Screencasting to Enhance Teaching Materials

Screencasting to Enhance Teaching Materials

Michael Rees

School of Information Technology

@mrees

Topics

Screencasts

Equipment: Hardware &

Software

Screen & Audio Capture

Editing & Production

Deployment Options

© 2009 Michael Rees Screencasting to Enhance Teaching Materials 2

Vice-Chancellor T&L Grant Project


Investigate hardware and

software requirements

Trial production techniques

Integrate screencast

recording into teaching

processes

Discover methods to deploy

screencasts

Report on experiences and

techniques

Screencasting workstation


Vista Workstation


XP Workstation


Audio Hardware

• Logitech Desktop USB Microphone

• Behringer Podcast Studio: Mic plus mixer

• Freestanding audio recorder: Zoom H2

• Lapel Mic plus M-Audio Fastrack Pro Mixer

• Digital keyboard: M-Audio Axiom 49

• Revolabs xTag USB Wireless Mic


Podcast Studio


Screencasting to Enhance Teaching Materials 9

Wireless Microphone

© 2009 Michael Rees

Screencast Software

Capture screen/window plus speaker’s audio/webcam

Assemble captures, titles, effects, extra audio in timeline

Render in multiple quality choices and video formats

Deploy to permanent, shared storage, local and online



Screencast Software

Windows• Camtasia 4,

5 & 6• Jing & Jing

Pro• Camstudio,

Wink

Mac• Screenflow• Jing & Jing

Pro

Online• Screentoast

er• Screencastl

e

Camtasia Capture


Camtasia Studio Demo


Video and Audio Formats


Shorter Screencasts

• Software demos, web applications

• System utilities

• Software development processes

• Training for colleagues

• Seminars, short talks at Bond and conferences

Major lesson: the shorter the screencast the better scripted the narration needs to be


Screencast Audio

• Additional narration

• Narration substitution

• Intro and outro music using Creative Commons licences: http://jamendo.com

• Background music

• Screencast music generation:– Garageband– Microsoft Photostory– Microsoft Songsmith


http://jamendo.com/

Screencasting Advice

1. Understand some audio engineering

2. Indulge in templates

3. Use prudent emphasis to enhance learning

4. Learn from other, professional screencasts

5. Practice narrating

6. Be codec-smart, context-aware

7. Explore other video delivery mediums

How to Master Screencasts in 7 Steps


http://mashable.com/2008/10/22/how-to-master-screencasts/

Screencasting Lite

• Works best for talk and slides

• Upload slides to http://www.slideshare.net

• Upload audio to public site like http://archive.org

• Create a ‘slidecast’ on Slideshare by providing URL of audio file

• Use slidecast editor to set slide change points to match the audio

• Slidecast editing demo


http://www.slideshare.net/

http://archive.org/

Immediate Screencasts

• Jing and Jing Pro– Click the Jing sun– Drag screen area to record and decide if

audio needed– Start screencast capture– Stop capture and trigger upload to

Screencast.com or YouTube– Link to screencast left in clipboard


Screencasts Online

• Login to online screencast site

• Site automatically loads Java applet and Flash movie

• Click on ‘record now’ after selecting recording options

• Operate the computer as normal and narrate into the mic if needed

• Pause as needed and then stop the recording

• On Screentoaster the save options are:– Upload to the Screencastle site as public/private,

use URL for playback– Save screencast locally at .mov file; edit and use

as required


Screencast Deployment

• Upload to iLearn, and automatic streaming with IE, Windows Media Player using WMV format

• Upload to Screencast.com

• Upload to archive.org

• Upload to YouTube.com

• Screencast collections on DVD and online using Camtasia

• Vidcasts on favourite blogging site

• Silverlight web site repository


In Summary

•Many options in variety of formats

•Online no-install capture promising

Screencast capture

•Powerful video/audio editor crucial

•Templates and proven procedures key

Screencast production

•Options for public and private web sites acting as repositories

•Good no-cost options available

Screencast deployment

•Screencast wiki can be a Bond resource

•Looking to foster a Screencast Club

•Determine interest in screencast workshop

Screencast community


Resources

• Bond Screencasting Wiki:– http://screencastbond.pbworks.com/

• Talk links at:– http://dotdolfin.com/talks/#bondscreencast


http://screencastbond.pbworks.com/

http://screencastbond.pbworks.com/

http://dotdolfin.com/talks/#bondscreencast

Education

Screencasting to Enhance Teaching Materials