Wednesday, September 30, 2009

My Latest Screencast Video

I started a new video series on ShowMeDo for videos intended for my Introduction to Unix class.  I posted the first one yesterday.  It has really basic Unix stuff. These videos will be available too late to be a benefit much this semester, but will be available for next time.   I decided to post these videos to ShowMeDo, instead of K-State Online so that other people can view and give some constructive feedback.

From a screencasting perspective, it was some firsts for me.
  1. First time to produce a screencast recorded on Linux using RecordMyDesktop, although I did get the bugs worked out on that a couple weeks ago.
  2. First screencast to zoom in on portions of the screen.
  3. First screencasts with lots of call outs - highlighting and text

The Good:
1.  The technical aspects of the recording the audio were good.
I recorded the audio at home, where there is less background noise than anywhere I've found at work. Being in a quiet place seems to be really important. I also used the newer version of Audacity and have now figured out the microphone placement of my new mic.
2.  The Zoom and Call Outs make it fairly clear.

3.  I'm very pleased about being able to record the video in Linux and then edit the video with Camtasia Studio.


The Bad:

1.  I spent way too much time editing it.

I was going to record the audio from a script, while doing the video.  But I can't seem to do that very yet.  If   just do it off-the cuff with no script, I can record audio and do the video at the same time .  But it ends up being long and has lots of "ums" and "ahs".  If I read a script while trying to do the video, I tend do one or the other.  To keep the video shorter, I want to have audio going while I'm typing on the computer.  So, I ended up recording the audio separate again.  Since most of the video was just typing in the shell, I did zooms between two shell windows.  But it took a really long time to edit it.

I MUST cut my production time down!  As a teacher doing 4 classes, I just can't afford to spend about a day and a half to make a video for one lesson.  More experience with the editor will help.  Maybe I can also make the recording so that less editing is needed.

2.  I'm not very good at using call outs and zooms in Camtasia Studio.

3.  I had a cold about a week ago and still sound a little nasal.

Next Time:

I want to try something different that might help cut down on the editing.  I'll record the audio and video together and go back and forth between speaking and operating the computer.  I'm hoping that I can cut out the dead audio and slide it to while I'm operating the computer and then trim out the video recorded while I was speaking.


Get the Flash Player to see this movie.


Link to the ShowMeDo Video page

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Why I'm Excited About Educational Video

Many of you know that I've been talking and thinking a lot about screencasting lately.  A screencast is a video where the visual component is recorded direct from the computer's screen and has an audio narration.  Screencasts are great for demonstrating how to do something on a computer -- even a slide presentation, as long as each video is restricted to covering one topic.  The scope of this discussion can be extended to educational video in general because some topics would be taught better using a digital camcorder rather than a computer.

In the last year, I have started to think that video is not only an appropriate tool for online courses, but also has significant benefit to normal classroom courses.  True, it can be time consuming to produce video.  But with practice, it gets easier.  I encourage educators at all levels to give it a try.  Your videos can be re-used in future semesters and in time, you will have a nice collection of videos.

Here are three reasons why I feel that video should be a key component of our educational strategy.

1. Video Teaches!

In a video that demonstrates how to do something, no detail is too small.  You see exactly what was done.  Video is the next best thing to having an expert sitting beside you.  Different people have different small points that hold them back from fully understanding, but seeing something done, step by step, as you watch fills in each person's own missing information.

Because I teach computer programming, I have watched several videos on the ShowMeDo http://showmedo.com web site.  I notice that when I watch a screencast video, I pick up on subtle issues that I was missing from the books.

I taught my first online class during the Summer of 2008.  I gave the students written instructions on how to install a program that they would need.  One student reported that the installation instructions did not work.  We e-mailed back and forth several times to no avail.  I could not figure out what she was missing and she just could not get it to work.  So eventually, she decided to drive to Salina to meet with me in person (about a 40 minute drive one way).  We went to a lab machine where we could install it from step one.  Very shortly into the install, I did a step that seemed so basic to me that I didn't even mention it.  She immediately stopped me and quizzed me about what I had just done.  This would not have been an issue if I had done a video demonstrating the installation, instead of giving written instructions.

2. Video Complements Other Instructional Media

You may wonder if this is just the latest education craze, which will only serve to “dummy down” education and spoon feed course material to kids that are too lazy to read the book.  It is true that video seems to be a media that millennial generation students want.  World wide, YouTube is second only to Google in term of search requests on the Internet.  Video carries a certain entertainment appeal factor that helps make it one of the first sources of information that students turn to.  However, the benefits and appeal of video extend to students from all age groups.  Video can serve as one of three important sources of information to students along with in-person, class room instruction and written material, such as a text book.

The traditional classroom lecture is under attach these days by our education experts.  It is viewed as an outdated mode of instruction with little appeal to the millennial generation.  Young people want “active learning”, so that they can participate in the discussion rather than receive a one way flow of information from the professor.  That's all well and good, except sometimes the material is fairly technical, and the students need to be taught.  They don't understand the material, but the teacher does, so they would much rather listen to the teacher than the “clueless know it all” sitting next to them.  Video affords an additional channel for that one way flow of instruction, which from time to time is needed.  Video is not being pitched as a replacement for teaching and answering questions in person.  But it can supplement and reiterate complex material and even reduce the need to lecture as much, which will allow more time for discussion.

One of the appealing factors of video is that it offers a less intimidating way to get started studying.  All students struggle from time to time with getting started.  If a video is available, it will seem easy and relaxing to the student to begin by watching a video.  When they view the video, they will see what they need to do and will have less anxiety about working on the assignments; or they may think of a question and start going through the text book or online written material searching for an answer and taking notes.  Additionally, some appealing factors of video include that it is always available; it offers a self service mechanism to receiving instruction, which for timid students can help remove barriers to learning; it can also be viewed multiple times as needed.

3. The technology required to successfully use video is finally here!

This includes the technology for teachers to easily use relatively inexpensive equipment and software to produce video, the streaming media web servers to distribute videos, and the overall Internet bandwidth which is need to support streaming video.  To start learning how to produce screencast video, see The Screencasting Handbook and associated Screencasting Google Group, which Ian Ozsvald started.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

My Video about Microphones

Sometimes the stuff you do that is least technical gets the most publicity. That seems to be the case of my recent video on Microphones for Screencasting. Based on discussion from the ScreenCasting Handbook Google Group and from ShowMedo, I decided that I needed to buy a better microphone for screencasting.  With prompting from Ian Ozsvald, I decided to make a short video highlighting the differences between low cost microphones.  So I borrowed a microphone from a colleague that was in between my old, bad microphone and my new, pretty good microphone and made a video.

Since making the Video, I discovered that the newer version of Audacity has a better noise removal tool, which would have done a better job than the one used in the video.  My voice is somewhat low and since my new microphone has a much better frequency response, so it with the noise removal tool it has some echo sound and sounds too low in places. 

I've been getting lots of good comments on my ShowMeDo posting, so I decided for fun to also post it on YouTube, to see if anyone notices it.  Here it is, my first video posted to YouTube ...




As part of the discussion about Audio in the ScreenCasting Google Group, Ian decided to also post one of my videos. It is a slightly more technical video. My new microphone is used to record it. I sure wish I had used the later version of Audacity to remove the noise.   He is also going to post another version of the same content, which has really bad audio and is just all around, not as good.  Glad he likes my new one, but it's a little funny having the other video pointed out as an example of what not to do.  I don't mind though, if it can help others learn about how to produce good screencasts.  So here is my second YouTube Video.

Monday, September 14, 2009

We Need a Video Tutoring Web Site

I am currently investigating development of a grant proposal. Possibly to the NSF regarding their program titled “Moving Forward To Improve Engineering Education” (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsb07122/nsb07122.pdf). Although, our ace librarian says that other sources may be easier.

I would like to develop a tutoring web site featuring mostly videos of how to do various academic tasks. To illustrate this concept, the following are examples of the type of videos or written notes that could be found on this site:
  • How to convert numbers between binary and decimal
  • How to connect to a database in Java, Python or C++
  • How to write Unix shell scripts
  • How to site references in a paper
  • How to factor a polynomial
  • How to use matrix arithmetic to solve a system of simultaneous equations
  • How to prepare a resume
  • How to use research databases available from the library
  • How to bias a transistor
  • How to program a PLC
  • How to operate surveying equipment
Struggling students could look at these videos as a form of tutoring. This concept is inspired with the knowledge that current students tend to be visual learners that desire video to help them learn, but few educational video resources are available. An existing model of this type of web site, but with a more narrow focus is ShowMeDo.com.

Having such a resource would be an asset to K-State at Salina's recruiting and retention efforts. It would also help the faculty to develop resources to assist in their teaching and for possible online delivery of some classes.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Welcome


My friend and colleague Bill Genereux has been telling me for a long time that I need write a blog about what I do, so here it is.

My plan is to blog about the following topics as time permits:
  • Python
  • Unix / Linux
  • Screencasting
  • Computer Science Education
  • Anything Open Source

Some other sites that I post to in one form or another are:
I chose the name Open Source on the Prairie because the main topics I plan to blog about fall in the category of Open Source and I do live on what could be considered the prairie.  But, it is only when I travel and drive through the country side that I am reminded of what this land must have been like just 150 years ago when mostly Buffalo roamed the grassy land.  It is true that there are not as many technical computer folk out here on the prairie as other parts of the world, but there are a few of us.  Sometimes, though I get the feeling that I'm the only one out here that actually likes using Unix / Linux.