Using annotated video as an information retrieval interface

The ability to deliver appropriate information to learners at the most appropriate time is an essential component of good instruction. In the best learning environments, this information is received in the context of the performance of the skills that are being acquired. This paper explores a technological approach to situated information retrieval by linking materials to segments of a video recording a skill performance. An interface is described where users navigate through a video performance and are presented with information relevant to the current video location. An approach to algorithmically generating interfaces of this type is then presented. The system takes as input annotations that describe a video recording of a performance, translates these annotations into subject terms used to catalog information resources, and then retrieves materials from online database servers using the Z39.50 information retrieval protocol. As an example application, the system was used to generate online teacher professional development materials by linking annotated video of classroom teaching with resources cataloged in the ERIC database.