stuff

Screenr Presentations

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One thing that I have been doing for years is using Keynote on the Mac to create videos of presentations that I have given. What I do is use Keynote to present, and record that presentation. Keynote then allows me to export my presentation (complete with transitions, animations and videos) with my recorded narration as a complete video file. I can then take this video and export it for any other device that I need to use it on.

I did this initially at the first JISC Online Conference back in 2006, I have since then used it with various presentations, such as this presentation at the MIMAS Mobile Learning Event.

I haven’t really promoted this process in the college as it really does require that you use a Mac and use Keynote. As with most FE Colleges we use in our classrooms, Windows PCs and Microsoft PowerPoint.

Though I have found and see many applications which convert PowerPoint presentations into Flash animations, they were difficult to use with a live presentation, you needed to record individual audio files for each slide, or time each slide accurately to a recorded narration for the whole presentation. It was a bit of a challenge and not really a practical proposition for a typical classroom teacher.

So though Keynote could do it, I hadn’t really seen a possibility that could work until Ron Mitchell made a comment at a MoLeNET meeting about doing all the above using Screenr.

So what is Screenr?

Screenr is a web service that allows you to make screencasts quickly and easily, then have them posted to the web.

Once on the web, you can either share the URL, put it in an e-mail for example, or on Twitter.

You can embed the video into a webpage on a website or on a VLE. This is in the Flash format. What about if you have a smartphone or an iPhone, well Screenr ensures that the video is available in an MP4 format which will play on the iPhone, other smartphones and internet capable video devices.

Screenr also allows you to share your video on YouTube.

Finally one useful aspect is that you can download the video as an MP4 file. This can then be embedded into a PowerPoint presentation. You can also import this video file into iMovie and edit it, add titles, other video, to create a new video. If you have the appropriate MP4 codec on your Windows PC you can import it into Windows Movie Maker and do something similar.

So what you would do is as follows:

  • Start Screenr capturing your screen (full size screen).
  • Start your PowerPoint presentation.
  • Deliver your presentation.
  • Stop Screenr.

Screenr will then take the video of the presentation, combine it with a recording of the presentation and convert it into a video file, before posting it on the web.

You can then do as I said above, embed it in the VLE, share the URL via e-mail, allow learners to see it on an iPhone, or download the video in MP4 format to do other stuff with it.

One note though is that the service works basically with a Twitter account. You don’t need to use the Twitter account, but just thought I would point it out. For an alternative look at ScreenToaster which doesn’t require Twitter and has a 20MB limit (as opposed to a time limit).

Five minute limit

Yes there is one big problem with Screenr and that is the five minute limit!

The only real solution (apart from using other tools) would be to create lots of five minute presentations instead.

What I like about Screenr over other similar tools (like Jing) is that it doesn’t require you to download an application or install anything. Go to the website, click create screencast and then everything is simple after that. That means it is practical to use it in a classroom situation to record a presentation, as you don’t need to install an application on every computer in every classroom. One note though, if you want decent audio, then you may want to consider how you will capture that audio in the classroom.

I recently discussed screencasting on an e-Learning Stuff podcast.

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e-Learning Stuff Podcast #066: Screencasting

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So what is screencasting, what can you do with screencasting, what tools are there for screencasting, top tips on making screencasts and delivery of your screencasts. James talks with Zak and Gavin from JISC Digital Media on screencasting.

With James Clay, Zak Mensah and Gavin Brockis.

This is the sixty sixth e-Learning Stuff Podcast, Screencasting.

Download the podcast in mp3 format: Screencasting.

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes

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stuff

Augmented Reality, now here’s an idea…

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I saw this augmented reality video earlier today about using a “kinect” style setup with Lego.

Reflecting on watching it, though it’s about Lego, it certainly started to make me think about AR scenarios for education using a similar setup.

Science experiments that you couldn’t normally do at a desk as too dangerous could suddenly become possible.

Electrical circuits without needing batteries or fused components.

Economic models with cards to represent different parts of the economy.

Not sure at this time how you would configure a classroom to contain this technology, but certainly it has potential.

So do you have ideas how this technology could be used?

blog, blogging, conference, jiscel10

You’ve been quiet!

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Regular readers of the blog will have noticed that things have been a little quieter than usual with me posting a lot less.

The main reason for this is that I have for the last week been attending the JISC Innovating e-Learning Online Conference 2010 which has been taking place in… well online as you might expect. I am going to write a more evaluative piece on the conference later.

I was the conference blogger at the conference so as a result I was posting a lot of blog entries there instead of here… Most of the blog entries on the conference blog (which is not available to non-delegates) were about the conference itself, however some were on more general web and e-learning issues. These will be expanded upon and published later on this blog – so you won’t miss out.

Running a conference blog has been fun, if exhausting, but I’ve had a lot of nice positive comments back from people, so well worthwhile.

A conference blog is something that you sometimes you see at other conferences, but I certainly would recommend that other conference organisers think about having a conference blog for their conferences.

apple

Think Different

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Steve Jobs for Fortune magazine

Steve Jobs has spoken and written at various times about design and innovation.

What can we learn from people like Steve Jobs and companies like Apple?

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.

Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.

Apple are an innovative company in terms of taking existing products and ideas and turning them into success stories. There were mp3 players before the iPod, but the iPod has become the ubiquitous music player. However how many out there remember the Cube? Though thought as a wonderful piece of technology design, however as a product success. There was also the iPod HiFi which failed miserably.

When we talk about innovation in education there is often an assumption that innovative practice has to always result in success. However innovation in education (as with technology and business)  means taking risks and management need to be aware that innovation is risky. However management are not the only group that need to know this, learners need to be aware of the risks of innovation too. They need to be aware but also be aware that the process of innovation is one that contributes to their learning and does not impair their learning.

Another quote from Steve

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

For many people the reason they like products like the iPad the iPhone is not the way it looks or even the functionality, but the way it works for them and meeting their needs. I know that for example that the Galaxy Tab has a camera, but the user interface on the iPad and the way it works, works for me.

When we design courses and educational materials, too often we focus on how it looks and how it makes people feel. We maybe should be concentrating on the way it works.

You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.

It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.

Both of these quotes from Steve demonstrate the risk you take by (just) asking customers and building what they want, and the importance of showing end products.

It is important that we listen to the Learner Voice and the student surveys that organisations like JISC and the NUS have done. However we must ensure that these feed into our course design and delivery rather than lead them. Learners come to institutions to learn, if you ask them what they want then by the time you have got there, they’ll want something new and different and you will need to start again. Likewise  if we can show learners course design and delivery they may decide that this is more what they need than if you just ask them. Two examples come to mind, if you ask learners before the come to college whether they want to use wikis and discussion forums, unless they have used them before I suspect that most learners will say no. Show them how wikis and discussion forums can be used for learning and they may then want to use them. One question though, how do we design our courses and delivery systems?

app of the week, ipad

Strip Designer – iPad App of the Week

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Strip Designer – iPad App of the Week

This is a regular feature of the blog looking at the various iPhone and iPad Apps available. Some of the apps will be useful for those involved in learning technologies, others will be useful in improving the way in which you work, whilst a few will be just plain fun! Some will be free, others will cost a little and one or two will be what some will think is quite expensive.

This week’s App is Strip Designer.

Be creative. Create your own personal comic book strips using photos from your photo album or iPhone camera.

Start by selecting one of the many included strip templates. Add photos to the cells. Position, scale and rotate the photos freely within the cells. Move, resize, and rotate cells to create your own personal layout.

Add text balloons, and position them on your photos. Choose font, color, opacity and text-size.
Add stickers with cartoon exclamations to spice up your stories.

While you work, you can freely pan and zoom to control even the smallest details.

Paint on photos or draw your own cells from scratch. Create masked images (“cutouts”) using photos from your photo-album, and position them anywhere on the strip.

Once you have finished your masterpiece you can save it to your photo album, email it to your friends, upload it to Facebook or Flickr, or create a Tweet with Twitter and Twitpic.

£1.79

Haven’t you done this one before?

Well yes…. though then I was reviewing the iPhone version of the app and was the first app I reviewed for the blog.

Since then Vivid Apps have made the app universal which means the app will work either on the iPhone or natively on the iPad.

Though I liked the iPhone version

Overall the app works very well, but as with any comic app, the key is the thought and planning that goes into the comic design process and writing before you even open the app. That is something to consider if you want your learners to create a comic as part of a learning activity.

Since I got my iPad I have been thinking that the larger screen would be great for creating comics, so the other day I did some searching and was pleased to find that Strip Designer was now universal (missed that somehow in the updates).

So how does the app work?

Well just like the iPhone version you start off with a blank canvas onto which you can place photographs.

There are various templates available.

Actually there are lots of templates available, you are bound to find what you need for whatever project you are working on. From a whole page, or a small strip, or a single frame, there are a lot of choices from which to choose. I was quite impressed with the range of templates and could see how I could fit them into the various ideas I had for making comics.

The app uses photos from your photo album, of course without the camera this means you do need to plan in advance or use the camera adapter and import photos direct into the iPad. The camera adapter certainly makes this app much more useful in a classroom situation as if you were using iPads in the classroom it is unlikely that you could sync the iPad with iTunes to get your photographs in from iPhoto.

Another way of getting images would be by “downloading” creative commons licensed images from Flickr or similar. These could then be imported into Strip Designer. You can resize images and move them about.

After placing the images you can add text, speech balloons and cartoon style “stickers”.

Alas you can’t create new stickers and are restricted by what’s available in the app. This is a pity.

There are  various export options, either save to the iPad, e-mail or send to your favourite social networking site.

You can save the image and it will be of high enough quality to print, this one I made I have had to make smaller to fit on the blog!

One of the criticisms I would make that is though there are “filters” for the photographs these are standard photography filters and none that I would say could be used to comicfy your photographs.

One of the things I like about Comic Life app (for Mac and Windows) is that you can comicfy photographs. So if that is the effect you are looking for then you will need to get another app to do that and then import the images into Strip Designer. However if you are happy using “real” photographs then this app is great for that.

Comics have plenty of scope for enhancing learning or for learners to create their own comics to demonstrate their understanding. As I said when I reviewed the iPhone version, overall the app works very well, but as with any comic app, the key is the thought and planning that goes into the comic design process and writing before you even open the app. That is something to consider if you want your learners to create a comic as part of a learning activity.

podcast

e-Learning Stuff Podcast #065: Have you got a digital fingerprint?

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James chats with Dr Bex Lewis, Blended Learning Fellow from the University of Winchester about her work and social media.

With James Clay and Dr Bex Lewis

This is the sixty fifth e-Learning Stuff Podcast, Have you got a digital fingerprint?

Download the podcast in mp3 format: Have you got a digital fingerprint?

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

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100 ways, vle

100 ways to use a VLE – #58 Uploading a Word Document

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Now before you read this blog post go and read this one. Update: Alas the blog post has been deleted…

Uploaded documents consistently create more workload. So why is it that staff are encouraged to waste their time by uploading documents and then, at a later point, are expected to invest even more time into re-learning processes for doing roughly the same thing only more efficiently? Promoting the uploading of documents as a basic skill really drives me nuts! There, I’ve said it. And I am not going to apologise for doing so. Technology should save people time and not create even more work. And it is far harder to unlearn bad habits than it is to learn good habits in the first place!

Also check out the comments.

There is a very valid argument against uploading Word documents to the VLE. It does make much more sense if you need to add text to a course that you add it direct to the VLE. This makes sense from the learner’s perspective, they don’t need to have Word, they don’t need to download and open the file. If a Word document contains links this can cause issues to the learner.

From a practitioner’s perspective it also makes sense, much easier to update text that’s already on the VLE, then find the original Word document, or download another copy from the VLE, upload and then ensure that the links back on the VLE now work okay.

So to summarise it actually makes much more sense to enter text direct onto the VLE than upload a Word document. It’s better for learners and better for practitioners.

However…

What is logical and rational isn’t necessarily always the best way forward for some practitioners, or benefits the learners.

I agree we should use text where text can be entered, however very few practitioners come to the VLE with a blank canvas of resources, they would have already made an investment (hopefully) in using the computer to use Word to create documents for assignments, handouts and briefings. In an ideal world it would be great that these were added to the VLE as text, however in an unideal world if uploaded to the VLE quickly and easily, for the practitioner they can see that their resources are now available to the learners, whilst for the learners they can now access those resources at a time and place to suit them. They will see the benefits of using the VLE, hopefully they will. Of course if does make sense to avoid this step if possible, but it’s not always possible. At this point, the training on in the future just using text and not Word documents should take place, hopefully avoiding some of the problems noted in the linked blog post.

However…

Sometimes using a Word document actually can make much more sense then using plain text.

Really?

Yes!

Sometimes there are features in Word (such as hotspots) that require the use of Word to use them effectively. Uploading an image or text to the VLE wouldn’t work, and not all practitioners have the skills to necessarily repurpose an interactive Word document using a tool such as Flash.

Sometimes you want learners to manipulate a Word document and again it makes sense to start from the Word document rather than a copy and paste. Learners working together on a collaborative document for example may prefer using Word, even over such tools as Google Docs or a wiki which make more technical sense. Using technology is not always about making the right technical choice, sometimes an emotional choice or preference can work for some learners.

At the end of the day it makes much more sense for practitioners to use plain text on the VLE rather than a Word document. It is more accessible, it is easier (in some respects), it is much much easier to update later or next year and of course remember not everyone has Word.

Photo source.

app of the week, ipad, iphone

Adobe Photoshop Express – iPhone App of the Week

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Adobe Photoshop Express – iPhone App of the Week

This is a regular feature of the blog looking at the various iPhone and iPad Apps available. Some of the apps will be useful for those involved in learning technologies, others will be useful in improving the way in which you work, whilst a few will be just plain fun! Some will be free, others will cost a little and one or two will be what some will think is quite expensive.

This week’s App is Adobe Photoshop Express.

Adobe Photoshop Express software lets you use simple gestures to quickly edit and share photos from your mobile device. Enjoy having your photo and video library right in your hand — without wasting your device’s valuable storage space.

Photoshop Express is a companion to Photoshop.com, your online photo sharing, editing, and hosting resource. Create a free Photoshop.com account to upload and store 2GB of photos and videos online.

HAVE FUN ON THE RUN

With Photoshop Express, it’s easy to improve your photos. Choose from a variety of one-touch effects, or simply drag your finger across the screen to crop, rotate, or adjust color. Add artistic filters like Soft Focus or Sketch. And never fear: You can undo and redo changes until you get just the look you want—a copy of your original file is always saved.

Top editing features:
• Basics: Crop, Straighten, Rotate, and Flip
• Color: Exposure, Saturation, Tint, Black and White, and Contrast
• Filters: Sketch, Soft Focus, and Sharpen
• Effects: Vibrant, Pop, Border, Vignette Blur, Warm Vintage, Rainbow, White Glow, and Soft Black and White
• Borders: Rectangle, Rounded, Oval, Soft Edge, Vignette, Rough Edge, Halftone, and Film Emulsion

SHOW ON THE GO

Photoshop Express lets you access your entire online photo and video library directly from your Photoshop.com account. Relive memories with your friends and family anytime, anywhere. Show off all your favorite photos and videos with instant slideshows. It’s like having thousands of photos and videos right in your pocket!

Free

I do quite like taking photographs and as a result I have bought a fair few photo apps for the iPhone and the iPad. The Adobe Photoshop Express app though having many features of other apps is free. So it is worth the money?

The app is designed for both the iPhone and the iPad.

As you have a camera on the iPhone it is (despite the small screen) a useful app for the iPhone, whilst the larger screen of the iPad makes it a a great app for that device.

Once you have got the photo into the application, either via camera or from your onboard photo collection there are various tools and filters you can use. You can crop, flip, rotate and straighten your image. Adjust the image colours, tones and exposure.

Add a variety of effects and borders, including sketch, vignette blur and white glow! Adding borders for example is quite simple, click and choose.

For some of the effects you can adjust the intensity, however for the built in effects like white glow, you have just the one built in effect, with no ability to go in and adjust. For this reason this may not be the app for you, if you like to apply and adjust effects on your photographs.

Once you have edited your image you can save it back to your iPhone or iPad. You can also upload direct to Facebook or if you have one your photoshop.com account.

Personally though the app has a lot of features, some of the effects are quite limited and not all can be “edited” to add a subtle effect. However this is a free app and for that reason if you are looking for a photo editing app for your iPad or iPhone then Adobe Photoshop Express certainly has the key features that you will need, is quite easy to use and will meet most people’s needs.

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