60second Recap
 | |
Type of site | Internet video study guide |
|---|---|
| Available in | English |
| URL | 60secondrecap |
| Registration | Optional |
| Launched | September 3, 2009 |
| Current status | Active |
60second Recap is an educational video project launched in September 2009 to provide 60-second video summaries and analysis of classic literature. The site provides one-minute video commentaries on plot, themes, characters, symbols, motifs, and other aspects of books commonly studied in secondary schools in North America.
A year after its launch, 60second Recap's website offered over 400 videos covering 35 classic literary works and 60 contemporary titles. It had also received more than 4.5 million website visits.[1] During its second year, 60second Recap continued to add to its content library, with new 60second Recap video "albums" of 10-15 individual videos covering various aspects of a work such as Beowulf or Hamlet. The website currently presents approximately 800 videos encompassing 42 classic literary works, and over 250 reviews of contemporary books of potential interest to teenagers.[2]
History
[edit]60second Recap was created by Peter Osterlund, a former journalist who, while working as a Hollywood screenwriter, began exploring media formats suitable for smartphones and other handheld devices. He said he decided to structure his concept around a 60-second video format upon noting that viewer's attention to "small-screen" video tended to lapse after about one minute.[3] Media interest in 60second Recap's subsequent launch focused on two novel aspects of its design.[4] First, 60second Recap offered a new variation on an old form by presenting its study aid material in a video-only format based on Osterlund's 60-second concept. Second, all editorial content was researched and written by a single individual, Jenny Sawyer, a book critic for The Christian Science Monitor who also served as 60second Recap's host.[3] Sawyer said this approach was intended to help students see 60second Recap not as a "cheat-sheet authority" but as a "conversation-starter" on a given work.[5]
Video format controversy
[edit]Some online critics took exception to 60second Recap's video-centric approach. They argued that 60second Recap's format trivialized Elie Wiesel's Holocaust memoir Night by summarizing its plot and themes in a series of twelve 60-second videos.[6] One journalist contended that 60second Recap-style study videos might encourage students to avoid reading altogether.[7]
Classroom acceptance
[edit]60second Recap won acceptance in schools, however,[1] and teachers said they found it effective in sparking classroom discussions.[8] 60second Recap was also cited by special education teachers as a pedagogical tool for students who have learning disabilities that interfere with their ability to comprehend written material.[9]
Industry response
[edit]In 2011, CliffsNotes announced a joint venture with AOL and reality TV show producer Mark Burnett to introduce its own series of 60-second video study guide surveys of classic literary works.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Gallegus, Manuel (October 10, 2010). "60 Second Literature Recap?". CBS Evening News. Archived from the original on October 20, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ^ "60second Recap: An Update". JennySawyer.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
- ^ a b Toppo, Greg (September 7, 2009). "Reluctant students of the classics, lend me your earbuds!". USA Today. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ^ Aucoin, Don (October 31, 2009). "A novel approach". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ^ Rooney, Emily (November 3, 2009). "Great literature in 60 Seconds". WGBH. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ^ "Holocaust Memoir "Night" Finally Made Complete with Animation". Heeb Magazine. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ^ Strauss, Valerie (March 5, 2010). "Wiesel's "Night," "Hamlet" in 60 seconds?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 8, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
- ^ Carlin, Cali (March 10, 2010). "Video Cliff Notes". Channel One News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ^ "Best Assistive Technology Tools for 2010". Ohio Center for Autism. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
- ^ "Cliff Notes Goes Digital". American Public Radio. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011.