Podcast pre-labs for enhanced learning with Dr Roy Lowry

Dr Roy Lowry vodcating, a photo by foto_mania on Flickr.

I spent a few hours this afternoon with Dr Roy Lowry, helping with the initial set up and positioning of equipment for a trial run of podcasting/vodcasting. Further details are provided in his recently awarded Teaching Fellowship, for which Dr Neil Witt and myself are listed as supporting staff. Dr Lowry wanted to not only produce a set of pre-laboratory podcasts to enhance teaching and learning, but also demonstrate how easily other teaching staff could achieve this using freely available (existing equipment) from our campus media services.

This set up includes a standard MiniDV camcorder (of course the SD card or hard drive variety can be used). To simplify recording a mini-tripod was used so both presenter and equipment could be captured consistently. The laptop was used as an auto cue, providing prompts. Footage from both apparatus and presenter would be interwoven in editing software later. A very successful first attempt...I think the pictures speak for themselves!

Easy PowerPoint to Video using Office 2010

I recently downloaded a trial version of Microsoft Office 2010 to test out the features in PowerPoint as I wanted to investigate if/how easy it was to create a video with narration for teaching and learning purposes. In comparison with Office 2007 this is extremely simple to achieve. 2010 has the ability so simultaneously record a pseudo-laser pointer, narration, animations and slide timings all in one go.

Here are the steps (also demonstrated in the video below):

• create your powerpoint as if you were taking a class (Tip: use larger fonts and images - easier for viewing on portable devices.)
• Plug in your headset with microphone (Tip: the quality of the microphone makes all the difference).
• Go to the Slide Show tab, then either rehearse the timing with voice or select 'Record Slide Show - Start Recording from Beginning'. Select your options in the popup then... (You are recording!)

• Speak into the microphone and move through the pages as normal (Tip: use the mouse, as this also allows you to CTRL + left mouse click to show the laser pointer dot, as shown)

Laser pointer dot shown next to

'Site Feed'

• When complete, press 'Escape' wait while it momentarily organises the data.
• Then create the video by going to Save & Send, which is found under file menu. Select the 'Create a Video' option as shown below. Leave settings as standard, but note there are other video options depending on your needs. All done!

N.B. Don't forget to also save your presentation if you need to come back and make changes.

Microsoft have a guide on recording audio.

Watch the video of how it was done! (including sound)

View on YouTube - note that the video quality starts in standard low resolution quality, HD is also available. Use the expand button to watch full screen (the four arrows - bottom right)

New - Also available on iTunesU

Hope you find this useful...

Adding narration to your PowerPoint 2007 slideshow and outputing to video

This is probably common knowledge but I thought I would blog this very easy way of getting your voice onto a PowerPoint presentation.

The completed presentation (if packaged as a 'PowerPoint Slide Show file) can be distributed and played on any PC.  So how does this work? Well as the user records their voice and moves through the slides, all the information is cleverly recoded including the timings of each slide. This process can be done in the comfort of your office but I expect the braver lecturers may try this during an actual lecture (just dont forget to save the file afterwards - and take a blank large capacity USB memory stick with you...) From a student/staff usability point of view this is the easiest way of viewing past lectures.

How do I make a presentation with narration?

• Create your presentation (all slides) first (N.B. its useful to add cue points - numbers or symbols to areas on the slides as the mouse movements are not saved).
• Obtain a good microphone/headset (you can actually hear your voice through the headset, which helps you get the intonation right) - ensure the microphone works on your PC first!.
• Go to the Slide Show tab as if you were giving a presentation.
• Ether rehearse the timings or go for the riskier option of doing it in one go...
• After selecting the 'Record Narration' button, you are then shown the following window:

Select image to enlarge.

Note the 'quality setting' is the default shown on my PC, it may vary on yours depending on your software. Its usually good enough to leave as default, as you are only recording voice.  However if you are not happy with the quality try changing the 'attributes' drop down menu.  (N.B. Selecting a higher kHz settings means better quality, however, the higher the quality the larger the final file size!)  A cheap microphone or holding it too close to your mouth will cause distortions or breath noises, so be aware.

• Select 'Set Microphone Level' option as shown above. This is the best way to ensure the microphone is working and allows the software to automatically set the input volume based on your voice (speak during this part to get the levels...)

• Select OK and you're live and recording!
• The presentation will run as normal, just speak freely into the microphone about each slide and let the software do the rest of the work for you.  The timings of the slides are also recorded, but unfortunately it is not possible to see the mouse movement.  Remember this omission while talking ensuring your potential audience is guided verbally to each part of the slide.
• Once complete, simply press the Esc (Escape) key relieving a pop-up window. 
• Only select SAVE if you are happy with the voice recordings and this will automatically be added to all your slides (note the little loudspeaker icon - bottom right of each slide -).

You are now able to play back the presentation and hear your narration. If you are still happy with the result the next step is to package as a PowerPoint Slide Show file. You are then ready to distribute to your students (e.g. on your module page):

So how do I get this into a video format?
This is the tricky part, as there is no option built into Office 2007 to do this...(this option is only available to Office 2010 users, outputting to a Windows Media Video WMV file). One suggestion is to use one of the many pay for software options that are designed to do this (somewhat costly!) for example powerpoint-to-dvd.org provides examples.

Using a screen grab software could work...
An alternative is to record the PowerPoint Show in real-time using a screen grab software. CAMstudio (freeware) is a fairly good one, also mentioned on fellow learning technologist Edd Boulton's blog.  As with most free software it is not without its limitations in video file format.  The principle is to select your screen area with the capture software, run the PowerPoint while recording with the capture software.  The capture software then saves this as a video.

YouTube Video Editor part 2

Thought I would throw in this quick update about the YouTube online editor. This is in addition to my previous post while in Beta testing. Users with YouTube accounts will now notice that the Video Editor tab appears at the top, rather than manually typing in the URL.

Notable changes:

• There is no longer a limit of 7 clips.
• There are a set of 3 simple transitions cross-fade, wipe and slide. (cross-fade is my personal favourite for a more professional touch)
• Preview playback is extremely grainy, but the final output will be as good as the original quality.
• Moving the preview playback slider is very dependant on network speed, typically you have to watch all the way through to see if transitions and video work...

Select image to enlarge

It's a very simple process of drop and drag, items can be easily removed by simply using the 'X' on each of the transition or video objects.  Notably adding the music will still prevent the user from downloading the MP4 file later, so if you intend using your completed file elsewhere it is preferable to add music or additional sound using an offline package later. Hopefully YouTube will add the option to upload your own sound files in the future and then allow MP4 downloads.

 The MP4 download option can be found as shown (from the 'My Videos' area):

A word of warning, if you get too carried away you may find that the Download MP4 option disappears from the drop down menu, usually it warns you that the option is 'currently not available'.  So what happens? Essentially there is a limit of two MP4 downloads per hour as described in the YouTube help, so choose your downloads well...  If you need more, just come back later...

Overall, a very handy simple, quick and free video editor that will suit most peoples requirements for simple educational videos. As YouTube also hosts your videos (for free) all videos can also be easily embedded into online resources. Thank you YouTube and keep up the good work.

Podcasting gets a mention in TEL News

Further to my post on May on Pod/Vodcasting, the TEL team brings you a FULL guide to podcasting!

Podcasting and Vodcasting: what's it all about?

As the University is going to introduce iTunes U, I thought it appropriate to write a piece on Podcasts and Vodcasts in preparation.

What are they?
Podcasts and Vodcasts (Video Podcast) are essentially any audio and or video media files that can be accessed on the web or loaded onto portable devices. They are typically used (in academia) to communicate factual information.

Any good for teaching and learning?
Yes, if done properly, students could listen to relevant audio and or video that link into their programmes and modules. Think of them as audio books and or video documentaries to aid and enhance learning.

What devices can play podcast and vodcasts?
Commonly termed the ('pod'-[broad]cast) were originally named after the Apple iPod. These days they can be played on most MP3 players (digital audio players), portable video devices or even mobile phones with built in player capabilities.

How do I create my own?
There is plenty of software on the web that allows users to create audio and or video content. Software however costs money, something that academia does not always have. Freely available software goes someway to solving this problem. Here is a brief list of possibilities (for MS Windows users):

Audio: Microsoft (MS) Sound Recorder (it comes with your (XP) operating system). Want more sophistication? What about Audacity (with a decent microphone simply record your voice and edit the bits out you don't like.)
Video: A webcam, camcorder or equivalent electronic device could be used to capture the video, but what next, what about the editing? How about Microsoft (MS) Movie Maker (it comes with your operating system, its free and allows simple video editing)

How do I prepare these for Podcasts or Vodcasts?
This is probably the trickiest part for most. Essentially, Podcasts created as MP3s and Vodcasts created in MP4 are compatible with iTunes. So we have two problems, the out put from MS Sound Recoder is in WAV format and MS movie maker creates files in AVI format, which is not compatible. These need to be converted into either .mov or .MP4 formats (to name a couple) which are compatible with iTunes.
I have stumbled over a simple one click solution that processes videos or audio very quickly. Im still testing this myself at the moment, so try these with care. The software is from the 'One-Click Video Converter Series' from Polaris-Software.com. Similar to other one click solutions on the web, but so far this seems to be the easiest (free) ones to use. Download either the 'Free WAV to MP3 Converter' and or 'One-Click Video to MP4 Converter', install (ignore any website pop-up adverts) Add the video file or sound (to the respective software) and select convert - it chugs away and creates an MP3 or MP4, that's it!

What about online editors? (updated content)
There are other ways to edit, YouTube includes a simple editing facility. There is also an option to set your videos to private, so you can edit in your own time. Completed videos can then be downloaded in MP4 so its in the right format for use on iTunes or even portable devices that support this format! All your editing and converting is done in a web browser, the editor is very basic but it allows simple drop and drag of each video you have uploaded, to make one single video. I think ultimately, software such as MS Movioe Maker could be used to create the video (podcast) and YouTube a way of converting to MP4.