Tech Thursday – Recording Video

Tech Thursday – Recording Video

In my experience, the printed word is not the most efficient way to learn mathematics. When a student looks through an example problem that has already been worked out, they are robbed of the time to stop, think, evaluate, reflect, or create because they can already see the next line of the solution. When the math is presented in real time it is more effective, and that’s why video of some type is so effective.

My primary recording tool is Camtasia Studio in conjunction with Power Point. Camtasia makes an add-in for Power Point that allows you to record directly from a slide show. I type the problems into a Power Point presentation, then solve the problems by writing on a Wacom tablet connected to my laptop PC. One of the things I love about Camtasia is the ability to edit the video, add callouts/text, and add in audio. It also produces the videos in a variety of formats, allowing you to control the quality of the video.

In my opinion, it is crucial to invest in a high quality microphone. This is the one I use, Amazon link. It costs about $150, but it is a great microphone and students are distracted by poor audio quality and respond poorly to poor microphones. A pop filter really helps with sound quality.

I upload most of the videos to my YouTube channel. It’s a convenient place to house videos that can be referred to semester after semester by my students. Some instructors make their videos private, but I like to share my videos with everyone – you never know who you could be helping.

OTHER OPTIONS: I have used a Livescribe smart pen, Snag-It, Jing, a few apps for my iPad, and other resources. There are so many great options available today to incorporate screencasts/videos into your bag of tricks. You can start small by recording videos for certain problems that students ask for help with, then work your way up to making your own content videos to aid all of your students.

Have a tool that you love? Perhaps a question? Please leave a comment below.

Thanks – George

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