looking forward

This one seems to be the topic of the moment: screen casting software.  A lot has been said lately on this topic (for some great discussion on the merits of various products and their uses, take a look at Michele Martin’s Bamboo Project and Sue Waters’ Mobile Technology in TAFE). 

If so much is being said, why am I jumping in here?  Simple really – graphic work is something that I am reasonably comfortable with – not so much the video side of things, but I am not totally without experience.  Finally!! I am not the total novice.

The other reason that I am jumping in here is that the aim of this series of posts is to look at products that I hope to implement.  Screen casting is one that I have already used (albeit only in the last two or three days). 

So what am I using?  I started with Auto Screen Recorder, but jumped from there to CamStudio, which I really liked: it is simple to use and produces a quality product (and as an added bonus, it is free).  Last week Leonard Low posted on his mobile learning blog that tech smith were offering Camtasia Studio 3.1.3 for free, so of course I jumped in had a go of that as well.

Now I have to say that I love it!  It is a little more involved than CamStudio, but if you have a passing familiarity with MovieMaker, then the edit feature will present very little issue and a little experimentation will see you well on the way.  This is also where Camtasia has an edge over CamStudio: the ability to edit within the package. 

Using Camtasia for the first time, in under half an hour I had produced a 50 second video, with text annotations that will replace a seven page “how to” document. 

I may have become a little enamoured with this product: over the course of the day, on top of the day-to-day routine, I put together three other quick videos; another “how to” and two for a demonstration next week where I am not sure I will have internet connection.   The following are the demonstartion videos – apologies for the poor quality, but in the interests of download time, they have been saved in .wma format (smaller file size than .avi), but they will give the general idea.

 baccarat interaction example 1

baccarat interaction example 2

If truth be told, I have spent a fair amount of time looking for other videos that I can make.

Definitely having a little too much fun here.

_{edited 4th Dec 2007: video upload.}

Last week I posted that I was having problems coming to terms with my apparent (OK, let’s be honest here: complete) lack of activity when it came to blogging.

Jeanette (of From the Principal’s Desk)  left the comment that:

It doesn’t surprise me that you’ve struggled with your perspective on blogging, as I suspect any thoughtful blogger likely has done so. It’s a tool, and like any tool, there are times blogging will be useful, and times it won’t.

I started to reply to this, but after my reply started to ramble a bit, I thought to myself, “here’s your opportunity – this is where posts come from!”  (I know – slow off the mark, but I am getting there).  So please indulge me here while I divert from my original plan of looking at e-tools.  After all, isn’t that the benefit of blogging?  It’s dynamic. 

Anyway, I think I have figured out what my problem was/is.  I don’t know what I want my ‘voice” to be.  When I started, it was just an experiment – I was playing, so the tone was very light.  As I started to take the process a little more seriously, the tone subtly changed.  I’ve been looking over the vast list that is my previous posts and I can see the change. 

So, as I see it, I now have two key decisions to make: what is that I want to say, and how do I want to say it?

The first question is easy: I have no idea, but the ideas will come, of this I have no doubt, but the second is the difficult one.  I can tend to be a fairly serious person by nature, with a natural propensity to over think just about everything, but I also try not to take it all too seriously.  After all, as the man said, “no-one gets out alive”. 

Perhaps the best option is to just write and see how it turns out? 

After all, it’s just possible that I’m just over thinking all this.  May have to ponder that one for a while.

I’ve been sitting here for the last two weeks thinking that I really should write something here: 6 post in 7 weeks.  Hardly what I would call a committed attempted at getting involved in the whole blogging process, especially when you consider that all 6 posts were written in the first 4 weeks.  Now math ain’t my strong point (and after that phrase, apparently neither is English), but that means that I haven’t touched this in nearly three weeks.

I know that commitment and tenacity are required to get into the flow of things, but the simple reality is that I had nothing to say.  Now don’t get lulled into a false sense of security here: that point is not intended to imply that I now have something to say.  If that’s the way you read it, then as Wesley said to Indigo, “Get used to disappointment”. (Sorry, we watched The Princess Bride with my niece over the weekend).

I have been torn (resisting the temptation to hum; annoying tune stuck in head now! Not happy!) as to whether I should write something for the sake of making a post, or I should hold true to my belief that if you have nothing to say, stay silent. 

What’s that?  Do I hear someone yelling “Sell Out!”?  Well actually, no.  This post is not just for the sake of posting.  It is for the sake of posting as well, but not just for the sake.  Think of it more as an introduction. 

An introduction to what?  More pointless and senseless rambling?  Well actually, more than likely, yes (why stop now?).

Over the last few months I have had the opportunity to look at any number of new tools (new to me anyway – apparently some of them have been around for quite a while) and I have had the “kid in a candy shop” sparkle in my eyes: so many to choose from. 

I have been looking at things with an aim to incorporating into our training packages, and the time has come. Its time to choose (or at least start thinking seriously about it).  So I’m thinking that I will use this forum as a space to ponder out loud how I am going to do this: hence the introduction point (I know, it took a while, but at least I got there).

So strap yourselves in kiddies, we’re in for a wild ride!! Or possibly a quiet meandering stroll?  It could go either way, but the smart money is on the latter.
 

No, I am not trying to be ironic with that title, and yes, I do see the incongruity in someone who has done this for only a month giving advice, but here’s the thing: who better than someone for whom the whole experience is so new that they still experiencing the full gamut of emotions?

Actually, I was reading Michele Martin’s The Bamboo Project  blog last night and she asked the following question:

What Advice Would You Have For a New Blogger?

The essence of which was the following questions:

I’d like to hear your advice for new bloggers.

• What tips do you have for getting into blogging?
• What should new bloggers be doing to get the most out of the experience?
• What challenges did you face as a new blogger and what did you do to overcome them?
• What thoughts do you have on the best ways to ease into blogging?

Read the whole post here   

The following is my reply to her, with some edits 

What tips do you have for getting into blogging?

I’m in two minds here; it’s either don’t, unless you have something to say, or jump in the deep end and see where it takes you. I think I’m leaning to the “don’t” theory. My reasoning here is that unless you feel that there is some value in what you write, that will generally show through.  (”What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure.” Samuel Johnson).  Additionally without some purpose, disillusionment will not be far behind.  I jumped in, thinking it was something that I should try. Thankfully, I had some very supportive people to help me.  My initial posts were written on blog within the eTools and Tips for Educators community  which brings together some very skilled people; people who are willing to try new things, and offer assistance to those who are trying.

What should new bloggers be doing to get the most out of the experience?

When I figure that one out, I’ll let you know – I’m kind of new to this myself. 

What challenges did you face as a new blogger and what did you do to overcome them?

• Content. I have problems coming to terms with the fact that what I am thinking/writing will be of interest to others. The reality is that sometimes it won’t be – deal with it. But at other times, you will hit on a topic that, for one reason or another, will generate interest.
• Length. I have had to restrain myself at times to prevent rambling for too long. I was given some good advice by Sue Waters  – break it up into a number of posts (sorry Sue – I know this has gone way over).

What thoughts do you have on the best ways to ease into blogging?

• Be realistic – you are not going to have a huge reader base when you start. Tenacity is required. Keep at it and ensure that you are writing for yourself, but write as if the world were reading it.
• Be honest – if you don’t subscribe to a point of view, don’t write it.  Don’t set yourself up as an expert (unless, of course, you are). 

In all honesty, this could go on for pages, but I think in comes down to 3 simple points:

• believe what you write – it will show
• write for yourself, but in a manner fit for a world audience
• don’t write for the sake of writing, have a point or agenda