Video on the Web
Online Faculty Development Course
As never before, video is cheap and easy to produce. A major chunk of the internet is video produced by people using mobile phones or inexpensive gear in home or office studios. In education, business, healthcare and government, internal messaging, marketing, and public announcements that were emails or web-based text (or before that, newspaper ads, memos, and direct mail!) are now videos that play through web browsers or mobile apps.
It is certainly possible for professors to teach fully-online courses without producing any video, and you shouldn't feel that it's a requirement. But it's worth considering various possibilities for producing your own videos, since it may be more convenient for you, and very effective alongside other activities or content in your courses.
On the following pages, we'll discuss possible uses of video. But here we'll explore two ways to get videos (or audio) you produce on the web.
Hosting Video
Video needs to be hosted somewhere so it can play back ("stream") for students. Canisius has a video space specifically for courses, Panopto, that is built directly into D2L. Panopto
Is easy to use; no additional logins or setup outside D2L is required.
Supplies two recorder options, so you do not need additional software to create videos.
Can host and playback simple videos, or multi-stream videos featuring (for example) a webcam recording of you or perhaps your handwritten work on a whiteboard, and a set of PowerPoint slides.
Allows your students enrolled in your D2L course space to view a video, but the video cannot be found or shared outside your course.
Develops automatic closed captions. While you should edit these for clarity, and correct mistakes, this is much faster than generating your own closed captions.
Allows chaptering of your videos. These are quick links or slide images students can click to revisit parts of a video lecture.
In the Week 3 Activity, you will view tutorials for using Panopto, and try creating a quick video in your OFDC Sandbox. But if you want a quick idea of how Panopto works, here are the tutorials!
Use the Add Existing Activities Tool - Transcript
Quickly insert links to your videos into a course module.
Use the Insert Stuff Tool - Transcript
Insert a YouTube-like video player anywhere you can use the HTML Editor.
Use the Panopto LTI - Transcript
Use the LTI Link to access the Panopto Dashboard for advanced features.
Student Video Assignments
Smartphones have better video cameras than were available to consumers in 2002. And students can borrow specialized cameras from the Canisius Media Center. Students can record screencasts and slideshow presentations using PowerPoint, Quicktime, or the free version of Screencast-O-Matic.
So why not have students create videos? These can be:
Short documentary pieces
Recorded (mock or real) interviews
Language exercises and demonstrations
Oral Presentations
Candid reflections.
Students must perform, present, demonstrate, teach, and to prepare such videos, they must have learned, reflected, analyzed, and composed.
While students cannot upload video to Panopto, they are able to share videos with you and each other via Google Drive.
See our guide to Student Video Assignments for some possibilities. Ask colleagues in your discipline how they have students creating videos.