Click the image to find out more.

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Thanks to Paul Day who has sent me a webcam wall (138 k.b.), particularly like the use of timezones on this one.

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RadicalGeography is still active, but I’ve decided to slim it down and go for a thematic layout, it was looking a mess and I want it to reflect the new Key Stage 3 changes and Pilot course. My aim is to upload new resources as I teach or create them. All old links are now dead, apologises in advance for the inconvenience. This doesn’t effect uploaded resources on this blog.

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This probably won’t work on your network, I asked, but was told no way, it’s too subversive to change your desk top! But some of you may use stand-alone laptops.

Basically, you can have static; but periodically updated web-cam images on your desktop. Some excellent images can be found at Global Desktop, I particularly like the Tokyo one.

Thanks to Terry Jones for the technique, it was new for me.

Instructions for Xp.

1. Right click on the desktop and choose properties.
2. Choose desktop and customise desktop.
3. In the dialogue box, make sure that Internet Explorer is checked.
4. Click web and then new.
5. In the dialogue box, paste the url of the web-cam page or image that you want to display on your desktop
6. Click OK, a new dialogue box will appear asking you if you wish the page to be viewable offline, click OK.
7. Click OK on the desktop dialogue box.
8. In the display properties box, click apply, and then ok.
9. The webcam will appear on your desktop as a window.
10. If you move the cursor to the top of the window a menu will appear, click on the arrow symbol and the menu will descend, choose cover desktop or split desktop with icons.

Bob’s your uncle…

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Thanks to Helen, who has directed me to Camstreams , particularly like the Loch Ness camera. Helen has also sent me an example of a web-cam wall (PPT 139kb) she has produced.

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In a previous post I discussed how people may integrate static, but periodically updated webcams into their blogs using Google Gadgets.

Many geography educators now have blogs, where they could potentially integrate live-streaming Windows Media web-cams and set an associated task. 

Copyright issue.

Embedding the webcams into your blogs removes the possibility of students viewing inappropriate advertisements or being forwarded to adult content. The video though is copyrighted, which poses a problem, but I believe the safety of students in this case is more important. I’m happy to remove this post at request.

The Method.

The following technique works in Blogger. Wordpress users need to first disable their rich text editor, this can be found under users, your profile, then uncheck the box.

In order to embed the Windows Media live-streaming webcams, you need to find the location URL, as explained in the ‘Webcam Wall’ process.

When writing your post you need to choose HTML, then paste the following code

<object id=”MediaPlayer” width=320 height=286 classid=”CLSID:22D6f312-B0F6-11D0-94AB-0080C74C7E95″ standby=”Loading Windows Media Player components…” type=”application/x-oleobject” codebase=

“http://activex.microsoft.com/activex/controls/mplayer/en/nsmp2inf.cab#Version

=6,4,7,1112″>

<param name=”filename” value=

“URL location here“>
<param name=”Showcontrols” value=”True”>
<param name=”autoStart” value=”True”>

<embed type=”application/x-mplayer2″ src=

“URL location here” name=”MediaPlayer” width=320 height=240></embed>

</object>

You need to delete the the ‘URL location here’ highlighted in red and paste your chosen one.  Save and view post to see if this has worked, you may have to allow time for the video to buffer.

Repeat the process to embed additional webcams.

Any thoughts?

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Thanks to Mark, who has found this nice Windows Media live-streaming web-cam of Dublin. Also thanks to Littlemiss, who’s found these ones of Shanghai. I’ve set up a page to collate some of the best cameras.

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A ‘web-cam wall’ is a selection of live-streaming web-cams embedded into a PowerPoint slide. An example can be downloaded here (PPT 103kb).

Building a web-cam wall.

The web-cam wall only works with live-streaming web-cams that are embedded Windows Media Players.

The following instructions are based on a user using PowerPoint 2003. It’s easier than it looks!

Firstly open PowerPoint, choose insert, object

In the dialogue box, scroll down and highlight Windows Media Player, click ok.

A Window Media Player will now appear in the PowerPoint. You now need to find live-streaming Windows Media web-cams.

When you have found a suitable web-cam, right click on the web-cam image and choose properties.

Copy the URL location that appears in the properties box.

Return to your PowerPoint, right click on the Windows Media Player and choose properties.

In the dialogue box that appears, paste your URL in the URL box. After this, you can click the red cross to close the menu.

View show to see if the URL is correct, you may have to wait for the feed to buffer.

To complete the process, repeat the previous steps.

In theory, you can have as many webcams as your connection can support. Background is up to you!

Top-Tip.

Alternatively, copying your first Windows Media Player, pasting and then just changing the URL in properties, when you find a new web-cam is much more time efficient.

The issues.

• Do older version of PowerPoint allow this type of resource? (Let me know.)
• Will your network allow access?To avoid wasting your time, try it with one webcam.
• The streaming of the web-cams will depend on the speed of your Internet connection.
• There is a small risk that some inappropriate action or behaviour may occur in front of the camera, try to use webcams that show a large scale, rather than focused on a small area.

Potential uses.

• The ability of adding one live-streaming web-cam to a PowerPoint may enhance a piece of work based on place, and means the teacher doesn’t have to break their ‘flow’ to access a website.
• Illustrating different seasons.
• Illustrating different time zones.
• Discussing differences and similarities between ‘places’.
• To consider the environmental quality of different ‘places’.
• ‘Six places, one time’, I like the idea of a bit of creative writing here.
• As part of a decision-making exercise, where would you like to be? What evidence from the webcams do you have? What evidence don’t you have? I like the idea of devising an exercise where students choose the best place to surf in the world, depending on the conditions. I’ll need Noel’s and Tom’s help for this. Where do we go on holiday? This may add another dimension.
• Odd one out?

Any others?

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I haven’t really thought about uses for this yet, but it strikes me that if a time-lapse can be made from static web-cam images, then collating and merging pieces of live footage has the same benefits to show change over time in an environment. Sadly, the majority of good web-cams tend to be in urban environments. Also this technique would benefit individuals who have networks that ban the use of web-cams, but wanted to show a place ‘live’ at a given time, it would also get around the problem of friction of distance.

If you have a SMART board and associated software you can record any webcam on the board, if you also have a decent sound card, you will also get audio as well. (I’m sure I tried this, but I’ll get back to you….)

If you find a web-cam with embedded Windows Media Player, QuickTime and Real Player, you can record live feed using High Download, one of my favourite tools and cheap at the price. I’m not sure about the legality of recording live streams, but it’s all for education!

Firstly, find the webcam you want to record live feed from. I’m going to use the New York cam again.

Right click on the image and choose properties,

copy the location URL.

Open HiDownload and paste in your URL, press ok and let it do it’s evil work. Remember because the feed is live, you will have to end the recording process. Click on the downloading feed and click stop.

Job complete. Here is a brief amount of feed that I recorded this morning. If using this raw, you need to make sure that your media player and the network has the correct codec to play the asf extension.

If needed Zamar is a useful website to quickly convert your files to a suitable format to edit.

Obviously once recorded and converted, you can use your recorded feed in a number of ways, perhaps editing with Windows Movie Maker.

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Alan has just started People as Consumers on the Pilot course, he has talked about Consumer Landscapes, the Earthcam Webcam Network has a range of good live webcams that could provide a simple introduction to this topic. How about viewing two separate locations and getting students to discuss the advertisements and landscape features that are similar or dissimilar in both locations?

A quick viewing of the New York cams provided these examples

TGI Fridays, Kodak, Coca-Cola, HSBC, Swatch, Mc Donalds

Obviously all these companies are Multi-Nationals/Trans-National Corporations, but we can also discuss the use of advertisements and how they dominant space, and the reason for this, the traffic volume, the flow/number of people and the environmental quality of the area.

There is also an opportunity to show the globalisation of shopping here, by comparing the landscape with one in another country, it could also be used to tackle stereotypes, by comparing a Consumer Landscape in an LEDC country.

One of my favourite live-streaming webcams is this High Street in Amsterdam, this is great because you can control the cam, effectively you can follow people, very Big Brother .  But a great discussion of Consumer Landscapes can be had here, pedestrianisation, use of heritage, shop frontages, trams, types of companies represented, which online thinking has sorted a Year 8 lesson as well.

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