Editing video clips for classroom and presentation use is an ongoing interest of mine. I've documented several tools in my wiki pages. Video tags in the wiki is a good place to get an overview of all the topics listed below.
- Video clips from a DVD page includes the step by step process I used in March 2008 to create a short clip from a DVD
- Many clips are already available on YouTube and other web sites. The issue in a class or presentation is timing. I'm not willing to wait on network issues, web site down, video taken down, etc. So the only option is to have the video file available to serve. Flash video conversion for small file size and flash video capture is the answer.
- Video codec for your player is the next issue in a presentation. The standard issue for Win XP doesn't include the capability to play many video types (and I'm not talking new either!). The solution is XviD, a fast open source, customizable, and easy to use codec that can be installed in under a minute.
Production updates to investigate:
- HandBrake - an open source MPEG-4 converter (tipped off by Paul Thurrott and Leo Laporte on Windows Weekly). Software of the week on #85.
- H.264 encoding format - High quality codec
Beyond the mechanics of production is use of videos in classes.
- Examples of videos for Accounting Information Systems and Accounting classes. This is the beginning of a an ongoing project list. See: http://www.devriesonline.net/pmwiki.php/Main/Video-AIS
- Screen capture to video, particularly with Jing, is an important tool for me. I'm making a short presentation in early January 2009 on use of this tool for responding to student questions. The advantage of the tool is the ability to integrate a screencast video/audio response in the same amount of time that it takes to do a step by step walk through. The benefit to the recipient is an answer that tells and shows.