Mobile panoramic video applications for learning

The use of videos on the internet has grown significantly in the last few years. For example, Khan Academy has a large collection of educational videos, especially on STEM subjects, available for free on the internet. Professional panoramic video cameras are expensive and usually not easy to carry because of the large size of the equipment. Recently, at least two companies have launched a new type of product that enabled panoramic video for certain smartphone users. The aim of this article is to analyze how panoramic video can be adopted, how attractive it is for actual everyday use, how it is used today, and how technology and other solutions should develop to become popular and accessible for mainstream users in learning applications. This research is based on the qualitative research method, namely content analysis. The analysis involved 1595 panoramic videos that users posted to two panoramic video sites. The videos represent a snapshot of videos from the beginning of the panoramic video sites. The videos were classified in 22 groups. In addition, the comments and discussions related to each of the videos were analyzed. Based on the study, it is concluded that panoramic videos are not yet widely used for learning, even though they have much potential for this purpose. Panoramic videos are good for documenting complex interaction situations in settings where a lower image quality is sufficient. Typical social media features are present in panoramic video sites, but they do not provide any extra support for learning or collaboration. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York.