Jing has saved my life this last week. I am currently in the process of carrying out a wiki webquest with 7th graders. I am currently teaching 8th grade, so I only get to be with the 7th graders during my planning time. Being able to capture what I am doing on screen and being able to narrate the videos are saving everyone time.
During 4th period, my planning, I go and teach a 7th grade life science class. Mrs. L watches what I do, then in turn teaches it to her later classes. The teacher that I am working with has never used some of these technologies before, these videos really help her when she teaches the lessons later in the day. The Jing videos I have made help both her and the students when I cannot be right there to answer questions. (All the Jings I have created can be found on the Resource page on our webquest.) The Jing below explains how to add content to wiki pages.
Adding Content to a Wiki This is the link to my Jing video. I am struggling to upload and embed. The free version only allows the user to save as a Adobe Shockwave Player file. These types of files to my knowledge (and experience this week) will only play online when the computer has Shockwave. I plan to keep working on figuring it out, however it will have to be placed on the back burner for a few days. I want to find a way to use Jing without having to pay for the pro version. With all these new internet tools I have learned about this semester, I keep spending a little here and there is really starting to add up!
I hope to use Jing in the classroom in the future. I want to be able to give clear constant directions using technology to all my students. Through a day of teaching, sometimes I leave stuff out or completely forget something. Using Jing could really solve some those issues. In the future I would like to see students to create their own Jing for their work. Having students share how they solve computer issues with their peer may make it easier for everyone to understand. My students teach me something new every day when it comes to technology.
One of the struggles I am having with Jing is that I can’t play the videos back on my computer. When I upload them to the internet the videos play. I am currently only using the free version of Jing. I have seen that if I pay to “go pro” videos will save as MPEG-4, which I believe I could play back or even edit.
I know what you mean about the little here and there adding up.... I have also collected a few tools I intend on using more often once things settle down.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Jing is coming in handy at school for you, I'm still playing around and getting comfortable with it. Do you think going "pro" will make much difference in what we are doing for our WIKI's?
Does Shockwave make that big of a difference in playing video and MPEGs? Help me learn something new....
Melissa, I don't know. I have not had the option to see the MPEG videos yet. I am hope it might... but I just can't see spending the money right now. I know from video editing in sony vegas... it is an importable file. But... I cant get them to embed in anything. They open in a new window in my wiki!
ReplyDeleteAndrea, I love your post! I, too, am getting hooked on screencasting, but I've been using an alternative software that isn't web based. Perhaps that could solve your troubles with viewing and editing. I am using the smart notebook recorder. If you have access to a smart board, you probably have this software installed on your computer. I know it is by default on every computer in our county. The recorder is SO easy, and my kids have even begun using it. This is nice because it still works even when our network is down. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteJing is a good tool, but if you don't mind I would recommend trying Screencast-O-Matic. Their free version allows up to 15 minutes per video, and it only costs $9 a year for the pro version. I am actually paying them money because that is such a bargain. Kids love using these tools, but I would only use the free version with them.
ReplyDelete