Weekly Challenge 1 -- Getting Organised

[Sue Waters]

As this community has just been started a good task to start with is to get organised and figure out where you are right now with online videos.

If the topic online video is not for you, please feel free to make your task this week to start your own discussion by asking the community about a topic that does interest you!

So start of by replying to this discussion by letting us know:
1. Do you create your own online videos or use other people's videos from online video sharing sites?
2. Are you currently using online videos in your training programs? If so, how are you using them and why? (e.g. embedding them into websites, downloading and playing locally on computer or mobile devices like iPods)
3. If you create your own videos. What types of videos do you create (i.e. main topics of your videos, length)? What software do you like to use? Do you upload your videos to a video sharing site or do you podcast your videos?
4. Do you create screencast? And if so, what is your preferred software and why?
5. Do you know how to convert between different file formats? And if so, what software do you use?
6. Tell us what your favourite online video is, and why.
7. If you have time, and create either videos or screencasts, can you provide a link to some of them or embed them in our Video section?

The weekly challenges will be posted here each Monday. At the Better Blog community, the community participates in deciding the weekly challenges. Please let me know if you would like to help with the weekly challenge topics.

[Michele Martin]

I have next to no experience with video, but I have been playing around with screencasts. So far I've only used Screencast-o-matic, mainly because I don't want to download anything else to my hard drive. It's entirely web-based and does a decent job, although the audio can be a little "jumpy" I've found. One nice feature is the ability to add notes at different points in the screencast so that someone can move to that part of the screencast that interests them. I've heard good things about Camtasia, but haven't been ready to spring for it yet. I'm very interested in delving more deeply into doing video though--so far I only use other people's videos. :-)

[Sue Waters]

Thanks Michele for letting us know.

When I was trying to work out which tool to use for screencasting for teaching to Newbies I did try out Screencast-o-matic. It was crossed off my list because I managed to get myself totally lost the first time I used it - and lets just add it was not the software it was definitely me.

I ended up going with CamStudio because Beth Kanter and Leigh Blackall told me that CamStudio was the one to use. Personally Beth and Leigh gave me the right advice and while I can understand you not wanting to install any more programs it is worth considering. Here are my "how to use CamStudio notes".

I have used Camtasia. Very powerful in terms of what you can do with it but is much harder to learn than MovieMaker. Camtasia and MovieMaker are very similar but Camtasia also does screencasts plus will export the videos in a range of formats.

Interestingly enough I use Snagit - should say I am in love with Snagit. That is how I create all my how to screen shots. The best money I ever spent. But I never realised that Snagit also record videos. So that is also an option if you are happy to pay for software.

Can you give me a link to some of the screencasts you have created because I would love to check them out.

[Simon Brown]

Sue, thanks for your Subscribing to Blogs and RSS Feeds advice, I've set up my Google reader and posted a screen dump in the photo album here. So now I'm organised! I get notification of latest changes in my favourite Ning networks.

Screencasting - I use Jing

[Sue Hickton]

1) I create my own video's for podcasting, mainly screen capture though. I will be doing some video in the next few weeks for work posdcasts. I have only started using things like YouTube etc as a learning tool

2) Yes we are - they are embeded into Blackboard, our university Learning Management System. At this point they are not downloadable though we are shifting towards this.

3) I have been using Camtasia Studio and have used Captivate. I tend to keep them pretty short (under 10 minutes) and format them for playing on ipods. They tend to be technology related. My video's are podcasted. I think they are still pretty sucky :( but I am getting better. Depends on my mood on the day as to how much time I spend on them. Oh yes, have also used Movie Maker a bit - so much mucking around. I find Camtasia easier. Have also started working with special podcasting software on Macs (tho the Mac thing is driving me insane)

4) see Qtn 3

5) Yes! Camtasia makes it really easy. I also use a tool called Spicy Tools for file conversion.

6) My favourite online video is one I have posted on here, about RSS feeds - I love it. Use it to explain to the baby boomers at work and the technologically indifferent the whole concept. It's like turning electricity on in their heads.

7) http://technolust.podomatic.com be gentle with me :)

[Mike Nodding]

I've not a great deal of creation yet though I'm mainly interested in screencasting to provide help with technology at ECU. Resources for blackboard/online technology for students and teaching staff... that kind of thing.

i've been involved in implementing tools for podcasting in blackboard and am trying to figure out the best way to allow people to create and share videos/screencasts in bb (podcast or not). perhaps we just need to use youtube ;)

The majority of staff here seem to want things done in bb, it's just finding the best tools out there to make them available and getting them to work via the firewall (big problem) - odeo for example would be very useful but can i get the flash to work behind the firewall/authenticating proxy? fat chance.

screencasting - camtasia is good and recently i've been using jing (from the same people - techsmith) which seems very simple to use - plus it's cross platform.

conversion - using the converstion tools in camtasia mainly, but also various free online tools... http://vconvert.net/ for example.

as for fav vids - commoncraft's are excellent - see wikis in plain english if you haven't already.

[Lance Treloar]

For the projects that I have done, we use our own videos - they were shot and edited by the in-house production unit, so I have little exprience or knowledge in the editing and formatting of these files.

The video files vary in legth from a couple of seconds to about two minutes or so. They are embedded in Flash based SCORM objects.

I have only just started looking at screen casts (playing with CamStudio at the moment) - previous to this, if I needed to demonstrate actions or steps to follow on screen, I generally created animations in Flash to show these steps. This is a time consuming process, but effective (and generally results in much smaller file sizes).

[viovio]

1. I use other people's videos from online video sharing sites, mainly the ones I can download. I also use clips from movies, musical videos, etc.
2. I download the videos and play them with a projector. Sometimes I ask students to visit the website and I provide the link (If we're in the computer lab)
3. No I don't, but I would very much like to do so.
4. No, but I am familiar with camstudio.
5. Not really. My pc is too slow for video edition. I ask other people to do that for me.
6. I have tons. Let me get the urls and I get back to you.
7. n/a

[Colin Simpson]

1. Do you create your own online videos or use other people's videos from online video sharing sites?

I tend to create most of the videos that I use but on occasion I'll use those on sharing sites.

2. Are you currently using online videos in your training programs? If so, how are you using them and why? (e.g. embedding them into websites, downloading and playing locally on computer or mobile devices like iPods)

Most of the videos I make are either to document work that is being done by teachers here - I also support teachers making their own videos. These ones are pretty well all used as case studies or to model good practice. They are made available through WebCT using our Streaming server or sometimes on dvd.

3. If you create your own videos. What types of videos do you create (i.e. main topics of your videos, length)? What software do you like to use? Do you upload your videos to a video sharing site or do you podcast your videos?

I use Premiere Pro but am keen to take a look at Jahshaka, a freeware video editing package. (But I haven't done this yet). I also use Quicktime Pro and Super C, depending on what needs to be done.

4. Do you create screencast? And if so, what is your preferred software and why?

Screencasts are either done in Camtasia or Camstudio (or for games, I'll use Fraps) - I'm still comparing Camstudio and Camtasia, one of them handles on screen video capture better (but I can't remember which)

5. Do you know how to convert between different file formats? And if so, what software do you use?

Conversion is generally done in Super for speed but sometimes in Premiere if I'm trying different options. Our streaming server uses something like ffmpeg to automatically convert files to the required mp4 format.

6. Tell us what your favourite online video is, and why.

Apart from my own? :) I have a couple up that revolve around work I've been doing with games - here and here

I also have a short animation I made about Public Service life

7. If you have time, and create either videos or screencasts, can you provide a link to some of them or embed them in our Video section?

Oh, whoops - here then, ok, I can do that

[Stephan Schmidt]

Hi Col,

love the animation on the Public Service life :):), well done Col, Len...couldn't pick the female voice. Well done.

Cheers
Steph