe what it is you’re doing. If you’re familiar with Captivate or Camtasia this isn’t all that exciting. What is different (besides the fact that Jing is free) is just how easy it is to share all of those images and recordings. You click “share” and it uploads the image or recording to the web and places the link on your clipboard. All you do is press CTRL+V and share the link. Where other screen capture tools are useful for bigger projects this tool is for quick and effective communication. Jing opens up a whole new way of communicating. Besides the easy application to explaining tasks – how do I change that setting again - it is a cool tool for educators!

Why is it an effective learning technology?

As I ponder why it works it makes me think about what Richard Mayer (2001) summarized about the relationship between different forms of multimedia and our memory systems. He shows a diagram similar to the following one.

Jing allows us to share information using both narration and pictures. Current thinking on multimedia and learning suggests that using pictures and narration alone is more effective at facilitating the processes in our memory system than pictures with both narration and printed text on screen (Mayer and Clark, 2008). The idea is that our sensory systems can become “bogged down” when the incoming signals overload our two primary “channels” for receiving information (eyes and ears). Jing is a tool that allows us to apply this learning principle in our work as educators and instructional designers.

What is an application for the tool in education and training settings?

An emphasis of this blog is to share ideas that translate theory into practice. Jing is a tool that can also help us facilitate an important process in learning – scaffolding. Jing is a way to enact practices associated with scaffolding in a classroom or training program. You are able to provide the “just in time” assistance a learner needs to do something that is just beyond his/her current abilities or zone of proximal development. 

One application of Jing as a tool to support scaffolding is to create a library of really short “how to”, “show me”, and “what next” videos to help someone complete a larger more complex task. For example, if you’re working with students conducting a science experiment you might prepare a series of short Jing videos to provide them with a place to start with each step in the scientific process (i.e. how do I get started with developing a hypothesis; how do I identify a research question; etc.) Another library of Jing’s might scaffold students as they complete the large task of writing a research paper (i.e. how do I cite a reference?; how do I use an on line database to conduct research?; how do I write a quality thesis statement?) 

If you’re in a training setting you might create a similar set of videos to scaffold an adult learner who is tasked with creating a balance sheet in a spreadsheet application (i.e. how do I enter an equation in a cell? how do I save? how do I enter data?). Heck it doesn’t even have to be that formal. In our company I try to create a Jing’s (yes, it’s a word) that each answer a question I anticipate the learner might have as they complete a task on a project. For instance, I created the following videos to scaffold “learners” in pulling together the final documents for a project.

• What documents do I need to complete this task?
• How do I reformat the text in the Slide Notes section after I copy and paste?
• How do I create a module outline?

I try to title the Jing video in terms of learner-centered questions. As I try to anticipate the learner’s questions I ask myself, “If I were doing this task for the first time what would I need to know to be successful?”

Do you Jing?? It’s a simple, effective tool for your learning toolkit. As someone who has to find ways to leverage what we know about effective learning - it’s a must have!