60second Recap

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60second Recap
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Type of site
Internet video study guide
Available inEnglish
URL60secondrecap.com
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedSeptember 3, 2009
Current statusInactive

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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

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

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

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

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

References

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  1. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gallegus, Manuel (October 10, 2010). "60 Second Literature Recap?". CBS Evening News. Archived from the original on October 20, 2010. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  2. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."60second Recap: An Update". JennySawyer.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Toppo, Greg (September 7, 2009). "Reluctant students of the classics, lend me your earbuds!". USA Today. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Aucoin, Don (October 31, 2009). "A novel approach". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rooney, Emily (November 3, 2009). "Great literature in 60 Seconds". WGBH. Archived from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Holocaust Memoir "Night" Finally Made Complete with Animation". Heeb Magazine. Retrieved November 30, 2010.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.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.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Carlin, Cali (March 10, 2010). "Video Cliff Notes". Channel One News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Best Assistive Technology Tools for 2010". Ohio Center for Autism. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2010.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Cliff Notes Goes Digital". American Public Radio. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011.