Tag:

Video Recording

Screenscastify fideo display on top of a Google Slide deck.

Adding Webcam Video to Google Slides with Screencastify

by Peggy Reimers August 25, 2020

written by Peggy Reimers

Since the pandemic hit, TCEA has furiously moved our face-to-face professional development online. We now have 16 self-paced courses ready to go with more in the works. Check out the lineup here.

Just like many of you, I had to get up to speed on recording videos very quickly. My go-to screencasting tool is Screencastify. I started out with the free pricing plan, which included the five-minute maximum recording time. The rule of thumb for video creation at TCEA is to keep your videos between three to six minutes long. So the free version almost did the trick, but I decided to invest in the unlimited plan which is $49 per person per year. BUT wait, the education discount is only $29 with more editing features. What a deal!

Roadblock

webcam image displayed in lower right hand corner with Google Slides. — My hack solution for embedding my webcam with Google Slides

My video recording was swimming along just fine until I hit a little roadblock. When I tried to use my live webcam with Google Slides, the webcam video would disappear. Very frustrating! I tried everything to make my webcam video appear in the corner of my slide deck, but it was simply not happening. So armed with my educator attitude, I knew I could come up with something. My hack was to leave Slides in edit mode, move the filmstrip view clear to the left side of my screen. Then the webcam picture would hang off the slide deck and onto my desktop. Not the prettiest and most professional, but it worked.

Help Arrives from Screencastify

But after a while, I decided to reach out to Screencastify support for help. Viola! I heard back within a day. And, of course, it came with the answer in the form of a video from Screencastify. It is a solution where you hit your forehead and exclaim, “Why didn’t I think of that!” Caution: This trick does not work for PowerPoint or Keynote.

Here is the YouTube video link Screencastify provided me. Or you can check out this handy-dandy graphic I made showing the magic remedy to embed your webcam with Google Slides in four easy steps:

Screenshot of steps 1-4. — Screenshot by author.

The Top Three Tips for Video Recording

Follow the rule of thirds – keep your face and body in the middle of the screen.
Lightning is SO important.
Keep your video length to three to six minutes.

Become a Pro

If you want to get more comfortable with screencasting, check out the Screencasting for Educators online, self-paced course from TCEA. The course was designed by my colleague Miguel Guhlin and it is jam-packed full of content. Not only is Screencastify covered, but Flipgrid, Screencast-O-Matic, Loom for EDu, and OBS Studio are included. He also discusses a wide variety of key concepts, including high-effect size instructional strategies, tips, and video editing basics. Knowing how to create engaging video screencasts, including audio and video components from a variety of copyright-free media, can make viewing better for students.

Featured image by author.

August 25, 2020 1 comment

Google Tips and Tricks

Recording Video into Google Slides

by Miguel Guhlin August 4, 2020

written by Miguel Guhlin

Working with video can be difficult. While screen recording tools have become popular with remote learning, we face daunting obstacles. One of those is screen recording instructions for student learners. How do you record only what they need and not one more thing? In this blog entry, we’ll explore some tips and G Suite EDU tools for video recording.

Tips for Screen Recording Student Directions

Managing expectations for video quality is important. When I start out, my goal isn’t to create a fantastic, awesome professional video. My goal is to keep the message concise and say no more than what students need. That’s a difficult proposition. When you start making videos, you may think as I once did that a video must be many parts. I like this perspective:

There is no need or expectation for you to create a professional-quality production. You can use titles, opening and closing credits, music and/or special effects. It is best to leave those to Hollywood directors.

Further suggestions worth taking into account:

Get directions straight in your head first.
Limit them to no more than three (perfect) to five steps (long).
Divide directions up and match them to a task.
Keep your videos bite-sized, ranging from three to six minutes.
Insert yourself into the video at the start and then only after for meaningful points.

There are other tips you can consider. Explore TCEA’s Screencasting for Educators self-paced, online course for more. Now let’s look at G Suite EDU friendly video tools.

G Suite EDU Video Tools

For many G Suite EDU users, Screencastify is at the top of the heap for video recording. The Screencastify Unlimited version includes Chromebook-friendly recording. For educators, the price is $29. Non-educators must pay $49.

What’s more, Screencastify Unlimited offers a super video editing environment. Not only can you trim your video anywhere, you can crop video like a photo. That is, you can capture a part of your video’s area and cut the rest out. That’s an amazing editing feature I have not seen elsewhere. Screencastify Submit is a nice addition that supports student video creation and editing.

Screencastify Unlimited’s Editor is amazing, offering trim and crop features.

Need a free alternative without the super editing tools? Flipgrid’s screen recorder offers options for Chromebook-only educators. Nimbus Screenshot offers another free option, but most avoid Nimbus due to its less than obvious interface.

Are there any other tools that can ease video recording on Chromebooks? Let’s take a look at a newcomer.

Record to Slides

Clay Smith‘s Record to Slides may be the tool that makes it happen. Instead of a screen recorder, you may need a moment to share your thoughts. You, the camera, and your students.

Record a quick set of instructions with Record to Slides. Videos will appear right on the slide you are speaking about. What a great way to personalize the slide. What’s more, all videos are auto-stored in the “RecordToSlides” folder at the top level of your Google Drive, as shown below:

Here’s a quick video overview:

Parting Thoughts

Record to Slides was easy for me, and I suspect will be easy for students, although you saw me run into challenges with my video recording. While you could use Screencastify or Flipgrid, the simplest tool for the job is often the one to go with. And it doesn’t cost anything.

August 4, 2020 2 comments

Make Audio More Accessible with YouTube Playback Tools

by Miguel Guhlin July 22, 2020

written by Miguel Guhlin

“How can I speed up playback of this YouTube video?” I asked myself while watching a video tutorial. Like many others, I want to listen at twice the speed of normal playback. Being able to speed up video playback can be an accessibility issue, too. In this blog entry, we’ll explore a few Chrome extensions that accelerate video playback.

Before we do that, let’s learn about how hearing works faster than our other senses.

Learning at the Speed of Sound

“I love Voxer. I speed up playback and I can listen to my VoxerChat fast,” said a friend of mine. If you follow a Voxer chat, speeding up is a must. That’s because it’s analogous to a Twitter chat. Voxer is an audio-based asynchronous chat. Our brains recognize sound in 0.05 seconds. In less than millionth of a second, our brain senses changes of sound (source).

When our brains learn a new word, they begin a two-step process. This process allows us to build on previous learned content and that prior knowledge makes it easier to learn new information (source). The process includes the following steps:

Learn how a sound corresponds to a new word
Understand different versions of the word (e.g. accents, pronunciations) mean the same

In the second step, human brains learn to categorize sound together. This makes it possible for our brains to process people speaking at a rate of three words a second.

playback

Learn more and listen to examples at Virtual Speech

A final point to keep in mind:

The faster the stimulus reaches the brain, the faster it processes the signal. Researchers have confirmed that reaction to sound is faster than reaction to light. Most people speak at a speed of 150 words per minute.

Speed Up (or Slow Down) YouTube Playback

As a Voxer user, I kept looking for a way to speed up YouTube video tutorials. Sure enough, there are various Chrome browser extensions that will do the job. These can save you time. Often, listening to video can be more effective than watching it.

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You haven’t heard your favorite music video until you speed up playback. This can be a boon when listening to webinars, lectures, and online content (e.g. TED Talks).

Pitch Shifter works like a charm. The slider makes it easy to adjust to your preferred speed.

Here are several Chrome extensions that can speed up video playback. I tried a few and these are the ones that worked well for me.

Each of these works in a different way, but are accessible via your Chrome extensions. Of the three, Pitch Shifter and Playback are my favorites, with YouTube Speeder a close third. The reason why is that Pitch Shifter and Playback offer a slide bar you can adjust on the fly.

playback

Let’s take a look at my two favorites in action via this video. By the way — you may want to get one prior to listening to my long, rambling video (5 minutes, 26 seconds) on the subject.

July 22, 2020 0 comment