In general, we use Adobe Captivate for the creation of e-learning materials. Captivate provides a very workable, extensive interface for the creation of application based training materials, such as using the University Collaboration System (UCS). The challenge is that since Captivate creates its content in the Flash format (.swf files), the same files cannot be displayed on an iOS device such as the iPad. This could potentially limit the audience for our training materials.

I upgraded my current version of Camtasia to 7.1. If you aren't familiar with Camtasia, it works similar to Captivate, but has different output options, and is more of full-motion movie creator than Captivate. Where Captivate creates simulated mouse movements, Camtasia records in real time.

You can record a PowerPoint with audio, animations and the like, simply by creating the PowerPoint in advance, then using Camtasia to "record" your presentation. You can also do screen recordings as well, either of the entire screen or an application. The major drawback from my perspective is that the audio track really needs to be recorded in real time. Unlike Captivate, you cannot easily time events on the screen, such as mouse movements and highlight boxes, to match the audio as easily.

Given this and some other minor limitations, the focus of my investigation was to see if I could take an existing Captivate movie, bring it in to Camtasia, and output a compatible iOS file. What I found was that while the process may have some intermediate steps, it is not overly complicated, and could potentially fit the gap in our training production cycle for mobile devices that don't use Flash.

I began with a simple PowerPoint with no audio. Camtasia was very good as recording it, and I had no problems in bringing the raw capture into the editing tool. I added a title slide, some audio for an introduction, and then output the file in an iOS compatible format (in particular for the iPad). I moved the file to Dropbox, then opened Dropbox on the iPad and viewed the file. The quality of the PowerPoint slides was excellent, the opening title and music were fine, and the transition between the opening and the first slide worked well.

Next, I repeated the process, but added a "picture-in-picture" feature that Camtasia has. Using the embedded web cam on my laptop, I repeated the same process as before, with the same PowerPoint file, but used the PIP feature to provide some additional narration to the slides. I followed the same output process, and again, it worked very nicely on the iPad. I would note that I chose not to include the slide notes as closed captions, even though that feature was available, and was a one click option.

An aside here in regard to accessibility: Had I chosen to use the slide notes, they would have appeared as closed captions without my having to do anything further with them. I also like the idea of the PIP for inclusion of a sing language interpreter. I can see a work flow where the presenter is narrating the content of the slide off camera, while the PIP is on the signer. I don't think that the inclusion of both the PIP and the closed captioning would be a good idea, since the captioning box is partially obstructed by the PIP window. Note that the closed captioning window appears automatically, so there is no button to click to activate it.

Next, I took an AVI movie with audio and imported it to the Camtasia library, and then created a project around it. Output to the iPad, it worked as I expected. I did notice that the quality was degraded, but I surmised that this was due to a couple of factors, such as the original capture resolution and the resolution that I was using for the Camtasia movie. The movie was still of average quality, but not of the high-definition quality that one has come to expect. The AVI that I used was from a straight Camtasia capture.

I would note that Camtasia will not import an AVI file that it has not created. Apparently there is something in the codec that it uses for AVI movies that is different.

My next experiment was to import a SWF file, and attempt to get Camtasia to create a file from it. I had no luck in getting the SWF in - again, a flavor issue. I did notice from the menu selections, that I could bring in a MOV or M4V.

Note on Captivate: while not widely used, you can publish a Captivate movie to an F4V format by selecting Media in the publish window. I have experimented with both the F4V Video and the F4V with fixed frame rate options. I used an existing Captivate base file, and converted it to both media formats. The F4V Video format created an interesting video.

The audio track played as designed, but the video (the slides) were displayed for a very short time, and then moved on to the next slide. For example, a four-plus minute video was only slightly less than one minute when converted to a F4V video. On the other hand, the F4V with fixed frame rate created the entire movie with audio, highlight boxes, etc. in the proper location and timing.

I launched the Adobe Media Encoder, part of the CS5 Master Collection. Using the Media Encoder, I converted different types of movie formats to other formats, specifically MOV and M4V. These proved to be not much of a difference in quality or in time of conversion. I did notice that the processor must be devoid of any other business when making the conversion. A four-plus minute video (in the F4V fixed frame rate version) only converted to about 2:45 when the computer processor was stalled a couple of times.

When I brought the converted movies into Camtasia, they integrated well. I noticed that the image quality was again in the good range, but not HD quality. The movies were readable and easy to follow, just a bit grainy. Audio did not appear to have any issues, other than where the conversion had stalled there was a skip to the next section. Otherwise, they were in sync with the video

Next, I took a native Captivate file and had Captivate re-size it before creating the movie. In the example that I was working with, the native size was 800x600. The Camtasia converted size for the iPad is 620x480. Using the tools in Captivate, I converted the file to 620x480 before publishing it. Again, I used the F4V fixed frame rate media option. After publishing, I then took the F4V file through the Media Encoder and created a MOV file.

The MOV file was then brought into the Camtasia library and moved to the time line. Again in this case, everything went smoothly. The audio transfer was clear, and the video quality was of good quality.

 

I will continue to work with different formats, screen resolutions and combination's of factors to see if the video quality can be enhanced when the movie is brought from Captivate to Camtasia.

In summary, I think that there is potential for the use of Camtasia as a means of creating both accessible and mobile content that can be used on iOS devices. There are some technical issues that need to be further explored. While we have a good workflow for development of the Captivate movies, a good workflow needs to be developed for the process of conversion.

I invite anyone who would like to review this process, or these applications further, to contact me.

Yesterday (Thursday, 22 September) I did a training on demand for the Brandywine campus of Penn State. I drive down and back in the same day, and it really was a nice drive, and a nicer experience at the campus.

I've been meaning to write about this, and today, for no real reason, seems like a good day to do so. A while back, I attended a session at EDUCAUSE Mid-Atlantic about how one college was using Skype to monitor student teachers in the field. they were able to reduce travel costs, still provide a good platform for the observer to watch the student teacher, and then provide immediate feedback. A great idea in my book.

So, I started to think - how could we make this work in the Penn State environment? The more I thought about it, I realized that we already have a mechanism in place that we could leverage in a number of ways - Adobe Connect.

Just think through the scenario. A student teacher buys, rents or is loaned a web camera and wireless microphone set (they have to supply the batteries!) to connect to a computer in their base classroom. the camera is unobtrusive enough in the back of the classroom on a computer, and the mic wouldn't sir that much interest with the students.

The entire lesson could be viewed remotely, with full audio and video, and then be able to get feedback immediately. They could meet in the same meeting room immediately after the lesson was presented and have a good discussion with their supervisor or other professional. In addition, a note or chat pod could be used to take anecdotal notes during the session so that things wouldn't be forgotten, plus these notes could be emailed to the student or the observer for further consideration.

If the school would allow it, the lesson could even be recorded in Connect for later viewing, or if the chat pod were used for the note taking, being able to review the lesson asynchronously to see when things happened along with the note. I know that this would take come negotiation with the school district, but the possibility exists.

A further aspect of this would be to convert the recording to an FLV file, take this into Studio Code and further analyze it using the superior coding capabilities of that application. Imagine being able to string together several examples of a problem that the student teacher needs to work on, so that they can see themselves making the mistake, rather than just being told about it. What a powerful tool!

Another aspect of suing Connect would be to allow student teachers in teh same discipline or curriculum area or grade level to have weekly meeting with others in other assignments in various parts of the state to compare notes. Wouldn't the networking and sharing be valuable to all the prospective teachers involved?

I think that the possibilities for using Connect in the training of teachers is something that the education community should consider. It could be cost and time efficient, provide a great training and review platform, and ultimately could be a wonderful tool for making better teachers in the classroom.

On Wednesday, March 30th, I took a relaxing drive to Behrend to meet with some folks from continuing education at Behrend, Shenango, Beaver and Greater Allegheny. The session ran for just about 4 hours, as I was demonstrating Adobe Connect (version 8) and answering their questions as to the mechanics and best practices of using the tool.

From January 12 - 14 I attended and presented at the EDUCAUSE Mid-Atlantic Regional conference in Baltimore. The conference was held at the Baltimore Waterside Marriott Hotel on the Inner Harbor. Guest rooms were nice, but I thought that the breakout rooms for the conference, as well as the main ballroom that was used for larger group functions, was rather depressing. The main ballroom was long and narrow, and did not provide an inviting environment for the main speakers.

The room that was used for the "Experience IT" sessions was poorly arranged, and made ti difficult for anyone toward the back or right side of the room to fully participate in the sessions. The other rooms were adequate, but seemed rather sterile and boring.

My presentation, late on the first afternoon of the conference, was on the Technology Learning Assistant (TLA) program that I manage. The attendance was about 20 people, which seemed to be the average for most of the breakout sessions that I attended. I felt that the presentation went well, and there were some excellent questions and inquiries about the program and how it is run.

The Wednesday general session Yin and Yang Leadership: Making the Impossible Possible was interesting, as it was presented by Linda Cureton, CIO of NASA. She discussed the path forward in IT, from a leadership perspective, given the limitations and stretched resources that we not face in IT.

Other sessions that I attended were the Experience IT sessions on Google Applications, Twitter and Other Backchannels and Wikis. These were farily good, and would have been more enjoyable and worthwhile but for the facilty.

One of the most interesting, and thought provoking sessions was A system for the Remote Observation of Student Teachers, a session presented by Lloyd Onyett (remotely) from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The session centered on the presentation and discussion of how IUP is using Skype to monitor student teachers in the field.

Through the use of a web cam and a wireless mic system, student teachers can be remotely observed by their supervisors from the IUP campus. Since IUP has student teaching placements across the Commonwealth, and they were looking for cost reduction of sending supervisors out for on-site observations, they decided to use a Skype solution.

IUP supplies the cameras and wireless mic sets, while the host school district allows for the use of their computers for attaching the hardware. Student teachers are then observed remotely, with feedback coming in the form of conversations after the lesson and via email.

As Mr. Onyett discussed how they worked through this and the issues that they encountered, it sparked an idea that Penn State could do something similar using our existing Adobe Connect Pro implementation. I could see this approach being easily adaptable to Connect Pro, along with some additional advantages that ACP would bring over the Skype system as it was described. I could see the development of a white paper from this.

Another interesting session was Increase Online Student Engagement Through Online Human Touch and as Online First Year Experience. Presented by a team from Drexel University, this presentation looked at how they use online engagement to keep their online students engaged in their courses, and keep them engaged in using Drexels' online course offerings over the long haul. it was also interesting to see the amount of collaboration between various units, such as the libraries, IT, instructional design and support and their School of Education.

Another session on Migrating to an Enterprise E-Portfolio Solution provided some unique insights on how other institutions are addressing e-portfolios. While I felt that this approach may have worked best for the presenters in their situation, I did not see it as a viable alternative for our current recommendation for e-Portfolios.

There was another session that dealt with online tools to support faculty, staff and student technology skills development. The presetnation was interesting, but did not lend any new information to what we are already implementing here (training. lynda.com and the TLA program).

In general the conference had some really great content. while the physical space provided some challenges, it was a good experience.

From Sunday, October 24th through Wednesday, October 27th, I attended and presented at the SIGUCCS Fall conference in Norfolk, VA. The conference was held at the Waterside Marriott Hotel, a very nice facility for the proceedings that had nicely appointed rooms, and very nice main ballroom for large scale functions, and several nice breakout rooms for sessions and presentations.

I attended a pre-conference session on Sunday - Leadership - Creating a better You, A Better workplace, and a Better World!, presented by Nancy Bauer of Ross University, The Bahamas. This was a good workshop, and was really interactive among the participants. Rather than a traditional workshop of present and respond, she encouraged us to interact with each other through a series of exercises and case studies.

The discussion was very good, and very rich. We were a rather mixed group, from institutions of varying sizes and with varying personal backgrounds, In addition, we were all from different IT backgrounds, I being the only trainer in the group.

Nancy did a very nice job in facilitating the discussion, and everyone in the group was very engaged in the discussion throughout the nearly 4 hour workshop. There were many thins in her presentation, and the ensuing discussion, that I would like to begin to incorporate into the TLA program. Leadership is an important part of the TLA program, and I believe that some of the things that came out of this session could be incorporated into the soft skills training that we are integrating with the students.

Conference sessions that I attended included one by former colleague Christine Vucinich on Online Training Opportunities @ Duke: Technology Training - Anytime, Anywhere. Christine presented on how Duke University is augmenting their training opportunities through the use of lynda.com tutorials and other programs that she has implemented to expand the opportunities for faculty and staff at Duke.

While Christine's situation at Duke is very different from ours at Penn State, she has employed some very good marketing strategies for getting the word out to her potential client audience, and getting them interested and involved in training. Even though Duke is smaller than Penn State, their experience with lynda.com has been about the same, given the difference in scale.

Another session was on the implementation of clickers at various university's of differing sizes. A panel discussion, the principals were from Williams College, West Virginia and Purdue. Each panelist provided a description of their use of clickers at their institution, and some of the challenges that they have had to overcome in the use of the devices. I think that this could make for some valuable and interesting discussion materials as we look to develop training on the use and implementation of clickers on a wider scale.

The session All Hands on Deck: A New Approach to Staff Development provided some interesting alternatives to the traditional way that we think about staff development at Penn State (in the training realm). The presenters, both from Lewis and Clark College in Oregon, have some interesting and potentially valuable ways to present staff training.

They use a sort of "boot camp " approach to getting staff up to speed. They bring students in for a couple of days in advance of the semester, train them, and then use periodic sessions throughout the semester to update and refresh skills. I like this idea, and I would like to see if we could implement this into the current TLA structure.

Overall, I thought that this was a very good conference. the sessions were relevant to the things that I am looking for ideas on, and the presenters did a fine job of delivering their content.

Carole and I are blessed with two sons who we are very proud of. They are both excellent in the classroom, and pretty much do whatever is asked of them. One is in 8th grade, the other in 5th. One has extreme musical talent, the other appears that he will be a pretty good athlete.

I usually don't talk about my boys, but this past weekend I was stunned by one of them. In a very good way.

Both boys are Boy Scouts - Kreg is a tenderfoot, soon to be second class; Kade a Webelos II, soon to move into the same troop as his brother. This past weekend was our District Fall Camporee. The Boys Scouts (not the Webelos) had the opportunity to work on 2 merit badges that BSA has brought back for their centennial year - carpentry and signaling.

Kreg did a nice job ont he carpentry badge, and earned it easily. This was a bit of a surprise, given that he had never really used hand tools before, but he surprised me at his skill and dexterity in creating a simple stool for the house, and in how he was able to watch and duplicate exactly what the instructors were showing him. Dad was proud.

But the real "shock and awe" came during the signaling part on Saturday afternoon.

We began with using flags for sending semaphone. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a process where you use 2 flags in different positions to represent letters. Kreg had used 2 of my officiating flags to practice, but I had no idea how much he had practiced!

Each scout had to spell out 6 different words for the merit badge counselor with no mistakes. They had time to practice, but part of the skill is in doing it correctly and effortlessly. Kreg knew the letters and their positions better than I would have thought. But what really caught my attention was his crispness in sending them.

While the other boys would somewhat carelessly put the flags into position, Kreg snapped each letter out as if he were on the signal bridge of a WWII battleship. He was precise, sharp and even, at one  point, had to correct the instructor! You could hear the nylon flags snap as he spelled out each letter. It was a thing of beauty to watch!

Where he really stunned me, however, was in his Morse code. I had downloaded a Morse emulator for him to use to practice. It allowed him to hear the code, see the code, and then key it back. I knew that he had practiced somewhat, but I was really not sure how well he would do with it.

The group he was in had about a 90 minute review of the code, with practice in writing it, and in hearing it. At the beginning of this session, the instructor asked if anyone could spell there name in Morse. Three hands went up, including Kreg's.

He was the second to go, and began singing the code for the instructor. the instructor stopped him thinking that he had made a mistake. Kreg politely corrected him "No, sir, my name is spelled K R E G." The instructor was stunned - he had done it with 100% accuracy!

After the training session, any scout could test to complete the merit badge requirements. Passing would mean that they had earned a merit badge in about 3 hours time.

Part one was a listening test - listen to a coded message and decode it. Kreg sailed through with no errors - dad was stunned! I didn't think that he had practiced that much!

Part two required the scout to use a code key and send a message in under five minutes. They could go at any speed, but they must be accurate, and they must be under time. As I sat there listen and watching him work, I was pleasantly stunned again.

He was as focused as I had ever seen him, He keyed the message, smoothly and quickly, finishing in just under 3 minutes! The badge was his!

When the instructor asked him how he had learned it so well, he said "My dad helped me. He got an emulator that I used to learn the code." I was proud enough to cry. My other son told me that Kreg had been spending time on the computer, using the emulator, to learn the Morse. Kreg told Kade that he was going to get the merit badge no matter what . . . and he did. He was one of only 4 scouts to earn both badges in the same day - and of the 5 scouts from our troop that were at the camporee, we had 2 that did so. A good day.

My sons never cease to amaze me, but Saturday was a stunning show of determination and focus from Kreg that made me a VERY proud father - and it made for a very nice birthday gift for me as well.

Thanks, Kreg, for making your dad feel like I won the lottery!
-.- .-. . --. / .. / .-.. --- ...- .  / -.-- --- ..-

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

I read this article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/25/technology/25brain.html?_r=1&src=me&ref=technology) and found it more than a bit interesting.

Last week was a very busy few days.

On Tuesday, I drive to New Haven, CT to speak at a plenary session of the Consortium for Language Teaching and Learning at Yale University's Center for Language Study. The topic was using Adobe Connect Pro (their desktop web conferencing program) for delivering instructional content to students. This is a subject that I am very familiar with, so I had a good time presenting about it as part of the Consortium's proceedings.

After my presentation, I climbed back in the car and headed home to Hughesville.

Thursday morning I had some chores to do around the house before leaving for Shippensburg and the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state track and field championships. My speaking engagements weren't over yet.

That afternoon I had to switch gears and become a track and field coach again to present a coaches clinic on the high jump. As a coach, i have had pretty good success with my high jump athletes, and the associate executive director asked me to present a 1-hour session on coaching the event. while the crowd wasn't nearly as large (perhaps 15 people), I had a good time doing it. It was fun to get back into the coaching realm and try and share my understanding of the event with other coaches.

Friday was a light day - kind of. I spent the entire day scouting the 14 different field events at the state championships to prepare for my NEXT speaking gig - color commentary for the statewide broadcast of the championships on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). This is my 3rd year broadcasting for them, and I had a great time.

On Saturday, after doing my homework and preparing my information based on Friday's results, I got behind the microphone for about 30 minutes of commentary and review of the events from the previous day. It was easy since I had watched at least a part of the events that I was asked to comment on. The second segment, which dealt with the events from Saturday, was a bit tougher, but I still felt that it came off well.

A busy week, but a fun and good week. It's tough completely changing gears to go from speaking to academics about technology, to coaches who are wanting to learn how to help their athletes, to the general public who are looking for results, information and a little back story to what they are seeing on TV. Hopefully, I pulled it off - but only the recipients will know for sure, and I don't think that there will be any crossovers who heard all three speaking engagements.