Tutorial Tools - My JING Experiences

Well, I finally broke down last year and joined the 'screencasting' game. My colleagues in radio/tv production have been heavy Camtasia users for years. And, I knew the tool would be great for educational uses. So, the 'frugal librarian' that I am, I looked for a less costly alternative to Camtasia and decided on Jing. [Ok, here are the price points: Camtasia: $299.99 for PC ($199 with educational discount) and $99 for Mac --- Jing: $14.95 per year]

Can you guess what "Newbrarian the Frugal Librarian" decided upon?? Yup, you got it.

So, after I downloaded my new Jing software, I commenced to recording screen activity. There is a small yellow half-sun that stays hidden in the upper right hand corner of your desktop. Whenever you need to do a screen record, just 'click on the sun' (oh the iconography) and voila, instant recording of the activities on your screen and a voice track underneath. All in one little neat mp4 package.

I've primarily been doing individualized/customized JING tutorial's for students with odd and/or complicated questions. Here's the litmus test for deciding when to use Jing for a reference answer: "If I think my answer to a question will provoke the Scooby Doo "rut ro, rut was wrat?"... I do a Jing. This way, in the midst of their confusion, they can: stop; rewind; and roll the instructions again.

This summer, I plan to do more generalized tutorials in Jing for the upcoming semester. Word has it it's gone viral in the JHU undergraduate community as a Baltimore instructor is using it in their class. Pretty cool, huh?

After using this type of tool, I can't understand why people still use PowerPoint with an audio bed underneath. That process takes about four steps and a separate install of software to accommodate the audio. Yet, Jing doesn't come without some 'bugginess'. There is one drawback and possible roadblock in using Jing. As Jing is an mp4 file --- read: "big monster file" --- some email clients block such huge files. However, the Hopkins email client works just fine with mp4's. So does AOL and gmail. So, be aware, you may be limited to sending things directly to students ONLY via their Hopkins accounts.

So, to wrap it up, screencasting has been the standard for internet audio/visual pro's and is quickly becoming standard in the library field. If you haven't checked it out, I strongly recommend you plop down the $14.95 and take Jing for an exploratory spin.

What!? Kindle for MAC?

Ok. I'll be honest...I've never really been into the Kindle.
However, as a 21st Century Info Pro, I've always known I'd be forced to 'deal with' its stark, black and white, hard-to-read, excrutiatingly small screen. (Can you really tell how much I adore this little techno gadget?)

Well, I've refused to buy a Kindle through the years. (I just play with the free one my Aunt received as a board member Christmas gift...just to be aware of the functionality.) But, today, I may just get into the Kindle game. Why? You ask of the 'Kindle Grinch'?

Well, I was 'off on the topic hunt' this morning for one of our AAP Graduate Government students and I venture into good old Amazon.com (when an ISBN is just absolutely necessary...) And, lo and belold --- what did I see, boldly plastered on the front page:? "INTRODUCING KINDLE FOR MAC! GET FREE DOWNLOAD!!" "Read more than 450,000 Kindle books on your Mac with our free Kindle for Mac application. Automatically syncs with your library of Kindle books."

Looks like I'll be purchasing some Kindle Books tonight. : )

Stay tuned for the next blog. I'll let you know how it all works!

Peace,
Newbrarian