Multimedia Technologies

Get answers to all your technical questions on podcasting

Anonymous — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 18:57:39 +0000

Get answers to all your technical questions on podcasting Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/12/2021 - 12:57

Matara Hitchcock

We have launched the Quick Podcasting Guide! This concise 1 - 2 - 3 tutorial provides text and video instructions on how to use Audacity and Anchor.fm to develop podcast content in your classroom through recording, editing, and assembling. It also provides additional tips for diving deeper or simplifying this process to fit your time and technological capacities. This project was born out of the Technology Integration Program, which we encourage you to use if you would like assistance using technology to provide for your students. Got something in mind? We’d love to hear from you! Please email Matara.Hitchcock@colorado.edu with your questions and ideas.

Click Here to Learn More

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Tech Spotlight: Showcase Your Portfolio with Digication

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Jan 2020 23:27:11 +0000

Tech Spotlight: Showcase Your Portfolio with Digication Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/17/2020 - 16:27

Lisa Lucas

Screencapture of the banner image from Digication's website.

With Digication, you can easily create an ePortfolio that showcases your scholarly, research or professional work. An ePortfolio can contain written works, photos, videos, collaborative assignments, projects, or reflective pieces and is a great way to gather artifacts of work in one convenient place. Students can use an ePortfolio to showcase work for a particular course which could then be graded by the instructor. Faculty can use an ePortfolio to highlight their research, accomplishments, collaborate with others in their department, or use during instruction. Digication ePortfolio is provided as a common-good service and is free of charge to CU �鶹ӰԺ faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

To learn more about Digication, please visit the Digication service page.

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Beth Osnes on Working with Student Technology Consultants

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 22:57:41 +0000

Beth Osnes on Working with Student Technology Consultants Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 06/24/2019 - 16:57

Dr. Beth Osnes, Associate Professor of Theatre and ASSETT's Faculty Advisor, sat down with us to discuss the value of working with a Student Technology Consultant. With support from the STCs, Beth has implemented Google Maps and the Adobe Creative Suite in her classes. In particular, she notes the value of having peer demonstrate that mastery of a selected tool is possible and her appreciation for how students teaching students helps to break down traditional classroom hierarchies.

Learn more by watching our short interview with Beth. For additional information, submit a request using our online form or contact Jacie Moriyama, ASSETT's Student Services Portfolio Manager.

[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyRuBo2Wu8w]

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Tech Spotlight: PlayPosit

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 17:07:29 +0000

Tech Spotlight: PlayPosit Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/20/2018 - 11:07

Brad Grabham

The PlayPosit interactive video quizzing is now a supported CU �鶹ӰԺ campus service for users of Canvas and D2L.

This interactive video tool allows you to customize the student experience. Using video from YouTube, Kaltura, or other sources, you can add images, text, or a variety of quiz questions; share the lesson with your students for completion; and then monitor student activity and engagement through the analytics collected by the platform. PlayPosit also allows you to incorporate feedback and can be an excellent platform for formative assessment.

The Academic Technology Design Team (ATDT) and Academic Technology Application Program (ATAP) piloted PlayPosit as an interactive video tool solution for the CU �鶹ӰԺ campus throughout the spring 2017, fall 2017, and spring 2018 semesters. Instructors who used PlayPosit extensively found it to be a useful tool for learners to explore, analyze, and apply concepts at their own pace in a flipped or blended setting. Pilot instructors noted that PlayPosit is particularly effective for:

Authoring enriched video content with interactions
Providing feedback to students, which increased long-term retention of concepts
Giving instructors a convenient means to monitor student progress and understanding of core concepts

For more information, visit the PlayPosit Pilot web page, or contact the IT Service Center at help@colorado.edu or 303-735-4357 (5-HELP).

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Using Video Tutorials in the Classroom (February 2018 tip)

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 21:25:19 +0000

Using Video Tutorials in the Classroom (February 2018 tip) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 02/27/2018 - 14:25

Using Video Tutorials in the Classroom

ASSETT recently conducted a meta-analysis of surveys, interviews, observations, and focus group findings from past projects and found interesting data points about the use of video tutorials in the classroom. In 2015, 57% of undergraduate students who answered ASSETT’s Undergraduate Learning with Technology survey reported that online tutorials, such as Lynda.com, were at least somewhat helpful as an online learning tool. We found that students enjoy learning at their own pace outside of class¹. The use of video provides students with the ability to stop, rewind, or fast-forward through content. And, some students found tutorials to be more helpful than textbooks².

We’ve also discovered a number of ways that instructional videos are being used to support learning. It’s common practice for faculty who teach online to record lectures, or for those who are using the flipped classroom teaching method to record short lectures and tutorials for students to view outside of class and apply their learned knowledge in the classroom. We’ve also heard of faculty who create instructional videos to curate reusable content across courses or semesters. And there are some who use video tutorials to explain difficult concepts that students struggle to grasp.

While there are benefits to using video tutorials to support teaching and learning, we also realize there are considerations when implementing this resource. Video tutorials are time consuming to create and requires the knowledge and use of different technologies. However, if you have the desire to use tutorials in your classes, consider using tutorials available through Lynda.com. As mentioned in the Tech of the Month section, Lynda is an online library that contains a wide range of video tutorials. This resource is available on demand, can be accessed from mobile devices, and is available to current faculty, staff, and students. If you’re interested in learning more, visit Lynda.com’s service page.

¹ ASEN 1969: Pathway to Space course design work. Survey, focus group, and end of project report.
² LearnChemE final project report.

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Screencasting (January 2018 tech)

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 19:49:01 +0000

Screencasting (January 2018 tech) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:49

The process of selecting a screencasting tool can be overwhelming, especially considering the sheer volume of available options. If screencasting is something you’re interested in, we’ve provided you with a short list of our favorites. All of these option are available on Mac or PC. And, have the ability to save recorded content as a standard video file that can be uploaded to D2L, Canvas, Kaltura, YouTube, or a website of your choice.

Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is a free, simple tool that can record up to 15 minutes, record your screen or webcam, publish with a randomized URL or to Youtube, and save as an mp4 for uploading to D2L, Kaltura, or favorite website. The upgraded Pro version remove watermarks from videos, includes a video editor, and has the ability to record longer videos. Visit screencast-o-matic.com for more product information.

Zoom

Zoom typically wouldn’t fall into the screencasting category since it’s a web conferencing tool. But, it’s a great option to consider since it has the ability to record whatever is on your screen, your webcam, or both (picture in picture). Zoom is supported by the Office of Information Technology and is available at no cost to CU faculty, students, and staff affiliates. Visit oit.colorado.edu/services/conferencing-services/web-conferencing-zoom for information about Zoom.

Snagit

Snagit is an all-in-one screen recording tool. The interface uses a one click recording system and allows you to record any portion of your screen. You can also toggle between recording you screen and your webcam. Finally, Snagit does come with an editor that allows you to trim your video. An educational license is $29. Visit www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html for more information about Snagit.

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Screencasting (January 2018 tip)

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 19:29:37 +0000

Screencasting (January 2018 tip) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:29

Over the years, we’ve consulted with quite a few faculty about Screencasting. We’ve linked a few ways that faculty have incorporated this technology into their courses. Screencasting is when your computer screen is being recorded while narration is providing context. Because of its versatile nature, screencasting can be used to record lectures, help students grasp concepts¹, enable students to learn at their own pace, clarify content, solve equations, provide feedback to individual students, create a broadcast response to all students, and much more. Screencasts are great for supporting learning in face-to-face, flipped², hybrid³, and completely online courses.

Typically course instructors have been the producers of these digital artifacts. However, in recent semesters, our Student Fellows have started supporting faculty who want their students to create screencasts to complete assignments or presentations. For this assignment, students were introduced to, and taught Screencast-O-Matic.

As you can imagine, there are a number of screencasting tools available. In fact, the sheer volume can even be a little overwhelming. If screencasting is something you’re interested in, check out the Tech Tips of the month. We highlight a few of our favorite tools. Finally, if you decide to include screencasts in your course, consider creating a script ahead of time. It’ll make the captioning process that much easier.

¹Read about Janet Casagrand's successful implementation of screencasting.

²Jeffrey Knutsen describes implementing screencasts for his flipped classroom.

³Read about Susan Kent’s journey in Creating Screencasts for Flipped and Hybrid Course Delivery

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Supporting Google Maps to Chronicle Creative Communications about Climate

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 20:55:03 +0000

Supporting Google Maps to Chronicle Creative Communications about Climate Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 07/07/2017 - 14:55

Does green suit your city? Beth Osnes and Tara Riedl hopes it does! In Spring 2017, Student Fellow Tara Riedl worked with Dr. Beth Osnes (Assistant Professor & Director of Graduate Studies, Theatre and Dance) to support a participatory project for her course, called “Green Suits Your City.” Students dress in a quirky, green suit and take photos of themselves across the nation, chronicling their experiences via a collaborative Google map. This project was meant to be a conversation starter, as well as an embodiment of awareness to issues around climate change.

Dr. Osnes is co-founder of “Inside the Greenhouse,” an endowed initiative on the CU campus that promotes events and discussion about climate change. She teaches “Creative Climate Communication” (CCC), which is the second of a two course series. Through CCC, Beth encourages students to express stories about climate in a variety of ways, so the message about climate change is communicated to as many different people as possible. She found that many of her students were Environmental Studies majors that brought a lot of background knowledge to the class. Her hopes were that these students would be able to communicate that knowledge in a unique, and effective way.

Tara helped students taking CCC use Google map for Green Suits Your City, as well as Facebook Live for the comedy night. She provided both in and out of class support, teaching students how to use different features of the technology to help them complete their class assignments. When asked about the Teaching Technology Assistance Program, Dr. Osnes said, “In general I felt very well cared for, the larger staff beyond just you [Student Fellow Tara Riedl] was so attentive and really listened to the project we were trying to do and were really responsive.”

This partnership between a faculty member and Student Fellow is an example of the kinds of services that are provided with the Teaching Technology Assistance Program, which started in the Fall of 2016 as a new initiative. This program helps students and faculty think about technology in new ways, to help improve teaching and learning in the College of Arts & Sciences. If you’re interested in having a Student Fellow help implement a technology into your class, please contact ASSETT.

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Student Fellow Partners with Dr. Myron Gutmann to Introduce Wordpress into the Classroom

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Jul 2017 20:50:52 +0000

Student Fellow Partners with Dr. Myron Gutmann to Introduce Wordpress into the Classroom Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 07/07/2017 - 14:50

Dr. Myron Gutmann is a professor in the History Department and director of CU’s Institute of Behavioral Science. He describes himself as an interdisciplinary historian, with interests in the history of Europe and the United States, ranging in areas of the environment, economics, and demography. Dr. Gutmann requested assistance from the Teaching Technology Assistance Program for the Spring 2017 semester, and was paired with Student Fellow, Jake Brauchler. At the end of the semester, Jake had an opportunity to meet with Dr. Gutmann to reflect on the successes of the semester and also to discuss some of the areas that were more challenging in teaching his course, HIST 4526 - Recent US Social History.

One of Dr. Gutmann’s goals for this course was for students to gain an understanding about how to do research using digital resources, and how to present them effectively using the web-based blogging tool, “WordPress.” Dr. Gutmann was pleased to have someone like Jake working with his students to explain how to use this blogging tool. Although many of his students felt that they had a good understanding of technology, he was glad to have Jake’s technical expertise to walk his students through the process of creating an online blog using this tool.

This was Dr. Gutmann’s 41st year teaching, and he exclaimed that he has seen a lot of changes regarding technology since he first started, including moving away from pencil and paper to an online format. Dr. Gutmann felt that the impact that the TTAP service had on his class was that students learned about a technology in a friendly environment from a student like themselves, while learning a great deal about writing about history. Some of the challenges he faced was that he wished he had had the students start on their projects earlier in the semester, a change he feels will be easy to make for future courses he teaches using this technology. Within WordPress, some of the issues he felt that hindered the project, was the commenting feature: for future projects, he wants the students to use the theme options that allow the commenting to be turned on automatically. When asked if he would recommend the TTAP service to other faculty members, Dr. Gutmann said, “Absolutely! Yes it's been really great. I mean it's one more smart brain helping me figure out these things!”

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Video Captioning (January 2017 tip)

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 18:41:28 +0000

Video Captioning (January 2017 tip) Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 01/13/2017 - 11:41

By Laura Hamrick

Need a pedagogical New Year’s resolution? Consider captioning your video content!

Captions allow students with hearing disabilities to access the content of your course, and also improve learning comprehension for students whose first language is not English. Captions can benefit students who learn best by reading, and are useful for courses involving complex technical vocabulary. Furthermore, if you caption your video on YouTube, a searchable transcript is automatically generated that allows students to review your content more effectively.

If you want to start captioning your videos, consider the following tips.

If you don’t have time to caption your own videos, TAs and other student assistants can help! Captioning is a great opportunity for them to help improve your course. OIT’s captioning service can provide training for TAs or students to enable them to produce high-quality captions.
Create scripts for your course screencasts as you make them. Then you can simply copy-paste your script into YouTube to be synchronized with the video. Some screencasting softwares like Camtasia also allow you to create your own captions directly in the software.
Don’t forget to add in any important non-speech sounds like [buzzer sounds] to your captions! For more tips like this, check out the Captioning Standards for Quality Checklist on the captioning service’s Resources page.

Need technical help or more tips on captioning your videos? Learn more in this month's Tech of the Month article. You can also get in touch with OIT’s captioning service for a free consultation or training at help@colorado.edu or (303) 725-4357 (5-HELP).

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