Mike stated that he feels everyone should give Q-Review a try. Apart from its ease of use, Mike explained that he feels Q-Review gives students extra support, and allows him to give a better quality lecture to his students.

This five minute video clip highlights some of the added benefits that Mike found while using the technology and includes Mike’s experience on students use of the recordings and its impact on their attendance.

If you are interested in using Q-Review Personal Capture to record your lectures please submit a request by logging into our online helpdesk at https://helpdesk.its.qmul.ac.uk – click on the ‘Request’ button and then select ‘Q-Review – Lecture Capture’.

More video clips from the interview with Mike Noon coming soon:

Part 1 – Mike explains why everyone should give Q-Review a try
Part 2 – Using Q-Review to record lectures, make edits and distribute to students

This article covers:

1. An overview of the Q-Review Presentation Editor
2. What you will need to edit your recording
3. Steps to edit your recording
4. A 4-minute video demonstration of the process
5. Trouble-shooting (Internet Explorer security warnings)

For Q-Review FAQs, please log into our Online Helpdesk at https://helpdesk.its.qmul.ac.uk. To submit a query, click the ‘Request’ button, then select ‘Q-Review-Lecture Capture’.

Overview

The Q-Review Presentation Editor offers a user-friendly interface and allows you to trim sections of the recording that you would like removed. The very basic editor eliminates the confusing features that come with more advanced video editing software, but this means that you won’t be able to do more advanced edits, such as adding in sections.

Most users find the tool meets their needs, as they generally just cut the beginning and the end of their recordings – perhaps where the audience is coming in or leaving the session. You can also remove sections from the middle – however this can become a bit tricky, especially if the recording includes video. By removing sections in the middle of the video, it can make the recording seem jerky to the viewer, especially if the speaker is moving around alot. We recommend that you only trim sections from the beginning and end, if possible.

Edits must be done within 14 days of the recording, and you can also restore edits within this timeframe. If the link has already been given to your audience (such as within a Blackboard course area), the link will automatically update with your edits once it has finished processing.

Below is a sample of the Presentation Editor. It allows you to view your slides (if you had any) and listen to the audio.

What you will need:

1. A computer with internet access and Flash installed.
2. Speakers or a headset (to hear audio).
3. Presenter access to a Q-Review recording that is less than 14 days old.
4. A username and password to access the Q-Review server.
   (You can request this by sending a query via our Online Helpdesk: https://helpdesk.its.qmul.ac.uk).

Steps to Edit:

1. First, log into the Q-Review server with your username and password at https://ess.q-review.qmul.ac.uk:8443
   (request login details via our Online Helpdesk).
2. Click on the link to the recording that you would like to edit.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the next page, and click on the green “Edit Media” button.
4. This will load the Presentation Editor.
5. Click the play button, and identify where you want to trim.
6. Move the markers to the section that you want to remove – the first marker should be at the start of the section you want to trim, and the second marker at the end of where you want to trim.
7. Click on the scissor icon.
8. The section will be greyed out, indicating that it has been removed.

Once you have made your edits following the above steps, you can click on the “Preview” tab to review your edits.

9. When finished, click on the “Publish” tab
10. Then click the “Save and Publish” button which will publish your edited recording.

Depending on how long the recording is, will depend on how long it will take to process the edited recording. As an estimate, the processing time is usually the same length as the recording (so if the recording is 60 minutes long, estimate 60 minutes to process).

After it has been processed, you can return to the link you originally received for the recording, and that link will be updated with the edited version.

Short Movie Demonstration:

You can view this 4-minute movie which demonstrates the steps in greater detail. If you have speakers then you can listen to the demonstration. Otherwise, I have added closed caption for the sections worth noting.

Please contact us by logging into our Online Helpdesk – https://helpdesk.its.qmul.ac.uk.  Submit your query by clicking on the ‘Request‘ button, then select ‘Q-Review – Lecture Capture‘ from the drop-down list.

Trouble-shooting:

If you are using Internet Explorer, you may receive a few security warnings similar to the ones below.

Click on the “Continue to this website” link if you receive a warning like this:

Click “No” if you receive a warning like the one below as you do not wish to view only the secure items. Clicking yes will result in the Presentation Editor not loading.

Photo Credit

SX-70 on Flickr

You will need to get the Embed code from YouTube.

1. Log into YouTube
2. Click on your username and then My Videos
   (located at top right)
3. Click on your chosen video
4. Click on the Embed button (beneath the video)
5. Copy the code and then paste into your blog/website’s HTML code (or into Blackboard’s HTML code)

empty

(Note: You can also embed someone else’s videos using steps 4-5 above).

Embedding in Blackboard

For instructions on embedding into Blackboard please refer to the last part of the post on “Using the Flip Camera to make online videos in Blackboard“.

* An Unlisted YouTube video does not appear in YouTube’s public spaces, such as in searches, but can be viewed by anyone who knows the URL to the video.

YouTube

Advantages:
By now most people have at least heard of YouTube. Being a very popular video website makes YouTube a highly visible platform to showcase your video content. Viewers can search for videos directly on YouTube’s website and since Google’s acquisition, YouTube uploaded videos are also likely to pop up in a Google search. YouTube will also stream almost any video content, for free! There is no limit to the number of videos that you can upload; nor to the number of views that your videos receive.

Disadvantages:
There is currently a 15 minute limit on the length of each video that can be uploaded into YouTube. While this isn’t a major issue, as recordings can be split into chunks, it can be annoying especially for pre-generated videos. It is possible to create a playlist of several videos which can be watched continuously (giving the impression of one long video) – this playlist can be made available to your users. Your viewers won’t be able to download your video; however YouTube does convert your videos into a smaller flash version, making it easier for your viewers to stream your video content over their network. This conversion reduces the quality of your videos and can be frustrating especially for screen capture tutorials, as video becomes blurry and may be indecipherable. It should be noted that being a YouTube partner (which is also free, but has requirements) lifts some of these limitations (E.g. being a part of YouTube Edu).

Screencast

Advantages:
Screencast does not have a video length restriction, which means that you can upload those 1 hour lecture videos to your heart’s content (well, depending on the amount of storage space you have left). Screencast does not mess with the quality of your videos, which makes screen capture tutorials easily viewable. Also your viewers will be able to download your videos. You can batch upload videos (and other media such as images and audio) as well as organise them into folders. There is also an option to publish directly to iTunes as well as generate RSS feeds for your users to subscribe to.

Disadvantages:
Screencast is not near as popular as YouTube and does not offer the ability for viewers to search for videos. With the free version there is a storage space limit of 2GB and a monthly bandwidth limit of 2GB (which means that you are limited in the number of views that your videos can receive per month). It costs £7.50/month or £73.50/year for their Pro version which allows 25GB storage and 200GB monthly bandwidth. In order to customise your page you will also have to have their Pro version.

I have put together a comparison chart to highlight the different features of YouTube and Screencast. Overall, if you want your videos to be publicly searchable and to reach a wider audience, then YouTube would be the better option. However, if video quality or organisation is more important, then go for Screencast. Please note that both YouTube and Screencast offer privacy level settings if you are concerned about your video’s publicity.

1. An audio/video recorder – such as a Flip camera (available in the ELU)
2. Editing and Conversion software – such as iMovie and iSquint (available in the ELU) or jaycut.com (available online) *
3. A media host account – such as YouTube or Screencast (available online)
4. A Blackboard course area (available through the ELU) *

* Not required, but helpful

Step 1 – Record your Video

It is easy to record and get video using a Flip camera (which you can borrow from the ELU). The following steps were adapted from the Flip Camera’s website:

1. Turn it on and press the red button to start/stop recording.
2. Record.
3. Connect camera to computer (slide switch on the side of camera to pop the USB connector out). For PC users, navigate to ‘My Computer’; go to FlipVideo Drive, then DCIM folder to get video.

Step 2 – Edit your Video

This step is not required, but helpful.

Using iSquint and iMovie (both available in the E-Learning Studio) you can compress and edit your video. Compressing your video file in iSquint is very easy and makes your video iPod compatible. There are other options for editing videos, such as Jaycut.com which offers free online editing options. (You can read our article about Jaycut here).

1. Open iSquint and simply drag your movie file into the iSquint screen.
2. Click the Start button.
3. Depending on your video size, the conversion should take a few minutes.
4. In the example below, my video file was compressed and went from 54.3MB to 5MB

If you would like to make edits, you can open your video in iMovie (or jaycut.com) where you can remove sections of your video, as well as add text and/or animation.

Step 3 – Share your Video

Next, you will need to have a media hosting account – such as YouTube or Screencast (read our comparison blog here). Screencast allows you to set privacy and authentication rights to your recordings, and decide who you want to share your recordings with.

A basic Screencast account is free (2GB space). £7.50/month or £73.50/year gives 25GB of space.

1. Log into Screencast and click Upload Content (create a free account if you don’t have one)
2. Browse for your video recording and upload into Screencast
3. Once the upload is complete, click the Close button

Your video will be in the My Library root folder (you can move your videos into folders later)

1. Hover your mouse over the video for more options.
2. Click on the Share icon  to see options for how to share your video

You can copy and paste the first link into an e-mail and share with your students or, you can add the link into your Blackboard course.

Step 4 – Embedding your Recording into your Blackboard Course

The following shows a sample recording that was uploaded to Screencast then embedded onto a page within a Blackboard course. Follow these steps:

1. Within Screencast, copy the Embed on your page script (option 3 in image above)
2. Log into your Blackboard course area. From the Build tab, click Add File, then Create File
3. From the Create File page, give the page a Title, then click Enable HTML Creator button
4. Type an introduction, then click the Source View tab (see image below)
5. Paste the script from Screencast (see #1) within the <body> tags, after your introduction

1. Scroll to the bottom of the Create File page, click Save.
2. Click on the Student View tab, and click the File that you just created.
3. The embedded video should display, see an example below.

Here is my embedded video made with the Flip Camera:

Video Assist is an initiative running in the 2009-10 academic year which aims to provide specific project support for projects which involve the creation of new moving image resources. For each project, JISC Digital Media will provide 4 days’ worth per in-depth consultancy support and practical help.

It should be emphasised that this initiative does not provide you with any funding for your project. Nor will it provide you with staff to actually do the work for you. What it provides you with is access to professionals in the area to help guide and advise you through your project. What you should get at the end is a successfully completed project and staff who have the knowledge and skills to take the specific project further or to undertake similar projects.

The initiative has three rounds, the date for submission for round 1 has closed. One of the projects chosen for the scheme involves the creation of video materials for a Masters course and the other the creation of a video introduction to a Learning Resource Centre (Announcement on JISC Digital Media blog).

However the date for submission for round 2 is 20th November 2009 and round 3 is 26th February 2010 so that gives plenty of time to put something together. Further details about how to apply and the criteria that will be used to judge whether a project might be suitable for the initiative can be found on the JISC web site (link below).

Links

JISC Digital Media Video Assist web page

Photo credit

Andyrob – http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=clapperboard&w=21372046%40N00

I think Screencast comes into its own when combined with Jing. Being able to rapidly and easily record a video of what’s happening on your screen and upload it with one button to your Screencast account is very very useful. From there you just need to distribute the video which you can do by emailing the URL to whomever, linking to it from a website or embedding the HTML, which is generated by Screencast, into a webpage or VLE course area.

However, Screencast is not just limited to Jing. You can upload other media files into it which presents, at least a temporary and low-level but immediate, solution to the problem of storage. Where to put files is the big problem that our staff encounter with online video. We usually suggest YouTube but some staff have issues with the public availability; which is reasonable. Screencast movies are, by the very nature of their being available to share, technically public but do not have the massive search engine of Google indexing their location.

Screencast also provides a few other functions:

• Customized Templates
• Desktop Uploader
• RSS Feeds so your users can subscribe to your media
• MediaRoll widget for blogs

So what does it do? It’s a free application that works as an excellent screen recorder; either video or a still image. It sits in a very tidy manner at the very top of your screen like so:

When you click on the unobtrusive circle you given the option to Capture or look at your History. The History option will bring up your Library; Jing will record every capture you’ve made and its current location. The second point there, location, is important… and we’ll get back to that in a bit.

The capture software gives you the option of a still image or video. The video is a fairly basic recorder but often-times that’s all you need. It will produce something like what you can link to below (note that all the images and videos in this post are recorded using Jing and hosted by Screencast… WordPress unfortunately will not accept embedded video from Jing so just click to follow the link instead). What I’ve recorded is a brief run-through of the annotation tools available for a still image. In this example, let’s say I’m giving an introduction to the tools in Photoshop. Audio can be included but I’ve decided not to.

Click here to see an example of Jing video on the screencast website

Lastly, I mentioned how important the location was to note. This is, in my opinion, where Jing excels. The biggest issue we find people have with online video is not how to record but where it goes. Jing will allow you to save any capture locally (the swf video comes with a player built into the file) but it will also upload any files to Techsmiths free hosting service called Screencast. You can also use it to FTP to any site or to upload to Flickr or YouTube. All very very useful. The free hosting service has a limit of 2GB of space and 2GB bandwith p/m usage but that’s more than enough for you to start making a library of short rough-and-ready content for your learners.

Lastly it also publishes a paragraph of HTML so you easily embed content into another location, for example your VLE course area.

If you would like to attend, you can book onto this session at http://esdcourses.org.uk

Our three presentations are:

Sally Mitchell and James Taylor, from the Language and Learning Unit, will present on their use and development of Interloc, a Digital Dialogue Game, in collaboration with London Metropolitan University. The software is used to promote critical discussion and reasoned dialogue.

Brendan Curran, from the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, will present on a methodology to approach teaching practical skills to large student numbers. The method provides an individual learning experience for each student, uses small group sizes, and utilizes: on-line exercises hosted by Pearsons; in-house videos; and trained facilitators to teach lab techniques. It has been introduced very recently and has, to date, proven popular with staff and students.

Patricia Revest, from the School of Medicine and  Dentistry, will present on her use of the Audience Response System (ARS) TurningPoint on the undergraduate Medical Programme. This allows the presenter to receive rapid feedback during the class and quickly gauge learning while boosting student engagement.

Please get in touch if you have any queries about this session and feel free to forward it to anyone (internal or external to QMUL) who you think may be interested.

I can likely understand how to use a mechanical device better by illustration or video that I can by text. I can learn pronunciation in a different way by audio than by text. I can sometimes feel more a part of a community that I can see and hear than I simply read about. This is not to say that text is anything but essential; but rather that other approaches should also be evaluated. But there are other, less apparent reasons, why other media might be considered in HE.

Student numbers are rising and it is difficult to meet that need. Lecturers face overcrowded theatres where they cannot answer individual questions; practical demonstrations are given to hundreds of students at once; language lecturers cannot listen to individuals; and so on. It is hoped that digital media can aid in meeting this challenge.

Listening (and speaking) exercises can be placed online for language students to practice against. Lectures can be recorded in advance and made required viewing for anyone wishing to attend the face-to-face sessions which are now delivered as seminars. Practical demonstrations can be recorded and made available to anyone wishing to quickly review how to use a microscope or a lathe. Feedback can be recorded and sent a student as an audio file often faster than it can be typed out and delivered.

Of course a lot of this content has been been produced before. With the ubiquity of free, often excellent, content online via YouTube, Wikipedia, Voice of the Shuttle and others; educators are moved toward re-evaluating their role. An educator can no longer consider themselves a store of materials and knowledge. To deliver a course to a student cannot be simply to distribute materials; it is the use of those materials, the context around them and the narrative through which they are released that becomes important. Many of the tools we include here allow you to repurpose existing content with embedded players and rss feeds; to try and act as a gatekeeper between your students and the web.

It should also be considered that students are well-used to this range of content before entering Higher Education. Our learners are changing and, no matter how we may feel about that, we will need to adapt also. A lecturer here in QMUL stated that “I was surprised to see some distance-learning students who were quite active in using the course web page. In the discussion forum, one distance-learning student, not TAs or lecturers, answered many questions from other distance learning students, and another distance-learning student volunteered to video-record lectures and made them available on the web page”. The culture of sharing and collaboration that new ‘Web 2.0′ tools rest upon is starting to filer into the classroom.