Jing - Create your own multimedia for free!

TechSmith Corp. is the maker of Jing, a simple, fast and fun way to add screen-captured images and videos to any online conversation just by sharing a link. Instead of relying on words alone, computer users at home, work or play can quickly add a visual element to explain ideas and concepts more effectively and share relevant information when communicating online.

When users capture an image (screenshot) or create a screen recording (screencast) of what they see on their computer screen using Jing, it is encoded in real time to TechSmith’s secure Screencast.com service. Within seconds, a link to the captured content is sent to the user’s clipboard to share. The link can be sent via IM or email, posted on forums, and shared on Twitter and social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook -- or anywhere else a link can be pasted. When the link is clicked, the viewer sees the Jing-captured image or video immediately. Jing is free, and users can upgrade to Jing Pro to gain more customization and the flexibility to record anything and share it even faster, practically anywhere, including directly to YouTube.

Users can annotate their Jing-captured images with arrows, callouts, text and highlights to add emphasis, and narrate their Jing-recorded screencast videos for even greater clarity before sharing. In addition, HTML embed code can also be generated to add to a blog or website, content can be saved on the user’s computer, to one or more FTP sites, as an image on the clipboard, or to Flickr. Users can also now customize the sharing buttons so those they use most are only a click away. Jing screencast videos are produced in the Flash (SWF) format for easy viewing.

When upgrading to Jing Pro, screencasts are delivered in HD-quality video for the Web and at a smaller file size, so the link for sharing is generated even faster, while conserving storage and bandwidth on the user’s Screencast.com account. With Jing Pro, users can also record full-motion screencasts, and the Jing branding can be modified or removed from shared images and videos. In addition to publishing directly to YouTube, Jing Pro video files can be saved and uploaded to sites like Vimeo, Viddler and MSN Video, and can be edited in other video applications such as Camtasia Studio 6 and iMovie. Jing Pro produces MPEG-4 AVC video files for Flash delivery with H.264+AAC compression.

There are endless applications for Jing in online education. Creating How-To Videos, explaining difficult concepts, and narrating presentations are just a few. I downloaded the free version to try it out and it is very intuitive and simple to use. The software presents itself as a little sun on the edge of your screen that you can access at any time. The only downside that I can see to the free version is the inability to capture webcam video, however if you capture this video in advance you can play the file as part of the screencast anyway. Also, the software must be downloaded. It is not a web application.

Click on the link to view a short video I created for my students as an introduction to the Advanced Cardiac Life Support course using Jing Free: Jing Free ACLS Video



 

 

 

 

 

 

Try Jing for yourself at Techsmith.com/Jing

SoundCloud.com - A Simple Social Audio Tool

SoundCloud.com is an audio platform that enables anyone to upload, record, promote and share their originally-created sounds across the internet, in a simple, accessible and feature-rich way. From sample to symphony and soundbite to soliloquy, SoundCloud allows sound creators anywhere to instantly record audio on the site or via mobile applications and share them publicly or privately; to embed sound across websites, social networks and blogs and receive feedback from the community.

SoundCloud's open platform also supports a wide range of applications built on the SoundCloud API, enabling everything from mobile voice recording, online mastering, digital distribution to Facebook artist profiles and iPad music making. SoundCloud offers free accounts to amateur creators, with more advanced users able to upgrade to premium accounts for advanced features like statistics, controlled distribution and custom branding.

This web application holds endless possibilities in the arena of online education. I gave SoundCloud a try by recording a mini-lecture for my students about an minimally invasive cardiovascular procedure called Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS).

Check it out:

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/24317110" iframe="true" /]

Here is the image referred to in the recording:

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="316"] Intravascular Ultrasound Image Courtesy of Volcano Corp.[/caption]

Try it yourself at SoundCloud.com .

Wallwisher.com - Online Message Board

A new way to communicate... Wallwisher.com is an interesting, simple online message board tool that could be applied for online education in a variety of ways. The site is easy to use.  To create a wall you can sign in using your Google ID or Open ID so you I don't have to register for yet another site in order to access a simple application. General participants, however, do not have to register at all and are able to provide a nickname when they create a post.

In addition to being used as an introductory icebreaker, it could be used to get a general consensus or comment from the group about any given topic. It could also be used to share a new idea or a brief clinical/field experience. With a little imagination, it could be used to collect thoughts over a period of time as a course progresses.

It could also be used for something as simple as organizing a potluck luncheon. Everyone sign up for something on the Wallwisher wall! It could be used to communicate brief announcements or updates since you can set up an RSS feed. At the end of a course students could post comments or "advice" to share with the next students who take the course.

The administrator can choose the background for the wall and even create a unique link of their choosing to share. According to Wallwisher, creating a wall is the next fastest thing to the speed of light. That seems a bit exaggerated, but it really quick! Once the wall is created, participants simply double-click to share text as well as a link to an image, audio, or video. Users can drag posts to rearrange them however they choose. The major limitations of the site are the 160 character limit per post and the fact that multimedia cannot be uploaded, but instead must be hosted elsewhere and a link provided. With a little creativity, I am confident these limitation can be easily overcome.

In all, I am excited about having this fun, useful tool in my arsenal.

Check it out for yourself at wallwisher.com.

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Multiple Intelligence Theory in Online Teaching & Learning

In what ways, if at all, do you think the concept of Multiple Intelligences can be useful to the online instructor?

Although it may not be as evident initially as it is in the traditional classroom setting, the concept of Multiple Intelligences is definitely useful to an online instructor. For example, if you assign the students to work on virtual group projects it may be helpful to group them based on their strengths and weaknesses in terms of their types of intelligences. If the project requires a logical or mathematical component, it would be helpful to make sure that each group has someone who is intelligent in that area so that all of the students can benefit from that group member. This example of peer learning applies to all types of intelligences dependent on the type of project that is assigned.

I feel strongly that intelligence fluctuates and that it is possible to improve each type of intelligence over your lifetime. Personally, when I took the Multiple Intelligences test I scored the highest on Musical Intelligence. I know for a fact that I didn’t come out of my mother’s womb singing Rutter’s Requiem, but years of musical training and numerous performances have fostered my musical aptitude. With this idea in mind, online instructors may also have the ability to help students strengthen some of the types of intelligence during their online courses.  For example, an online course that is writing intensive may give a student who would otherwise not attempt to improve their linguistic intelligence the ability to do so. Discussion boards provide students the opportunity to improve their interpersonal intelligence in the virtual realm as they share their thoughts and experiences. Additionally, an online course that requires a self-journaling component may improve the students’ intrapersonal intelligence.

These are only a few examples of how a strong understanding of the Multiple Intelligences concept can be helpful to an online instructor. I am confident that you can discover many more.