Version 2

TechSmith Screencast Production

Revisions

After reflecting on comments made by my professor and peers, I decided to make a number of changes to create version 2 of my project. First, I moved a few text boxes to more precisely align with an anchor (the blue, cursive "d" in the top right of the whiteboard image) throughout my video. I also swapped out one image of the whiteboard that had no blue script, as I had not used that image anywhere else in the video. Next, I altered the presentation of the citations at the end of the video, aligning them to the right as well.

A few different comments were made referring to the volume of some of my clips, so I increased the volume of these individual audio clips. Additionally, I reduced the volume of the background music in the introduction and started the fade out a bit earlier.

In order to bring more attention to my embedded link, I added a call-out arrow (formatted to match one I used earlier in the video) and changed the text to show the address of the link. Finally, I used the captioning tool in Camtasia to add closed captioning to my video, making it accessible to a larger audience.

One peer had commented that I moved too quickly through the text formatting portion of the video (1 min. 30 sec.). However, I intentionally sped up that part, as this instructional video is intended for an audience of learners who should already know how to perform those formatting tasks. Another peer mentioned that my narration and visuals did not match up at the 2 minute mark and the 4 minute, 40 second mark. I reviewed those portions and determined that I did not agree with this assessment.

Looking Forward-Version 3

In a perfect world, full of unlimited time and resources, I would make a few more modifications to this project. First of all, I would purchase the full version of the Camtasia software. I am truly enjoying learning about this program and have embraced a number of tools it has to offer. However, I know I could do more with a purchased version. (Probably most importantly, produce videos without the TechSmith watermark.)

Additionally, I could create a series of SMART Notebook training videos, including one that models how to work with text formatting tools. This video could be linked to my current project with a call-out shape at the 1 minute, 30 second mark. This link would take viewers to the video to learn how to format in SMART Notebook. My desire to create a series of instructional videos on this topic, paired with the growth I have made in the area of technical tools affirms I am on the right track professionally!