Engaging Digital Natives Beyond the Classroom

1. Engaging Digital Natives Beyond the Classroom Using Camtasia Studio to Enhance Learning Outcomes

2. Welcome & Introductions • Facilitators • What do you know about: • Screen recording, screencasting • Video editing, streaming • What do you know about Camtasia? CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

3. Digital Natives • Challenges of teaching students whose lives have always included the WWW and constant digital imagery • Connected • Creative • Expect education technology • Pay Attention CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

4. What is Camtasia Studio? • Camtasia Studio is a screen recorder and video editor that lets you easily render videos of your screen, voice, Microsoft PowerPoints, other audio and video tracks, and webcam video to create compelling instructional videos without ever leaving your desk. CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

5. Pedagogical Implications of Instructional Technology • What influence does technology and other factors have on learning outcomes? • What are the critical factors for effective instructional technology? • What are the potential impacts of instructional video on learning outcomes? • What are the potential curricular applications of instructional video? CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

6. What influence does technology and other factors have on learning outcomes? CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

7. What influence does technology and other factors have on learning outcomes? • Most meta-analyses of educational research that examine wide-scaled, controlled studies, conclude that if used appropriately technology can improve learning in the effect size range from .30 to .40 • (Kulik, 2002; Waxman, Connell, & Gray, 2002) • Effect sizes greater than .25 in educational research are considered statistically significant (Slavin) • Cohen, social science pioneer in the use of effect size considers .20 small, .50 moderate, and .80 large • Appropriate technology use can be very effective in increasing educational productivity CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

8. Critical Factors for Effective Instructional Technology • Sufficiently available technology support and maintenance; appropriate software • Technology use is linked to important educational learning expectations • Most important of all—teachers have the necessary skills and knowledge to effectively model and teach the use of technology • (Valdez, 2005) CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

9. Critical Factors for Educational Technology Effectiveness • Technology is treated as a tool to help accomplish complex tasks that engage students in extended learning (rather than a subject of study for its own sake) • Technology supports student performance of complex tasks that fill a genuine need of the student • Technology is integrated into activities that are a core part of the curriculum • (Means & Olson, 1997) CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

10. Critical Factors for Educational Technology Effectiveness • Single most important factor – The pedagogical knowledge and skill of the teacher in effective uses of technology in instruction • (Coppola, 2004) CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

11. What are the potential impacts of instructional video on learning outcomes? • Most online courses today lack creativity and/or interactivity when it comes to delivering instructional materials • Invoke learners to use their visual and auditory senses to enhance learning • Help learners understand complex concepts and procedures that are difficult to explain with simple text and graphics CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

12. What are the potential impacts of instructional video on learning outcomes? • By using visual and auditory messages, students can process the information quicker, which in turn, helps foster their learning acquisition of the material. • Convert tacit information or knowledge that may be too difficult to describe in text into an articulate, vivid description through the use of images. • Videos have visual appeal that can evoke emotional reactions from students that would help in increasing motivation CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

13. What are the potential curricular applications of instructional video? • Effectively present information • Lecture • Voice over PowerPoint • Picture-in-Picture PowerPoint • Explain complex concepts • Digitally written or drawn examples • Demonstrate technology applications • WWW applications, application training • Integrate commercial video clips CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

14. What are the potential curricular applications of instructional video? • Increase Interaction • Student to Content • Engage beyond static text and graphics • Chunk material for understanding • Assessment • Student to Teacher • Minimize the interaction gap lost from classroom • Student to Student • Demonstrate effective discussion forum CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

15. Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • What technical considerations should we make before beginning to develop instructional videos? • How will students access the videos? • Internet, CD, DVD • PC, handheld, iPod • What file formats and media players are best? • How can we minimize video file size and maximize access for our audience? CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

16. WWW or Streaming Media Servers Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • If students will access the video via the Internet we must consider bandwidth. CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

17. Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • Two types of video delivery that we will discuss. • Download-and-Play • Video Streaming CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

18. Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • Download and Play • Use Camtasia to render a Macromedia Flash (SWF/FLV) video file. • Compatible with most browsers, no additional software is needed • Ideal for screen recordings and short videos • Finished video file is loaded to FrontPage folder • Hyperlink on web page or in e-mail provides student access • Create a DVD-like menu with your flash video CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

19. Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • Streaming Video • Use Camtasia to render a Windows Media Video (WMV) file. • Requires Windows Media Player • Ideal for longer full-motion video • Video is stored on CSTL streaming media server • Hyperlink is provided on course web page or via e-mail • Streamed video is displayed as it is received. The video can start to display before the entire file has been transmitted. If for some reason the data stream is slowed or interrupted, the video will stop playing. • Network congestion and other problems are fairly common, and to help ameliorate the interruption of the data stream, buffering is implemented. CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

20. Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • Bandwidth constraints • Bandwidth is simply a measure of the amount of data that can be transmitted through a connection over a given amount of time. • Download-and-Play • Bandwidth determines the time it will take to download a Flash file • Network congestion more likely on web server • Video streaming • Bandwidth determines the rate the video will be buffered and whether there will be interruptions • Congestion or interruptions cause video to pause while it downloads buffer CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

21. Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • How can we reduce video file size and maintain quality? • Screen Resolution • Produce video with the smallest screen dimension possible • 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 • Video Length • Pedagogically appropriate video length (SHORT) • We suggest < than 10 minutes with interaction integrated (students have to do something during or after the video) CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

22. Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • How can we reduce video file size and maintain quality? • Frame Rate • The number of video frames per second displayed on screen • The more FPS the smoother the video playback appears and the lager the file size will be (commercial MP is 24 fps) • 1 to 5 fps may be acceptable for screen recording • 10 fps or more are needed for full motion video clips • Optimal CODECs • A codec is an algorithm computer program that compresses video and audio data when you are recording and producing a movie and then decompresses the data when the movie is being viewed. CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

23. Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • How can we reduce video file size and maintain quality? • Audio Compression • Default audio codec is uncompressed for recording quality • Audio is compressed when reproducing video CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

24. Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • Which file format is best when using Camtasia? • Screen recording with audio • Flash files for download and play are typically better quality than WMV files • Full motion video integration from web camera or video clip • WMV streaming files are typically smaller than flash files CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

25. Fundamentals of Screen Recording and Video Production • How much customization is required? • When you are getting started it is best to use mostly Camtasia default settings • You can easily control length and resolution • Monitor file size and bit rate of rendered video files • Recommended resolution of 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 and bit rates not exceeding 230 kbps for streaming files • Camtasia is able to produce 10 minute or less WMV videos at < 200kpbs with recommended settings CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

26. Camtasia Video Showcase • Links to sample Flash and Streaming Video samples produced at various configurations to illustrate impact of file size on download and streaming optimization • View videos on PDAs and iPods CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

27. Hands-On Activities • Activity 1 – Create a Flash voice over screen recording of an Internet demonstration • Activity 2 – Create a WMV streaming picture-in-picture PowerPoint video • Activity 3 – Create a Flash video with menu CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

28. How do You Get Started? • Camtasia Studio 4 software from SE Online • Web camera, if needed • Streaming video folder from CSTL (if using WMV file format) • Instructional resources available from this workshop web page CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute

29. Wrap Up • Question and answer CSTL Summer 2007 Technology Serving Learning Institute