Live streaming is a combination of some of my favorite things: creativity, video and audio production, computer technology, producing something of value for people around the world and connecting them virtually.
For the past 8 years, I’ve been fortunate to oversee the live streaming technology for 150+ events per year at the Kelly Writer’s House at the University of Pennsylvania. In addition to streaming daily special events, we also stream a popular series of live webcasts for the critically acclaimed online course (MOOC) “Modern and Contemporary American Poetry”, which has had more than 150,000 enrolled students since 2012.
I’ve been lucky to speak about live streaming at numerous conferences including Streaming Media East, Streaming Media West, Coursera Partners Conferences, Penn IT Staff Convention and more. I have also offered consultation to numerous schools and companies across the world.
My undergraduate degree is in Broadcast Radio and TV at Temple University. After graduation, I worked at a small local channel at Maris Grove in Delaware County, Pennsylvania before joining the University of Pennsylvania.
I enjoy keeping up with the latest live streaming trends and figuring out ways to incorporate new innovative ideas at our University.
To add interactivity to our Zoom live stream events at the Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania, we like to take phone calls from live viewers on the air, similar to a radio-talk show.
The way it works; A call comes in, I screen the call, alert the hosts and then we put the phone caller on the air live to make their comment or ask their question.
At the Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania, we've been live streaming events on a near daily basis for years. We are really excited to be completely upgrading and overhauling our Arts Cafe performance space and technology for the first time in many years. Here's what our new live streaming setup will look like.
My favorite notes, ideas and thoughts from the Telestream "Guide to Streaming to Facebook Live 2018" white paper on the Streaming Media website. You'll find some obvious and not-so-obvious ideas and thoughts in here.
Online video has completed changed how people learn. With just a few clicks, it’s now possible to access and learn from an incredible variety of experts, innovators and thought-leaders from across the globe. As a result, it's no surprise that online video has been embraced by educational institutions as an incredibly valuable tool.
Modern and Contemporary Poetry, a free Coursera Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) taught by Al Filreis at the University of Pennsylvania, hosts weekly live webcasts from the Kelly Writers House in Philadelphia, PA. We decided to take the show on the road and host webcasts in San Francisco, New York City, Washington DC and London. Here's the gear we used, which is optimized with weight, efficiency and travel in mind.
In order to record a Google Hangout, the easiest way is to use "Google Hangouts on Air." Adding the "On Air" feature to a Google Hangout is intended to make your meeting public so that anyone can tune in and watch it -- BUT, you can make it private, if you prefer, and still gain the benefit of a downloadable recording. The easiest way to do a Google Hangout On Air is through YouTube.
The Streaming Media East conference in New York City was excellent, as usual! The conference covers everything from the technical side to the business side of online video. There was a lot of great content, but these are my 7 favorite takeaways.
With modern technology and services, it's now possible to host professional grade webcasts on a small budget. At the University of Pennsylvania, we produce weekly webcasts in our Modern and Contemporary Poetry MOOC. The webcasts are done in regular room on a modest 3-camera setup, comprised of only a fraction of a "professional" studio’s gear.
As an I.T. Professional at the University of Pennsylvania, I’ve been lucky to work on Al Filreis’ 10-week Modern and Contemporary Poetry MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on Coursera. The free, not-for-credit course is comprised of nearly 100 pre-recorded video lectures, weekly quizzes and 4 writing assignments.
The Wikipedia article for "webcast" states that "webcasting usually refers to non-interactive linear streams or events" and that "essentially, webcasting is broadcasting over the internet." There is absolutely no reason for webcasts to be "non-interactive." You're doing yourself and your audience a disservice if this is the case. At the University of Pennsylvania, we've done dozens of interactive webcasts, trying many new tools along the way.