More MACUL-Video Tutorials

Dale Rogers presented how he uses video tutorials to help teach complex software. He focused on two programs HyperCam and Camtasia Studio.

Both programs allow you to very easily capture everything you do on the computer while doing a voice over narration. Camtasia has a lot more bells and whistles but it has a much higher price tag ($299). HyperCam can be downloaded and used for free, but you get a “Unregistered HyperCam” in the upper left corner of your finished video. If you want to buy it it is only $39.95.

Both programs looked pretty easy to use. Dale also talked about how having dual monitors set up is incredibly helpful when using video tutorials. Students can work on one monitor while running the tutorial on the other. And to be honest how many of us have extra CRTs gathering dust? All you need is a second cheap video card and you’re ready to go.

My Notes:

I've played around a bit with this myself. I've used Camtasia, which I was lucky enough to be given a free copy of (a colleague won it at the NECC) and iShowU, which is a Mac only program. I've also played with another free program called Wink. The learning curve is a little steep, but if you're interested in putting together a lot ov computer tutorials on the cheap it is definitely woth a look.