Archive for August, 2009

Aug 27 2009

Free Screencasting Tool for creating E-Learning Content

Published by alexmiller under Learning Tools, Web2.0 Tools

Screenr - This tool is  FUN! ENGAGING! and I think you should check it out! It’s an easy way to capture audio and screen movements (screen captture with narration). It’s all done online with this neat web2.0 tool. You can instaly ‘Tweet’ your new instructional video, or share it in other ways.

Screenr

Screenr

Here’s a great article on the tool and what it can do from the Rapid eLearning Blog.

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Aug 27 2009

Make The Perfect Screencast With These 6 Great Tips

Published by alexmiller under Learning Tools, Web2.0 Tools

Just thought I’d share this article containing come good tips on how to make great tutorials capturing what’s on your screen and more…

  • The right applications
  • Setting the screen resolution
  • The right equipment
  • Create a script
  • Export to the right format
  • Finishing Touches

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Aug 27 2009

Tools you can use to Convert eBooks to MP3 Audio

Published by alexmiller under Learning Tools, Software, Web2.0 Tools

Converting learning material that you have developed for your learners into MP3 Audio is a great way to reach busy trainees and offer students more flexible ways to learn.

Some of our trainees work day and night and try to fit their study into their busy schedule. A lot of them are on the road, traveling from site to site so why not use that time to learn? Converting text books, manuals, or other eBooks into Audio makes this possible.

* Note, be sure to check the copyright information of any text you are converting to audio. For more Copyright info, check out the copyright resrouce sites listed on the eLearning Kit.

Here are some tools that can help you achieve this;

First you need a free Text to Speech (TTS) Program

Other options;

  • Speakonia
  • .Project Gutenberg is probably the best known site to find these. You can search by topic, find the book you would like to read and download it.

The last two do not convert the text directly to Mp3 format – just .wav format. Also, Spesoft has more choices on recording quality.

Then you need to get your Book/ Text

You’ll need to convert your Word document into a .Txt file for the Spesoft program (above).

If you’re looking for resources, there is a number of copyright expired books out on the web.

Open the Book in your text to audio software

Open your text to audio program. If you’re usinf Spesoft, follow these steps;

  1. Click on the Load Text from File button.
  2. Navigate to the text file you want converted in the dialog box.
  3. Select file, and click Open.
  4. The text from the file will appear in the program window
  5. Hit Record and Create Audio File
  6. Give the file a name and click Save

Note: Spesoft Test to Speech software also allows you to choose different voices, adjust the speed, pitch and volume of the voice and adjust the recording quality.

Note: Start by setting the Output Quality and Sample Rate as high as possible and check the file size. If it’s huge, run the program again and choose slightly lower settings until you find a happy medium!

What Next?

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Aug 27 2009

Make & Edit your videos with Animoto

Published by alexmiller under Learning Tools, Web2.0 Tools

Animoto helps you make cool videos
 
Easy as 1-2-3!

As of today, you can add video clips to your Animoto videos! Watch a few sample videos and find out more here – http://animoto.com/video

You won’t believe how good your vids can look. Using video clips in your Animoto videos couldn’t be easier! There’s no need for a complex video editor! Just follow these three steps:

  1. Upload clips from your camera or phone (iPhone anyone??), or use some from our collection (thanks to iStockphoto and Getty Images).
  2. Choose your highlights. You can choose highlights of up to 10 seconds each, though we recommend using only 3-5 seconds as that works best within the flow of an Animoto video.
  3. Create the rest of your video as normal, and you’re done.

The slideshow below shows you how to use Animoto;

How to use Animoto

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