(For completeness’s sake, you can also perform a custom capture using one of the college’s capture-equipped rooms, and requesting a link from VIS.)
Equipment
At the very least, you should have the following tools available (recommendations not meant as product placement):
- A webcam – We have used the Logitech C920 and we like it; you may also have one already built into your monitor or your smartphone/tablet
- A microphone – We have used the Blu SnowBall for various custom caption solutions; if you have a headset with microphone, such as the Apple EarPod (free if you are an iPhone user), it may also be a good option.
Many laptops come with a microphone built-in, but we have found that these usually do not yield clear recordings.
Using MediaSite
MediaSite is the university’s solution for video capture and consumption. What’s nice about MediaSite is that it can give us in-depth analytics on areas such as who’s watched a video, how much of the video an average viewer watches, and popular segment(s) of the video. With MediaSite, you have the option to create content with a combination of video, audio, slides, and desktop recording. MediaSite is the system that is being actively investigated for use in the Clinical Skills Lab.
(Before you start, here are 10 tips to record yourself with a webcam, written by Laura Schmitz for the UniCast blog.)
Custom talking-head videos can be created on your own PC/Mac device using the MediaSite Desktop Recorder application. Here are some tips to get your started:
- If you have never used MediaSite before, please first review the Getting Started with MediaSite series of support articles.
- You can now install the MediaSite Desktop Recorder on your CVM devices using the Software Center (Windows) or VIS Help App (MacOS).
- Here are some instructions for Choosing a Desktop Recorder Presentation Type and Creating a Presentation with the Desktop Recorder.
- Record your video using a recording application, such as the built-in Camera app.
- We like the finer controls that the Filmic Pro application gives us.
- We also love the ExplainEverything app, which provides an interactive whiteboard that can be used to enhance your talking-head videos.
- Then, follow these instructions for Creating a Presentation Using an External Source.
Finally, you can share your media by Adding a Presentation to Carmen, or by Linking a MediaSite Presentation elsewhere.
In the next installment of this series, we will show you how Top Hat can be used as more than an in-class audience response tool! As always, please feel free to reach out to CVMOTL@osu.edu for ideas and/or assistance.