Using Video in Education-Flying Fish

Two Videos I Created for My School

I used the video, “Flying Fish Market _ Our Fish Fly” as part a fact versus fantasy unit with my students. I cleaned up the transitions somewhat then added the introduction and conclusion clips for the class that I am taking about using video in education. This movie was edited in iMovie. Additional information can be found at https://jeannestorkspecialeducationinstructionaltechnology.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/creating-the-vid…ying-fish-market/.

I created the video, “Setting MAC System Preferences for My Students with Significant Disabilities” to challenge myself to learn the Camtasia video editing and screencast recording software. I combined the screencast that I recorded using Camtasia’s record function with video clips that I shot on my Panasonic HC-X920 camcorder and imported into Camtasia. Camtasia also has the ability to record with my computer’s built-in camera, but I didn’t like the picture quality. I used several of the editing techniques that I learned about in Camtasia’s own video tutorials to improve the quality of the screencast. I am considering purchasing Camtasia (which would remove the watermark) because the zooming function was easier for me to use than zooming in iMovie. Additional information about this video is at https://jeannestorkspecialeducationinstructionaltechnology.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/making-the-scree…ant-disabilities/.

Using Video: Things I Have Learned

I have learned several new things throughout this video project. Learning to use Camtasia was the most exciting aspect of this project. I always enjoy adding new tools to the “toolbox” of skills that I can draw upon to assist my students and my coworkers. I also learned that it is possible to create zooming transitions in iMovie, but as I stated above, I have come to prefer Camtasia’s zoom functions. In the future, I may have access to both of these editing applications so that I can choose the tool that will best help me with individual projects.

I have also learned non-technical aspects of creating effective videos. I now speak more slowly and precisely when I record my voice. I also learned to be more cognisant of eliminating background distractors. For instance, the first time that I recorded my introduction to the Flying Fish Market video, I noticed my bookbag in the background of the shot upon playback. I moved my bookbag before the next take. I also learned that I could use the title of the video in my tags, but YouTube reported that I had too many tags, so I removed some, including the title. Before this project, I had never put any thought into the thumbnail that people look at when searching for videos. I can now choose and create custom thumbnails for YouTube videos. This planning and creative side of video development is just as important as the technical skills of recording and editing a video.

The videos that I develop for my school will improve with the inclusion of these new skills.