Tag: videos

What’s this Kaltura I keep hearing about?

Kaltura is a streaming media tool that is coming to Camosun. This means faculty and students will now have a place to upload, create, and edit their course-related videos. Kaltura also integrates with D2L, meaning that you can upload, create and edit videos through D2L, and those files can then be viewed on a course page or in your course’s media gallery. It is this integration which we are launching first this spring.

Kaltura can be used to:

  • Upload images, video, and audio files to your course that you can then embed in the HTML editor (wherever it appears in D2L), or as a Topic link in the Content tool.
  • Do some basic editing of your video files right in D2L (note that we do recommend that more complex editing be done in video editing software, as the tools in Kaltura are limited in scope)
  • Create webcam and screen capture recordings (for example, create a voiceover PowerPoint presentation with picture in picture, or capture how to use a piece of software with audio)
  • Create interactive video quizzes (which can then be connected to your gradebook)
  • Collect video and audio assignments from your students
  • Add YouTube videos into your Kaltura media list – this means when you embed these videos, they will play without advertising or providing “helpful” suggestions for additional videos to watch.

In addition, you will be able to

  • Share videos with other instructors
  • Create playlists of videos for your course
  • Use closed-captioning to ensure your videos are accessible
  • Add tags so that your videos can be searched for
  • View analytics on who has watched a video, how long they spent on it, etc.
  • Add Creative Commons licencing to your videos

More information about how you will be able to access Kaltura through D2L will be coming in late April. And a series of hands-on sessions will be offered the first week of June. Go to https://decamosun.wordpress.com/2019/01/28/elearning-spring-workshops-open-for-registration/ to find out more.

If you have any questions about how and when you can have access to Kaltura, or would like a demo or to talk to someone about how you might use Kaltura, contact desupport@camosun.ca to arrange for a meeting with Bob Preston, or one of our instructional designers.

Introducing Lynda.com!

In case you didn’t know, Camosun has purchased a licence for Lynda.com that all faculty, staff, and students at Camosun have access to through the Library.

What is Lynda.com? Well, to quote the Research Guide on Lynda.com (https://camosun.ca.libguides.com/lynda), “Lynda.com is a leading online learning platform that helps anyone learn business, software, technology and creative skills to achieve personal and professional goals. There are over 4000 engaging, top-quality courses taught by recognized industry experts.”

Some cool things about how you can use Lynda:

  • You have access to the site 24/7 from on and off campus, and from a variety of devices.
  • Lynda not only has videos on how to use various software, it also offers courses on time management, teaching techniques, managing stress, communication strategies, etc.
  • You can embed Lynda videos into your D2L course. Click the Faculty/Teaching tab on the main Lynda.com guide (https://camosun.ca.libguides.com/lynda/teaching) and scroll down to find the Integrating Lynda Videos into D2L section on the right-hand side.

One thing to remember: if you are using Lynda to help you learn how to use some of the software we support in eLearning, such as D2L, Kaltura, WordPress, or Blackboard Collaborate Ultra, be aware that the way the softwares are configured at Camosun may differ from how they are presented in Lynda. If you have any questions about this after viewing Lynda videos on any of these tools, please contact desupport@camosun.ca and ask to talk to Bob Preston or an instructional designer for clarification.

If you have questions about or need help with Lynda.com, click on the Need More Help tab (https://camosun.ca.libguides.com/lynda/help).