Final Vision Project Contents



My final vision project has a few layered elements to it that I did not foresee when I first set out on my final project. I originally planned to create a class website to share with my parent community, teachers on staff, and the wider world. But what didn’t appeal to me was not being able to share certain photos because student faces were in them, due to privacy concerns for my students and from the parents. This year, I have taken class photos at Halloween, on a field trip, as well as many pictures showing excited students engaged in building creations where they requested their picture to me taken. I didn’t want to be hindered in my ability to share these pictures with the parents due to media consent issues on a public site so I opted for a more private class website. I decided to use Shutterfly ClassShare. I also wanted to have a website to better connect with my ELL parents. Below is a screenshot of my website so far.

(Doing this screenshot on my MacBook was also a new learning trick I discovered. You can use Shift+Command+3 to take a screen shot.)

However, using this private website was my hiccup for sharing my final vision with our LIBE477 class. How would I then share my website, yet still protect the privacy of my students? A “How to” video was a recommended solution to this problem where I could walk my viewers through how I created the website and any special features I wanted to point out. This was a great idea to solve my roadblock, but now I had to figure out how to create a video.

I immediately sat down and looked on my MacBook pro laptop for options. I came across QuickTime player and quickly jumped into the program and fiddled around with a few options. It was easy to use but I quickly realized the audio was delayed by about 5 seconds when I was testing it out both at the start of the video and would cut me off at the end. 

 

I was also left thinking how to post and publically share this screen share video I had just made. Do I have to create an online account, do I have to convert the video to be compatible with another program, is it easy to edit the video if I make a mistake, can I add a link to my blog post to share this Quicktime video or does it need to have a public url? To be perfectly honest, I was a little overwhelmed. 

Getting started is the hardest part, especially when it is all new to you.

My idea of creating a website now seemed to have become much more complicated than I had originally anticipated. I am also quite a reserved and shy person when it comes to sharing online. I am not one to SnapChat or post video clips on Instagram. Making a video using my voice and sharing it publically intimidated me a little. But as I mentioned in a previous blog, the thing I have learned most from this course is to take risks and to not be afraid of making a mistake. It may be a huge learning curve for me and put me out of my comfort zone, but I know I will learn a lot of valuable tips and skills along the way that I can then share with my staff (both about how to create a class website as well as a screenshare video).

I started to google ways to add Quicktime to a blog and found that you need to post it publically first. Luckily I realized I had a Youtube account already set up. However, I then found an article that mentioned IShowU as a way to convert your Quicktime video into the right size to fit your screen. Yet, the article also cautioned about uploading a Quicktime video to Youtube because the quality would not be as good. Plus IShowU costs money and I was looking for a simple and free way to make a video that would be easy for all teachers to use.

So due to this new information I had found and the lag time I was experiencing in Quicktime, I decided to look for another option. A fellow classmate had suggested using Screencast-o-matic as a tool to use for video creation. I opened up the website and realized I needed to update my Adobe Reader first. After a few failed attempts, I got that sorted. Then I found this helpful tutorial video on how to use Screencast-o-matic.

But I realized I would have to download and install the program. It is free but my laptop is old and slow and I wasn’t sure if this would be a good choice.

So I was still questioning which one to use- Quicktime, which is already on my computer, or download Screencast-o-matic?

I researched a little further and found this blog post that goes through and critiques quite a few screencasting programs. It listed Quicktime as an easy to use choice for Mac users but Screencast-o-matic as the top free choice that works on any computer.

Therefore, I have narrowed my choice down and will decide to go with Screencast-o-matic. I did a quick demo video to see how it worked and realized the record button is hidden behind my tool bar. This is something I will have to figure out before publishing my video about my website next week.


I am a visual learner and I have learned a lot from “How to” videos that I have found online to help support me throughout this course. I even used a "How to" video to learn how to take a screen shot of my computer screen. I find these videos easy to understand and I can quickly grasp the skill I am trying to learn. I wasn't able to find a video for adding a giff image so that took me a little longer to search around different articles until I found the information I was looking for. I am hoping that my “How to” video for a private class website using Shutterfly ClassShare will help others learn about this website platform and help them navigate the creation process more easily when they go to create a class website of their own.

Bibliography

Douch, A. (February 13, 2014). The best screencasting software for teachers. Retreived from https://andrewdouch.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/the-best-screencasting-software-for-teachers/

Langer, M. (February 22, 2008). How to Embed a QuickTime Movie in a Web Page or Blog Post. Peachpit. Retreived from http://www.peachpit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1174793

Mac Basics Howcast. (May 23, 2014). How to take a screen shot on your Mac. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89GA6a4lAn4

 Screencast-o-matic webpage. (n.d.) Retreived from https://screencast-o-matic.com/

Comments

  1. Ms. Fletcher22 November 2017 at 12:51

    I am learning a lot from you, Brittany! I have used Screencast-O-Matic in the past, and it does take some trial and error to figure out the right placement of the rectangular record window. The other thing to keep in mind is to only have files, documents, and websites open that you are okay with others seeing. I had not heard of Quicktime, but thank you for mentioning that you have to post videos publically first. For education purposes, that defeats the point, so thank you for saving others time. We're almost there! Good luck :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Unknown26 November 2017 at 15:21

    I have actually found a way to save your Quicktime video to your desktop without having to make it public first. So that is good, especially if you are just creating a demo and don't want to make it public until you have created your final version. However, as I mentioned before, Quicktime is only for Mac users and I experienced lag time and low volume even though I was speaking into the mic the same way as Screencast-o-matic. With Screencast-o-matic I have discovered how to move the image placement box so I can better access the record button. Yippee! Now on to the video creation!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Aaron Mueller27 November 2017 at 05:57

    Good blog post outlining all the little things you've learned, been challenged by, overcome and accomplished so far in the big goal of creating a website to share the experiences and learning going on in your classroom. You have settled on a good website platform and a useful tool for sharing what is happening behind the curtain with your LIBE 477 community. A good blog post that demonstrates perseverance and determination.

    ReplyDelete
  4. JMendgen27 November 2017 at 16:25

    Wow! you are creating both a website and a video about it! That is a big undertaking. I like that you stuck with the platform that keeps privacy for your students - that makes it most useable for you. I can definitely commiserate about the time factor in creating these online resources. I never quite expected to be so "techie." Sounds like things are falling into place for your artefact(s). Looking forward to viewing your video!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous27 November 2017 at 18:58

    Wow, good for you for hanging in there and persevering! If the tool you are using does not work out, I use the free Chrome-based app called Screencastify. It locks the screen so you can draw on it or just talk about it. The thing I like the best is that the little videos are saved to my Google drive which makes sharing them super easy.

    ReplyDelete

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