MDDE610+Group+Assignment+Camtasia

The purpose of this presentation is to communicate the power and flexibility of the Camtasia software for use in education. Simply put Camtasia allows the user to edit and enhance video from many sources. It also allows the use to create screen cast video or video from PowerPoint.
 * Camtasia **

We have chosen to showcase the any educational features of Camtasia by creating learning objects that use those features. Links to how-to videos demonstrating how to use the various showcased features follow each presentation. Join us to learn about trees, moodle, and vectors, and in doing so discover the educational possibilities of Camtasia.



What is Camtasia?
toc
 * Record PowerPoint presentations, websites, webcams, and software demos easily
 * Edit screencasts to perfection by cutting, splicing, adding transitions, and captions
 * Produce your video in many formats, or share to YouTube or Screencast.com (or any of the other 78 alternatives)
 * Mac and Windows versions both have a 30 day free trial
 * SCORM compatible quizzes and surveys (PC only)
 * This website describes both Camtasia Studio (for Windows) and Camtasia:Mac (for Mac) features and provides links to tutorial for both versions of the program. ** [] **

Main Features of Camtasia

 * Record the screen, a window, a region, or you with your webcam.
 * Install the PowerPoint plug-in to make it easy to create small learning objects in PowerPoint
 * Add flash quizzes to your learning objects
 * Use SmartFocus and Zoom-n-Pan to create viewable learning objects for small smart devices
 * Export the video for various smart devicese.g. iPhone or MPEG-4 for cross-platform
 * Upload videos to various online hosting sites--e.g. YouTube, Screencast
 * Add close captions that are 508-compliant--accessible for people with disabilities
 * Supports a lot of languages: English, German, Spanish, Dutch, French, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish, and many more.

Features Used in our Video Applications
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 * callouts e.g. arrows and boxes
 * pens and drawing tools
 * speech-to-text
 * closed caption (ADA compliant)
 * voice narration
 * transitions
 * title clips
 * cut and split clips
 * audio enhancement
 * record screen, screen capture
 * cursor effects
 * interactive effects for quizzes, table of contents, links to external url

Applications for Distance Education
Showcasing features of Camtasia and usefulness in delivering distance education.
 * create pre-recorded lessons to include in webinars or courses
 * create vlogs (video blogs) out of webcam recordings
 * convert print-based training into dynamic video training packages
 * create video demonstrations for programs or apps
 * convert your PowerPoint presentations into 'animated' videos
 * record Skype interviews (audio or video), with permission of the participants of course, to share with others later

Importing Video from Handheld Cameras
//created by Bjørn// media type="youtube" key="aEHkZvEUDqo?version=3" height="328" width="597" Tutorials: How to import video into Camtasia Studio 7and How to Insert Media

Interactivity--Hotspot & Quiz
//created by Brad// media type="custom" key="13582704" Tutorials: Add Flash Hotspot Callouts and Add a Flash Survey or Quiz and SCORM Compliant Quiz and Backboard

Closed Caption
//created by Rebecca// To try appeal to a wider audience--those that prefer auditory and visual means to learning--the MDDE610 //Course Structure and Navigation// document was converted into video format. Presenting material in a video format can exclude certain audiences and thus, captions have been included to ensure accessibility for a larger audience: media type="youtube" key="t-OAZ9rWh_Y" height="377" width="504" Tutorial: Captions Overview
 * viewers with hearing impairments
 * viewers that cannot listen to audio in their current settings
 * international audiences—non-native speakers

**Benefits of Using Video for Distance Education **

PowerPoint
//created by Sheryl//

This video is a teaching video on Vector addition which could be used to supplement a a face-to-face class, a flipped classroom, assign for homework, or as part of a distance education course. It worked out to be a little longer that I had intended, partly due to the fact that I was very careful to speak slowly and clearly for my first video experience. As an individual becomes more familiar with this medium more natural speed will result.

Camtasia's interaction with PowerPoint is a powerful application that may be a excellent first step for those who have not had previous experience with video creation or editing and, as such, would be an excellent first demo to promote early adoption of technology. I found that the demo version of Camtasia:Mac did not include all the features described in the Camtasia Studio PowerPoint Plug in documentation. However, I was able to record a screen capture and audio recording of the PowerPoint presentation as it ran - zooms, pans, and transitions were added later. In this example, animation features used in the original PowerPoint make the final result more //movie-like// than a series of inanimate slides. media type="youtube" key="wnh7aIpQQ4U?version=3" height="350" width="596" Tutorials: How to use the PowerPoint Plugin(Windows), How to use the PowerPoint Plugin (Mac)

Flipped Classroom
//created by Bjørn// There are more and more self-produced videos in education. The 'flipped classroom' is mostly heard about being used in face-to-face education, but it also used in distance education. Students can see and work with new material using video lectures at home, at their computers. The benefits are that students can work at their own pace - pause, rewind or watch a video several times, and be prepared for the upcoming classes/lessons. Flip the classroom/prepare the students for face - to- face sessions or both asynchronous or synchronous online-sessions - make presentations/videos and publish them in front of the session as a trigger - here is an example made for fifth-graders: media type="youtube" key="sK_Qsy9YVyw?version=3" height="296" width="555" Reference Material: Information about Flipping the Class and The Flipped Class Network

Benefits of Camtasia for Distance Education

 * Video can help support students with individual needs.
 * Increasing the dialogue by including audio and video can reduce transactional distance between a distance student and instructor. Decreasing transactional distance can help reduce students’ feelings of isolation and disconnectedness, and make it more possible to develop relationships. Students are more likely to feel a part of a social group and to remain engaged. (Relationships, social presence and immediacy) The feeling of relations and social presence Immediacy and intimacy are two main factors of motivating students in DE (Mc Isaac and Tu, 2002). Videos presenting the teachers are very good tools for increasing the feeling of intimacy.
 * Video used as tool to give comments - a better tool than just written words.
 * Students can learn at their own pace, anywhere, anytime, anything they want.
 * Allows for self-pacing; slower learners can take more time, and quicker learners can learn more and more rapidly.
 * Students can replay and review the videos as often as necessary, depending on the learners needs
 * Video (or audio) appeals to the students who prefer auditory and visual learning
 * Now that closed captioning can be added easily to video, videos can be made accessible for people with disabilities, and non-native speakers
 * Asynchronicity and mobility allows for convenient access and multitasking
 * Video and audio can be digitally slowed down or sped up, depending on a student's needs
 * Most appropriate medium for spoken/audio material
 * Supplement existing material and resources with a potentially portable sources of information - easily transforms existing material into a new dynamic presentation that may be distributed to distance students or mobile devices.
 * Teachers would like to not only verify that students have watched their videos, but also understood their videos by tracking student engagement remotely with SCORM-compatible quizzes or surveys within an LMS system
 * Micro-lesson followed by a quiz or survey creates interactivity
 * In a blended learning environment, teachers can assign video-based lectures as homework and use face-to-face class time for activity-based learning that is traditionally assigned as homework (e.g. "flipping the classroom").
 * Quiz or survey responses can be sent directly to a SCORM-compliant LMS or emailed to a specified address
 * It is easy for organizations to add a watermark for branding and copyright purposes
 * Supports Bring your Own Device (BYOD) and easily can export to many different file formats such as [[image:http://assets.techsmith.com/images/content/mkt-product-camtasia/produce-formats.png width="334" height="193" align="right" link="@http://assets.techsmith.com/images/content/mkt-product-camtasia/title-clips.png"]]
 * MP4/FLV/SWF - Flash player compatible
 * M4V for iPad/iPod/iPhone/iTunes
 * AVI for CD/DVD/lossless export
 * Silverlight-compatible WMV
 * MOV for QuickTime
 * RM - RealMedia
 * Animated GIF
 * MP3 - Audio only
 * Videos can be embedded in a website or CMS where is can be downloaded
 * Videos can be turned into podcasts and distributed through iTunes.

Best Practices
Creating a Camtasia presentation requires planning. A storyboard and an outline are important to ensure that you remember content. Also, practice your voice--don't make it soud like you are reading, but more like a live performance. Additionally, practice moving the cursor or opening applications so that they appear in the recording area and practice getting the location of the recording window, browser, or the program right where you want.
 * Before starting a recording--be prepared**

A one-minute video can take two or three minutes to make for an experienced user, while a beginner might need 30 minutes or longer to get it right. One member of our group took a lot longer than that, as the software was not stable and kept freezing and crashing.
 * Be patient**

Try to avoid movements of head and body. Minimize movements in a video.Movements require bigger file-sizes to be shown clearly in a video Speak slowly and clearly.
 * Relax when recording**

When working with video, you can expect large file sizes. Camtasia can produce videos in many different formats. The student’s internet connection/speed and the desired quality of video is essential for these settings. You can create videos in many different formats. Adobe Flash is generally a good option that provides reasonable quality audio / video, cross-platform support, and a free media player that can be viewed in most browsers, but cannot be watched on iPhone and iPad. A Camtasia video can be produced in the following formats: Flash movie (Swf), Flash video (Flv), Quick Time movie (Mov), Windows Media (WMV), Real Media (Rm), Camtasia for RealPlayer streaming media (Camv), Animated GIF (. Gif), and M4V for iPods and iPhones.
 * Know your file types and file formats**

What sizes will you record: the full screen or part of it?
 * Know your working area**

Rate of audio and sound are factors have influence of the quality of the video. A bigger file-size means not necessarily higher quality, there are different audio and video settings to keep the file-size down. Video files are usually large and with sound files they will of course be larger than without additional sound. Use only the area of the screen which is the minimum size required to make a presentation. If you record large areas of the screen, the file size will increase a lot. Below is a list of approximate file sizes for different recordings of the screen. Sizes are for five -minute videos, with sound in four of them.
 * File sizes**

(no audio) || 300 x 500 || 600 x 1000 || 300 x 500 high motion || Sampling rate of audio and video are elements having influence of the quality of video. A large file-size means not necessarily better video quality. Varying the audio and video settings can keep the file size down. If you are using a webcam or external video, default sample rate must be kept, but if you are just recording pictures on your screen, Camtasia will record the screen using 15 frames per second as default. By reduce the frame rate to five frames per second, the file size will be halved.
 * || 300 x 500
 * AVI (.avi) || 15MB || 18MB || 25MB || 63MB ||
 * QuickTime (.mov) || 18MB || 25MB || 30MB || 33MB ||
 * Real Media (.rm) || 8MB || 10MB || 14MB || 10MB ||
 * Windows Media (.wmv) || 3MB || 5MB || 8MB || 3MB ||
 * Flash Player (.swf) || 2MB || 3MB || 4MB || 12MB ||
 * Animated GIF (.gif) no audio || 1MB || 1MB || 1MB || 10MB ||

Since Camtasia records images on the screen, you would want to remove distractions.
 * Distractions**
 * clean up your toolbars, browsers, and desktop icons;
 * turn off pop-ups in your browser;
 * use a neutral and simple wallpaper on your computer;
 * cursor movement can sometimes be erratic, so practice using the mouse in slow, fluid movements.


 * Others**
 * Use a USB microphone, not analog, to ensure high quality sound
 * Ensure that your computer is grounded while recording. If it is not, then you may get a humming/buzzing sound in the background that caused by electricity. It took one group member many hours to figure out what the humming/buzzing was being caused by.)


 * Cautions**
 * no fix for corrupt transitions or titile pages: you must find them and delete them--this causes your video not to play in the preview window.
 * no fix for if Camtasia does not work properly with dual monitors.

Free and/or Cheaper Alternatives
Screencasting is a good way to communicate with others, but it is important to choose the software that fits your specific needs and budget. The table below highlights some popular screencasting programs, along with their main features.

Additional information or programs that are not mentioned in the table above are mentioned below.

Camtasia
 * education pricing is available $179.00USD for Windows
 * $99.00USD for Mac
 * Mac edition is not a feature rich and stable as the Windows edition--the Windows version is 7.1 and the Mac version is 2.0.
 * 30 day free trial available for Mac and Windows
 * rich editing functionalities
 * output now includes: .mov, wmv, .flv, .swf, .avi

CamStudio
 * free open source
 * lacks robust editing functions and annotation functions
 * exports to .avi and .swf
 * Windows only
 * high frame rate (fps)
 * not updated for a long time

Jing
 * even though it has a limited screen recording package, it is one of the most powerful simple free products available
 * exports to .png and .swf, not just .swf

Snagit
 * education pricing: $29.95 USD
 * cheaper version of Camtasia, but more robust than Jing, produced by Techsmith
 * Mac and Windows

ScreenR
 * free web-based service, offered by Articulate
 * no software installation necessary
 * lacks editing features
 * maximum recording time is 5 minutes

Screenflick
 * $29USD, they have increased their price
 * Mac only

Expression Encoder 4, free version
 * Microsoft Windows software that is offered in both free and professional versions (price range from $199 to $599 USD)
 * free version has a maximum recording time of 10 minutes
 * exports to .wmv and IIS

Screen-o-Matic
 * Windows, Mac, Linux
 * no installation required
 * exports to MP4, AVI, FLV
 * low frame rate (fps) and so not the best choice for fast motion video
 * not suitable for editing
 * free (watermark, 15 minutes max, no editing) or Pro edition $12USD/year

Camtasia Weakness

 * Does not support MTS-files or high-definition MPEG transport stream video format (commonly called "AVCHD) used by Canon, Sony, Panasonic, and other HD camcorders
 * Cost is quite high
 * Low to middle capture rate so the quality is not very good for recording fast motion video
 * Mac edition is not as feature rich and stable as the Windows edition
 * Final video can be quite large and it takes up a lot of CPU
 * Program is still unstable--it easily freezes or crashes, and your computer will require a reboot.

FastTrack
The FastTrack iTunes app can make learning Camtasia Studio easy on your iPad, within FastTrack, you can:
 * Watch 16 tutorial videos, even when offline
 * Search for keywords
 * Read the video transcripts
 * Provide feedback
 * Open a web browser to view online tutorials
 * Note: you can't create videos with this app, only watch tutorial videos