Creating a Video Podcast

Creating a Video Podcast This handout may be downloaded from: http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu Click on Workshop Resources/Creating a Video Podcast iTech LabCollege @Sierra Outcomes: 1. Evaluate the effectiveness of video in conveying social presence in online learning environments, meeting learning styles and supporting the needs of students with learning disabilities. 2. Identify the necessary file format for a video podcast episode. 3. Record an AVI digital video file. 4. Download a conversion software application (to turn your .AVI file into an mp4 file - needed for podcasting). 5. Convert your AVI file into an mp4 video file. 6. Identify options for sharing video files (AVI to YouTube, mp4 to iTunes U). Getting Started: • Recording video requires … a video camera! Fortunately, the technological revolution is on your side and video cameras are available in many sizes, shapes and colors! Our top pick is the Flip video camera. You can purchase a Flip Ultra for $149.99 (full price). Check out http://www.theflip.com • A tripod is also highly recommend. Even the steadiest hand shakes and you may find that you are often recording solo. Your tripod is always a reliable recording side kick. To shop for bargain deals on tripods, try amazon.com! http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu 1 of 9 I. Copyright • Use your creations! You are the copyright owner of videos you create and, likewise, the creators of other videos own the copyright of those videos. This is the law. You must own the copyright of videos uploaded and publicly shared to iTunes U or placed on a public video hosting site like YouTube. Placing content on these sites exceeds the guidelines of the “Fair Use” copyright clause (commonly relied upon by educators) because you are making it available to the public to download. • If the videos you are uploading contain copyrighted material (i.e. clips of existing videos, images, or music) and are used to support instruction of a course, you are advised not to share your video files in a public setting. Instead, opt for the “protected” podcast option in iTunes U -- this restricts access to enrolled Sierra College students. More information is provided in the “Using iTunes U for Podcasting” workshop. II. Consent to Record • Get written permission from all identifiable individuals. If you are recording individuals other than yourself (guest speakers, students, etc.), you must have each person sign a Sierra College Consent to Record form prior to sharing your video online. You are required to maintain these forms in a safe location. III. Instructional Tips for Video • Use it when necessary. Always remember that videos create very large files. Think about your students who will need to download your files. What content really needs to be on video? What content could be reserved for audio (much smaller files) or text? Video vs. Audio -- 1 Minute File AVI video file MPEG-4 video mp3 audio file!! 20 MB 10-12 MB 1 MB • Keep it brief. Breaking up video content into smaller “chunks” is good practice for reducing the size of the files and designing learning content organized into “modules.” http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu 2 of 9 IV. Recording Tips • Beware of Background Noise. If you can hear it, it will be especially distracting to your students. Anticipate noises -- cars, phones, dogs, kids, etc. • Seek out balanced light. Avoid harsh lighting that creates dramatic, contrasty shadows across your face. • Use a tripod. A shaky hand will deteriorate the quality of your recording. V. Go Record! • Working in small groups, record a two minute video introduction for one of your classes. • When you’re done, return to the lab, connect the Flip camera to the USB port on a computer and drag your .AVI file to your desktop. • Then EJECT the Flip Camera before pulling it out of the USB port (please ask for help if you don’t know how -- this is very important!). • Pass the camera to the next group member so s/he can transfer the recorded .AVI file to his/her desktop (please EJECT camera before removing it from the USB port). VI. Convert AVI File to Podcast Video Format • The Flip video camera produces an .AVI file with an image size of 640x480. • For those of you who want to create a video podcast episode that will be hosted on Sierra’s iTunes U site (providing the option for mobile learning with an iPod), you must convert your file to an MPEG-4 video with H.264 compression. • These instructions for converting your AVI file (created with the Flip camera) to a video formatted for a podcast are different depending on whether you are on a PC or Mac. And there are other conversion tools too (we are providing our recommendations for free options). http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu 3 of 9 PC Conversion Instructions 1. Install DVD Video Soft Video to iPod Converter -- a free download. a. Go to http://www.dvdvideosoft.com b. Click on Downloads (gray bar at the top) c. Scroll down locate the “Free Video and Audio Conversion Software” category and click on “Free Video to iPod and PSP Converter.” d. You will be prompted to save the file to your hard drive and this will begin the installation process. 2. Open the DVD Soft Free Studio Manager. 3. Under “Applications” in the left toolbar, click on “Video to iPod Converter.” 4. This will launch the Video to iPod converter interface panel shown below. Click on BROWSE, locate your AVI file that you want to convert. 5. Next, select the “Output folder” you’d like your mp4 video to be saved to (so you know where to look for it later) and select an “Output Name” for your new file. 6. In the “Devices” area select “Apple iPod.” 7. In the “Presets” box select “iPod Touch Standard Quality” - any of these video options will work, the recommended option will reduce your AVI file size significantly but still produce a good quality video (feel free to experiment to understand the differences between the file sizes). 8. Click on “Convert” and your new video file, formatted for a podcast will be produced! Remember, you will be able to locate it in the folder you’ve selected in the “Output folder” area above. http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu 4 of 9 Video Size Comparison Chart -- 1 Minute Video File AVI File 640x480 (produced by Flip) iPod Highest QUality 640x480 iPod High Quality 480x320 iPod Standard Quality 480x320 20 MB 19 MB 18.6 MB 10.5 MB Mac Conversation Instructions 1. Install Perian (free download) ! a. Go to http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/video/perian.html 2. Install MPEG Streamclip (free download) a. Go to http://www.squared5.com/svideo/mpegstreamclip-mac.html b. Click on the yellow “Download MPEG Streamclip” button. c. Save the application to your desktop. d. Locate the icon on your desktop and double click on it. It should look like this e. This will create another icon that should look like this. Locate the icon and double click on it. f. Now you should see a window with the MPEG Streamclip icon and a folder titled “Extras.” Drag both of these items to your Applications folder on your hard drive. Now you can delete all the related Streamclip icons from your desktop. 3. Open MPEG Streamclip a. When the application opens, you will see a gray screen with five blue dots in the center. b. Go to FILE (at the top of the screen), select “Open File” and scan for your AVI file. c. Your video file will auto populate into the center of the “blue dot” area. http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu 5 of 9 d. OPTIONAL: You can trim the beginning and/or end of your video easily. • To set the “In” trim point: Just click where you want the video to begin, go to EDIT and click “Select In.” • To set the “Out” trim point: Click where you want the video to end, go to EDIT and click “Select Out.” • Go to EDIT and select “Trim.” The selected pieces of your video have been eliminated (you can choose EDIT “Undo” if you aren’t happy with the Trim results). e. Go to FILE and select “Export to MPEG-4” d. In the window titled “MPEG Streamclip - MPEG-4 Exporter,” click on the iTUNES button. e. This will launch the “MPEG Streamclip” pop up box. Select your file size conversion here. The suggested size is iPod 640x480. If this creates file sizes that are too large, your next best bet is iPod 320x240 (you want to maintain the 4:3 aspect ratio to avoid stretching your avi video image). Video Size Comparison Chart -- 1 Minute Video File AVI File 640x80 (produced by Flip) iPod 640x480 ! ! iPod 320.240 ! ! ! ! ! ! 20 MB 11.2 MB 6.2 MB http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu 6 of 9 VII. Options for Sharing your Videos Great! You have recorded a video file...now what do you do with it? Today you have many options. The first element of your video that you need to evaluate is whether or not you own the copyright of the contents of your video. If you do, you are free to share the video with the world or restrict its access -- the choice is yours. If you are concerned that you may have copyrighted material in your video (images, music, other video content) then do not share it publicly on the web. Instead, you are advised to consider creating a video podcast on iTunes U that is restricted to enrolled students -- this option is covered in the Using iTunes U for Podcasting workshop (go to itechlab.sierracollege.edu for workshop dates). Option #1 Create a Video Podcast • Remember, podcasts provide our students with the option to access multimedia content through our iTunes U site -- a shared portal for multimedia educational content provided by Sierra College. Podcasting extends students the option to make the learning mobile by syncing their iPod to your podcast. A podcast also provides students with the option to subscribe which automatically delivers all future episodes of your podcast to each student’s iTunes U library (even after they leave your class -- talk about lifelong learning!) • Course podcasts have two access options: 1) public - accessible by anyone 2) private accessible only by enrolled students after they’ve logged into Blackboard and clicked on a link to iTunes U in your Blackboard course. • To get your iTunes U account and start your podcast, enroll in using iTunes U for Podcasting today! • Finally, be assured that all podcast files can be accessed by PC and Mac users. The only requirement is that students download and install iTunes (a free download). • Check out Sierra on iTunes U at: http://itu.sierracollege.edu Option #2 Upload to a Video Sharing Site • Welcome to the world of video! Our society has been transformed by easily shared and accessible video files. As a result, there are many excellent free web-based video hosting sites that you can upload your video files to for free. http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu 7 of 9 • Here are a few options: • YouTube: http://www.youtube.com (Drawback: there is a 10-minute limit -but anything more than that is a HUGE file size so not a bad limit to set for yourself.) • Viddler: http://www.viddler.com A great resource, easy-to-use interface and less commercialized than YouTube. • TeacherTube: http://www.teachertube.com A video sharing site for educators to share educational content. If you like the idea of hosting your videos online but don’t like the idea of having your presentation appear next to Justin Timberlake on YouTube, then give TeacherTube a try! • After you’ve selected your option, you will need to create a free account (be sure to remember your log in and password info!). • You then simply upload your individual video file, wait for the file to process, and the site will produce: 1. A url or direct web address for your video (which you can easily link into Blackboard). 2. Html EMBED html code for your video. You can use the html code to have the video appear in your Blackboard course as a streaming video (which doesn’t require students to download anything and doesn’t require them to go out of Blackboard to view it!). • Copy the html embed code to your Clipboard (Control+C or Right click/Copy on a PC or Command+C on a Mac). • Go into your Blackboard course and “Add an Item” to one of your content areas. • Enter the name of your video. • Click on the “Toggle HTML Source Code Button” <> (Mac Users: This toolbar does not appear when using Safari. Use Firefox instead.) • Click inside the box and paste your html code (Control+V or Right click/ Paste on a PC or Command V on a Mac). • Scroll down, click Submit. • Click OK. http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu 8 of 9 VIII. Next Steps Ready to enroll in the “Using iTunes U for Podcasting” workshop? Need some one-on-one assistance? Visit the iTech Lab website for a current list of workshop offerings and Open Lab hours! http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu You are also invited to schedule your own personal training session with the iTech Lab Support Specialist, Joan Basque at jbasque@sierracollege.edu or 916-660-7257 http://itechlab.sierracollege.edu 9 of 9