HigherEd BlogCon, Day1: Podcasting and Screencasting in the Classroom
Many of you will be interested in knowing that HigherEd BlogCon kicks off a month of virtual presentations this morning, with two fantastic presentations on podcasting and screencasting in the classroom. Ever wonder about the value of podcasting versus screencasting? How about legal issues in podcasting in the classroom? We have just the presentations for you.
The past week or so has been a blur for me, working with the section chairs and editors to get things organized and working with presenters to get their materials loaded into the conference blog. I’m glad we decided to encourage presenters to submit screencasts. For one thing, it’s giving many an opportunity to learn a new tool. Most of the presentations in this week’s Teaching track are made via screencasts, which are very easy to stop and start, rewind, etc. I’m hoping that this event will help solidify the connection between screencasts and learning. So, for these reasons, and for the sheer fun of visual media, the extra effort involved in collecting and hosting the screencasts is going to be well worth it.
I, for one, am looking forward to the HEBC, particularly the Teaching Track! I appreciate all the work that you and your presenters have put into making this a reality. Great job!
-john-
Comment by John Martin — April 3, 2006 @ 11:15 am
I am enthusiastic about podcasting in the classroom, but screencasting? Seems like too much work is involved with the tools now available — I talked with Jon Udell, who coined the term a few years back. He said a simple, three-minute screencast (with audio) on using the NYT website took eight hours to produce.
The content:production time ratio for podcasting, on the other hand, is far more efficient, and, owing to the ubiquity of devices and software programs to play podcasts, has far more potential, IMHO.
Hope the conference goes well!
Ian
Comment by Harvard Extended — April 3, 2006 @ 1:34 pm
HigherEd BlogCon has started
Don’t miss the first edition of HigherEd BlogCon, a virtual conference “0n how new online communications technologies and social tools are changing Higher Education.” During four weeks, people from more than 30 colleges and universit…
Trackback by PR meets the WWW — April 3, 2006 @ 1:37 pm
Thanks for the comment, Ian. Screencasting tools like Camtasia Studio and others make it a very simple process: press start at the beginning of the presentation or lecture, and then press stop at the end. Most software will then automatically create a variety of files types for you–AVI, SWF, MOV, etc.
Comment by Dan Karleen — April 3, 2006 @ 1:38 pm
Thanks Dan. The advent of tools that make the production process easier might make screencasting a viable endeavor. I spoke with Jon last June, and he was talking about a screencast he had created a few months earlier, perhaps before these tools were available.
Comment by Ian Lamont — April 3, 2006 @ 1:51 pm
FYI, I presented a PowerPoint via ReadyTalk to a hundred or so colleagues at PR Newswire the other day. By hitting *2 on my phone, I was able to command the system to record the audio on my presentation and synchronize it with my slides. At the end of my presentation, ReadyTalk sent me a URL to the screencast that combined audio and slides. It couldn’t have been simpler.
Comment by Dan Forbush — April 3, 2006 @ 2:19 pm