Library Video Creation for Chat, Reference, and Instruction
Hosted by librarians from GA Perimeter College, a 2 year college with several campuses, this session focused on Jing and Camtasia.
Before and while they began creating library videos using Jing, the presenters surveyed the literature for the "best practices." First and foremost, they found that shorter videos are more effective. Instead of showing two possible databases to search, break it up into smaller, simpler bits, focusing instead one database, or even one specific aspect or skill involving that one database. 2 minutes or less tends to be the key, to minimize the cognitive load. Also, "bells and whistles" tend to detract from the message - simpler is better, with less extra graphics and extraneous sound. While graphics should be minimized within the video, studies show that students are more at home with images than text. For instance, on the Web site that links to the videos, icons of a film strip or similar pictures are preferable to text (e.g. "video").
This team of librarians often creates Jing videos to achieve a just-in-time effect. When students ask how to log into databases through their chat reference system, the reference librarian creates a quick Jing demonstrating the log-in, and sends the link to the student. They've found that Jings save a lot of time because they can be used for frequently-asked questions. Instead of spending time sitting next to multiple students asking the same questions, they can pass along the link to a Jing. At the same time, it benefits the student because they can watch it multiple times or go back to a tricky step - less intimidating than having to ask a librarian several times.
The presenters usually upload their Jings in Camtasia, which allows surveys and quizzes (and other more advanced features). They emphasized keeping the tone of the videos casual, aiming to connect with students. Even though the tone is casual, they write scripts before recording, to ensure a focused, succinct message. They often whittle the original script several times until the content delivers what the student cares most about, the reason why they clicked on the video in the first place.
Beyond creating videos for students, they also use Jings to illustrate computer problems to tech support (brilliant!).
They recommended posting the length of the video next to it, so that students know the time commitment (short!) up front.
The equipment needed to get started with Jing: a headphone with a microphone piece (wireless is ideal). A trick: Place a Kleenex over the mouthpiece to take out the ssss sounds.
While they use JingPro, they noted that the main perk is the ability to save as mp4 files; the free version comes with 2GB of storage space on screencast.com to house videos.
They also use Audacity to smooth out the voices. Another software program that might come in handy: Voki, which talks for you, after you type in the text (especially helpful for anyone self-conscious of an accent). One of the attendees recommended the site convertfiles.com to make files compatible with the format needed; another similar program is zamzar, which allows ripping audio. (There were quite a few techies in the crowd who were already familiar with creating videos).
A similar video creator very comparable to Jing is screencastomatic, which allows longer videos. Vimeo was also mentioned (as a hosting site?).
Jing allows you to choose the size of the screen as you record, but some experienced video pros recommended 640 x 480 as the ideal video size for viewing on most types of machines.
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