Video tutorials are a great way to offer students intuitive and explicit instructions on how to access and use technologies. It sure beats drawn-out text instructions or constantly re-explaining the directions. I made video tutorials for using www.voicethread.com. The free software CamStudio enabled me to record the action on my computer screen. It syncs with the computer’s microphone which let me narrate the keystrokes and clicks.
Here a tutorial on how to register:
I share these videos with the students by creating a YouTube page and linking that to our course website. You can also embed the videos in an email. Easy to make; easy to share. I like it!
Does CamStudio allow you to insert closed captioning on the videos you create? I'm planning on making a number of video tutorials as supplements for writing instruction here at Furman, and I'd like to have the videos captioned for students with hearing problems or who might not be able to have the audio turned up for some reason.
ReplyDeleteI think you're exactly right about the great value of these kinds of brief (that's imperative) asynchronous instruction methods. My goal with the tutorials I create is to have them deliver the same quality of content as a rhetoric or style handbook, but in a much more consumable and approachable style.
David, I believe that it does. There is a video annotation tool and a screen annotation tool. I have not tried these yet. I know that another user uses Windows Live Movie Maker to edit the CamStudio videos with annotations, title pages, and other media. I think this would achieve the most professional result. Of course, it would be much simpler to use the annotation tools if they serve your purpose. I plan on trying them soon.
ReplyDeleteConcerning the brevity of the tutorials, I feel like my 4 minute example is far too long. I could shorten it by navigating faster or showing less action. Two short tutorials may beat one long one.
Here's the answer. You run your Camtasia videos THROUGH the Windows Movie Maker which does have a captions feature. These are freeware programs, so the functionality is a bit clunky, but WMM allows you to edit your Camtasia file, give it a title and closing, and add text boxes to particular screens.
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