Education Community Blog

TechSmith is very excited to announce that we will be donating $2 million worth of screen capture and recording software to Michigan K-12 schools in support of quality and continuity of learning. The program will be kicking off on February 2nd and running through June 30 or until the $2 million grant pool is exhausted. Instructors, staff, departments, schools, or districts from all K-12 Michigan schools can apply for the grant, which can range from a single license to a site-wide license across a school or district. It's up to you to make a case for receiving the quantity you request. We're looking for a clear plan with credible goals for how the software will be used.

The products that will be available in the grant are:

Camtasia Studio
Camtasia:mac
Snagit
Screencast.com

For more details on the program and to apply please go here.

BETT is the world's largest educational technology event, so we've got some big plans of our own for show. This year we'll be presenting a series of live presentations on our products in our stand. The presentations will feature examples of how TechSmith products are used in classrooms around the world. In addition to the experts from TechSmith, Russell Stannard from the University of Westminster will also be sharing his expertise. You can learn more about Russell here. Check the end of this post for a complete list of presentation topics.

TechSmith is also sponsoring and participating in the Teachmeet event at BETT. Teachmeet events are great ways to learn from and network with the thought leaders in educational technology. If you're attending BETT or are in the London area you should definitely check it out. You can find all of the details here: http://www.teachmeet.org.uk/

If you're going to be in London next week, we'd love to see you. Anyone can register for free to attend the exhibition at the BETT website TechSmith's stand number is G84.

Here are the presentation topics for the TechSmith stand at BETT 2010:

Make your handouts handier...with visuals (Snagit)
Chris McQueen and Katie Lewis, TechSmith

If a picture is worth 1000 words, imagine how your handouts and slides could benefit from screenshots, illustrations, and infographics. In this presentation, we'll share tips for gathering and working with visuals efficiently. You'll see why so many people describe Snagit as a "must-have" tool for clear, effective communication.

Presto! Turn your static slides into an interactive video (Camtasia Studio)
Chris McQueen, TechSmith

Jonathan Boyle, instructor at Walsall Academy, is a wizard at using technology to help students learn faster, more deeply, and at their own pace. In this presentation, we'll reveal some of the tricks he uses to capture a PowerPoint presentation and convert it to a reusable, interactive learning object.

Share what you know, using screencast video (Camtasia)
Russell Stannard, University of Westminster

"Web 2.0" this, "social media" that, new software coming out every day... The only way teachers and administrators can stay on top of ICT is to share what they're learning. See Russell Stannard's award-winning TeacherTrainingVideos.com and hear how screencasts are an easy, inexpensive way to share ideas and expertise.

Open your lectures - for enrollment and the greater good (Camtasia)
Russell Stannard, University of Westminster

Providing open access to course content and educational resources is not only philanthropic--it's also a great way to interest students in specialised subjects, boost enrollment, and enable distance learning. In this session, hear how Russell Stannard uses online videos to attract search engine traffic and students to his courses.

Provide students with rich, personalised feedback (Jing)
Russell Stannard, University of Westminster

Instead of correcting student essays by scrawling a few notes in the margin and giving a mark...imagine being able to sit down with each student individually to point out strengths and give pointers on how to improve. Lecturer Russell Stannard is doing just that--using a free video recording application. Hear how this approach has garnered not only national publicity and grants, but an ovation from students.

Stop repeating yourself (Jing)
Chris McQueen, TechSmith

Ever feel like you waste a lot of time answering the same questions over and over? We'll show you a free, simple way to reply with a mini video tutorial...which can be archived and used again later. It's perfect for helping students, colleagues--or your boss!--with those all-too-common "How do I...?" questions.

Give students a rewind button for class (Camtasia Relay)
Walter Pelowski, TechSmith

Delivering portions of class content as on-demand video improves the learning experience for both students and teachers. And new lecture capture software makes it surprisingly easy and affordable to get started. Hear how schools in the U.K. and abroad are using this technology to evolve education.

Post multimedia content without the hassles (Screencast.com)
Chris McQueen, TechSmith

Creating innovative, multimedia learning content isn't enough. You also need a way to deliver it to students--quickly, efficiently, and flexibly. We'll show how easy it can be to post content for students to view in a protected web folder, on your blog or wiki, or even in iTunes. All without a phone call to the IT department!

Josh Kim recently put together a great post that outlines a few scenarios of how the new Twitter output in Jing can be applied in education. Check out the first part of his post here, and then follow the link at the end to get the whole thing at Insider Higher Ed.

Why Jing to Twitter Matters
By Joshua Kim December 14, 2009 8:04 pm

Nobody gets the power of small pieces loosely joined better than TechSmith.

I've been playing with its newest Jing feature - one that allows Jing screencasts or images to be directly uploaded to Twitter.

Jing is wonderful because it is free (for the basic version), lightweight, cross-platfom, and nimble. I've used Jing extensively for both teaching and my work with faculty colleagues.

For teaching, Jing is a great tool for student authoring. For no money you can require that your students make quick (<5 minute) voice-over presentations of their topics and share their work in your course management system. For professional work, Jing is an easy way to create and share screencasts of best practices and features of course design and the technologies that support innovative pedagogy.

The newest feature, allowing Jing to easily upload to Twitter, could be a wonderful laboratory for introducing social media and real-time communications into teaching.

Continue reading at Inside Higher Ed.

We'll keep this one pretty short and sweet because that link to download the beta must be pretty enticing! This public beta is our initial stab at what we think Snagit could look like on the Mac platform. Your job is to let us know what we did right, what we did wrong, and where we need to take Snagit to make it a necessary part of your Mac toolbox. We've created an online community to help facilitate that process. You can check that out here: http://www.getsatisfaction.com/snagitmacbeta/

Keep in mind that this is a beta version of Snagit for Mac. It is not the final build of Snagit for Mac, but we are far enough along in our development cycle to share it with you. Since it is beta, every feature may not work perfectly. There will still be some time to incorporate some feature feedback from this public beta into the final release. And, your feature suggestions gathered during this public beta will influence future releases of the software. Your feedback is important at every stage.

We will not be offering individual technical support for the Snagit for Mac beta. However, we will be providing regular updates about new builds, common issues and problems beta users are facing on a regular basis on The Visual Lounge Blog. And you can exchange ideas with other customers using the beta here. Snagit for Mac is available in English only right now, but it available to users worldwide.

OK, have fun!

Download the Snagit for Mac beta here:
http://www.techsmith.com/snagitmac/get-beta/

Then watch this video to help you get started:

TechSmith is very excited to have the League for Innovation's annual Conference on Information Technology (CIT) in our backyard this year. We'll be sending a big team to Detroit for the conference - including product managers, trainers, developers, and many more. It will be a great opportunity for you to learn some new tips and tricks, provide product feedback, and share your own stories.

Can't make it to the conference? We're working with the League for Innovation to use Camtasia Relay to record Learning Center Courses, Hands-On Alley Labs, Special Sessions, and Forum Sessions at CIT 2009. These recordings will be available on the League for Innovation website following the conference. You can learn more about Camtasia Relay here or sign up for one of our weekly webinars here.

Finally, don't forget to stop by and see us in booth #419 - or at one of the many sessions and hands-on labs we're offering! We have a special page set up for you to learn about all of these sessions. We look forward to seeing you there and hope you take advantage of these great opportunities to learn more about TechSmith products.

Jing is a fantastic tool for e-Learning, but in the end it is only as good as the content on your screen that is being recorded (or captured). Maria Andersen is back to help you discover some great new resources to add to your toolbox. Her article for eLearn Magazine is loaded with great tips on different hardware and software to help you reach your students in new ways. The article is geared towards high school and university-level math and hard sciences (or STEM fields) but has great value for any online educator. Check it out here.

Also check out Maria's guest post on Jing if you haven't already.

Maria H. Andersen is a math instructor at Muskegon Community College, where she regularly teaches Calculus I and II online. Her educational background includes degrees in chemistry and biology, and she has taken many of the core engineering courses. Andersen writes a blog about math, technology, and teaching at TeachingCollegeMath.com.

We're looking to gather and compile a list of the best screencasting tips to share with people that are new to screencasting (or looking to kick things up a notch or two). If you'd like to help out please respond in the comments below. We look forward to seeing your feedback and creating a great resource! So the question is:

What three things would you tell a new screencaster they must do to be successful?

We are also asking this question in our newsletters, which are a great way to get more information, tips, and tricks about the TechSmith products you love. For more information and to sign up visit this site. Our newsletters are now customizable so you can select what products you'd like to receive information on, what kind of information, and how you'd like it delivered - email, rss, etc. We will not share your information with anyone.

The results will be posted in a future newsletter and on the blog as well.

The following was originally posted on Maria Andersen's 'Teaching College Math' blog. The graphics were created for an article that will appear in the September 2009 MathAMATYC Educator magazine.

This is a great overview of Jing for all educators (not just math). Many thanks to Maria for sharing her great post. Be sure to check out her blog for all things math and technology. Follow Maria on twitter here.

Just in case you're getting back into the swing of things this fall and finding yourself as forgetful as me, I thought I'd give a little Jing refresher here and remind you of some resources.

First, a little reminder of how Jing works!

Myth #1: I use Camtasia so I don't need Jing

What about your students? Teach them to Jing and they can share screen captures and short videos with you! Not enough motivation? It's much faster to whip out Jing and record a response to a student's question than it is to create, edit, and produce a Camtasia video.

Myth #2: The 5-minute time limit is a problem.

No, the 5-minute time limit is a blessing. Who really wants to watch more than 5 minutes of Internet video. There's great value in learning to get your message across in a concise little package. When you ask students to submit videos to you for grading, you'll quickly appreciate the 5-minute limit. Plus, there's nothing to stop you from recording a 3-part series if you really must get 15 minutes of information out there.

Myth #3: The EMBED button is gone!

The embed button is gone from the standard Jing installation, but you can get it back with about 2 minutes of time invested. Use one minute to watch how I do it. Use the second minute to do it yourself.

Myth #4: I've tried to use Jing, but I never get the image or video when it says my upload is complete.

The link (or embed code) for your captures is stored on the clipboard. What's the clipboard? It's that invisible place where content goes to wait between Copy and Paste. What Jing does is create the copy of the URL or embed code on the clipboard. All you need to do is paste (use Ctrl-V on a PC or Command-V on a Mac) and your code will appear!

Myth #5: Video EMBED doesn't seem to work.

Many programs restrict the functionality of video embedding. If your video takes up a large amount of screen real estate, or if video-sharing is disabled in the web-application you're using, then you won't be able to embed video. You can, however, share the video with a live link. It's always good practice to include a live link even when you get the embed code for a video to work. Many blog readers will cut out the embedded videos, and without a link, your reader will not be able to access the video.

Myth #6: Students will never figure it out.

Give them the links to videos on how to use Jing, a place to PRACTICE their newfound skills, and an incentive (2 points per skill seems to do it), and they will learn how to use Jing just fine. One of my first assignments of the semester is a "Learning Project" that involves, among other things, practicing a bunch of different ways to use Jing (get handwriting to the discussion board, record a video and get it to the discussion board, get an image of some math equations you've written to the discussion board).

Now that we've rolled Camtasia:mac out the door, we're ready to get right back to work and start on another little project that may be of interest to you - Snagit for the Mac! We're still in the early stages of development but want to announce our official commitment to the development of Snagit for the Mac.

To stay up to date on all things TechSmith/Mac you can sign up to receive email updates here. Keep following this blog and @TechSmithEDU on twitter for updates as they become available!

Cross Posted from The Visual Lounge.

Today is the day that many of you have been waiting for! I'm really happy and pleased to finally be able to share Camtasia for Mac v1.0 with you! Thank you for supporting us on this fun journey! We built Camtasia for Mac from the ground up. We conducted focus groups, surveys, and received great feedback from a good number of very early beta testers, and did lots of usability testing. I hope you enjoy the product as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Get comfortable, this is a long blog post! I wanted to show you what is new in Camtasia for Mac as well as answer some question I've been hearing lately.

So, on with the show!

Tour

Last week I shared with you some sneak peek screencasts about some of the features in Camtasia for Mac. Want to see Camtasia for Mac in action? Check out this useful Overview Video. Or, you can check out our product tour here.

Getting Started

Ready to take Camtasia for Mac v1.0 on a test drive and kick the tires? Download a fully functional, 30 day copy of Camtasia for Mac here!

You'll find hours of free training here. And, like all TechSmith products, we offer free tech support here whether you're using the eval or whether you've purchased Camtasia for Mac. We stand by our products.

Making the Switch

Are you a veteran Camtasia Studio user and want to make the switch to Camtasia for Mac? You can check out some training videos to help you transition to Camtasia for Mac here.

One of the questions I've been hearing a lot is if you can share your recordings from Camtasia Studio on the PC with Camtasia for Mac? You can share your source files across products and platforms. Make sure you check out this tutorial about the Camtasia for Mac file formats and how to share files across computers here.

Another question I've heard is if you will be able to use the same license on both platforms, transfer it over or get credit? Well, Camtasia for Mac and Camtasia Studio are separate products that require separate licenses. As a special for our PC users, for a limited time, customers who already own a valid license for Camtasia Studio 6.0 or later are eligible for an additional discount on Camtasia for Mac. And, new customers purchasing Camtasia for both platforms are eligible for the same discount. If you have questions or are a Camtasia Studio v6 user that needs to request your discount, contact our Sales Department here

Is there a difference between Camtasia for Mac and Camtasia Studio?

Yes, Camtasia Studio for the PC and Camtasia for Mac are different. You can see what is different between the products here. Each product has some features the other doesn't. Why? Well, Camtasia for Mac is a new product. Camtasia Studio is over nine years old with years of growth and development under its belt. Camtasia for Mac has been and will continue to be built on to meet the specific needs of our users on the Mac platform. Since Camtasia for Mac seeks to solve the specific problems and needs of our Mac users, there are and will likely continue to be distinct differences between the features in the two products. However, you'll also notice some similarities. As always, developing our products is an ongoing conversation with you, our customer, so that we offer the best products to meet your needs. We are working very hard to ensure that our Mac versions of our products are not just PC software made for the Mac - we want our products to be the best in the market for visual communication solutions for the Mac.

System Requirements

Required: • Mac computer with an Intel processor • Mac OS X v10.5.6 or later • Quartz Extreme support • 1GB of RAM • Approximately 4GB of available disk space • QuickTime 7.5.5 or later • CD drive required for installation Recommended: • Mac computer with an Intel processor (dual core 2.0GHz or faster) • 2GB of RAM or greater • At least 4GB of disk space available for subsequent recordings

What's the word on the street?

Our beta testers put Camtasia for Mac through the paces. Here's what they had to say about Camtasia for Mac and some of their screencasts.

"Camtasia for Mac is as intuitive as a professional-grade screencasting software can be," said John Basile, team leader at Scraster Professional Screencasting. "It's amazingly well thought out and its performance--even since its beta stage--has proved flawless. Camtasia for Mac is a very welcomed game-changer in the world of screencasting." A Scraster screencast created with Camtasia for Mac can be viewed here.

"Camtasia for Mac has already been key to iPhone app marketing for Bickbot," said John Ellenich, lead designer for Bickbot.com. "It creates stunning screencasts of our apps, which helps us rise above other developers." A Bickbot.com screencast created with Camtasia for Mac of their new iPhone application, Strokes, can be viewed here.

I'd love to see what you create with Camtasia for Mac. Email me with a link to your screencast or post it in the blog comments!

We need your help

What next? Well, you tell us. That's where we need your help. We cannot develop products without you. Give Camtasia for Mac v1.0 a try and let us know what you think. We're listening - we need to know what you want and need in future versions. Please comment on the blog or send us feedback here.

So... what do you think of Camatsia for Mac?