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How TechSmith Software Contributes in the Classroom

The following tutorials specifically address the needs of educators. Take a look into our toolbox... and use the tools to build your own ideas.

Adding Captions to Your Recorded Lectures
Camtasia Studio's Open Captioning feature provides onscreen text, so your videos will be accessible by hearing impaired students. Or, you could provide subtitled lectures in several languages.

Adding Visuals to PowerPoint Presentations
Videos and images make PowerPoint presentations more memorable and effective.

Create a Video for a Podcast (PDF)
This downloadable PDF document guides you through the entire process of creating videos for playback on popular portable media devices including the Apple video iPod, the Sony PSP, the Palm, and Creative Zen Vision M.

Record Your PowerPoint Presentation
Camtasia Studio's new Add-in for PowerPoint allows you to record and share all the richness of your PowerPoint presentation, including voice narration, animation, slide transitions, on-the-fly annotations, and much more.

Import Videos into a Learning Management System
Share Camtasia Studio videos with a learning management system so many teachers can use videos in their lessons. At the same time, monitor which videos are being used by students and create more effective lessons.

Record a Whiteboard Program with Camtasia Studio
Instructors can record the video and audio of their whiteboard demonstrations, then burn the video on a CD-ROM or post it on a Web site. As a result, students can increase their comprehension, refer repeatedly to lessons and learn at their own pace.

Enhance your Web site with Graphics and Video
Graphics and videos are a practical supplement to textual information on Web sites. Use images to illustrate your meaning, incite interest or just make the page more appealing.

Enhance Newsletters with Screenshots
Liven up your newsletter by adding intriguing screenshots! Using SnagIt to capture and paste is an easier and quicker method than whatever you're currently using.

Create Tutorials for Your Media Center Applications
Are the students perplexed by the media center software? Does the faculty keep asking you the same questions? Just think – the few minutes it takes you to create a Camtasia Studio video will save you hours of explanation time.

Create Visual Training Materials for Labs
Imagine the time you could save by showing students exactly how to perform computer tasks! Instead of struggling to explain actions in words, allow SnagIt and Camtasia Studio to help your students actually see what they are supposed to accomplish.

Use Camtasia Studio as an Assessment Tool
Camtasia Studio allows you to easily and accurately assess your students' computer ability. In addition, the resulting video will be a learning tool for both of you.

Capture Web Sites for Research Purposes
SnagIt is designed to make it easy for you to capture anything from the Internet. As a result, you can make projects more informative and appealing by adding screenshots to your projects.

Improve Distance Learning Classes with Videos and Screenshots
Offering distance learning classes allows students to take a class that is not offered at a particular school. Camtasia Studio's capabilities allow you to bring your class directly to these students, while SnagIt allows you to quickly supplement your online material with up-to-date screenshots.

Record Pen Tablets
Using Camtasia Studio to record the computer screen when you're using a pen tablet is a cost effective and simple way to create tutorials.

Record Your PowerPoint Presentation

Slides alone cannot convey the true richness of your lecture, because they're missing the most important ingredient – you. Camtasia Studio records your entire presentation, so that students can benefit from more of your expertise.

Whether you work in a virtual or traditional classroom, Camtasia Studio makes your PowerPoint presentations work harder for you. Record your lectures and publish to CD-ROM for student studying purposes. Post your lectures to your class website for archival and review outside of the classroom.

Just plug in a microphone and hit Record in the PowerPoint toolbar. Everything in your presentation – and we mean everything, including

• Voice narration
• Transitions
• Animation
• Slide timing
• Sound effects
• Mouse movement
• Embedded video & audio
• Compelling elements of live presentation
• On-the-fly pen annotation
• Cursor highlights

-- will be recorded as a video. Plus, it places a table of contents alongside the video, so viewers can easily navigate to the parts they want to watch. And remember – you have complete editing capabilities if you want to fix mistakes or cut sections out.

• Teach speaking skills by recording and rehearsing student presentations.
• Share your PowerPoint based lectures with students online or via e-mail.
• A professional development tool: Record your lectures at educational events to share best practices with your colleagues.

How to record your PowerPoint presentation

1. On the Camtasia Studio toolbar, click on the Record Audio tool.
2. Click on the Record button on the Camtasia Studio toolbar. If a tip dialog box appears, read the tip and then choose Close.
3. Both the slide show and the recording will begin immediately. Move through the PowerPoint presentation slides as you normally would, speaking into the microphone as you go in order to record the voice narration.
4. Once the end of the show is reached, press the <Esc> key to end your recording.

Import Videos into your Learning Management System

Take full advantage of your learning management software by adding Camtasia Studio videos. You can record tutorial videos of software instruction or entire PowerPoint presentations and share them with colleagues and students.

Never lose a video again by placing and sharing it from one location. Use your learning management system's search function to quickly find videos that accompany a lesson.

How to make a SCORM-compliant video:

1. Record the video as normal with Camtasia Recorder or the PowerPoint add-in.
2. Edit the video in Camtasia Producer.
3. When you have finished editing, go to File > Produce Video As to begin the production process.
4. Choose your file format, frame rate and screen size.
5. In Video Options, make sure the SCORM box is checked in the E-learning section. Add any data you want in the learning management system by pressing the Options button.
6. Finish producing your video.
7. Import the video into your learning management system following its provided directions.

Record Your Whiteboard Program with Camtasia Studio

Instructors commonly use whiteboard programs such as Microsoft Paint, Smart Technologies SMART Board and the eBeam Electronic Whiteboard System in the classroom. By projecting the whiteboard, each student can see every move the instructor makes, including step-by-step problem solving, complex outlines and detailed illustrations.

But what if students want to refer to the presentation after they leave class? What are their options? With Camtasia Studio, students will always be able to watch a video of the whiteboard demonstrations.

This is how it works: Instructors can record their whiteboard demonstrations – the video as well as the audio. They can then burn the video on a CD-ROM for the students, or post the video on a Web site.

As a result, students can increase their comprehension, refer repeatedly to lessons and learn at their own pace. By making your classroom proceedings accessible, you give students every chance to succeed.

How to record your Whiteboard program with Camtasia Studio

1. Open your Whiteboard program. Project the screen to the class.

2. On your computer, begin recording the whiteboard screen with Camtasia Studio.

3. Demonstrate on your whiteboard for the students as you normally do.

4. When you're finished with class, stop recording.

5. Use Camtasia Studio to produce the video. You have your choice of producing the video in any popular file format, including Adobe Flash.

6. Burn the video of the whiteboard class session onto CD-ROMs and distribute them to the students. Or, post the video on a course Web site.

Enhance Your Web site with Graphics and Video

Graphics and videos are a practical supplement to Web site text. Whether you use images to illustrate your meaning, incite interest or just make the page more appealing, SnagIt and Camtasia Studio can make the task easier.

For instance, if you want a specific image on your site, you don’t have to fuss around with the cutting, cropping and pasting. SnagIt lets you capture exactly what you want – the first time – and place it directly on your site.

Likewise, using a Camtasia Studio-created video makes your site not only more informative, but more intriguing. You've admired the videos on other sites – why not go for it yourself?

Make your Web site’s visitors glad they came! Use effective images and attention-grabbing videos.

How to create graphics for Web site

1. Find the image you'd like to add and view it on your Windows screen. Use SnagIt's image capture to grab the image.

2. For the SnagIt Output, select Web. If you plan on using the file numerous times, you may also want to use Multiple Outputs and select File to save the image in the file format of your choice.

Add videos to your Web site

1. Use Camtasia Studio to record your video.

2. To embed a video file in your Web page (with Internet Explorer 5 and higher), save the video file to your Web server.

3. On the Web page where you would like to feature your recording, include the following source code in the body of your web page: <img dynsrc="url_of_your_movie" start="fileopen" height="" width="" border=0>

4. Upload the finished Web page to your Web server.

See more information on embedding videos in a Web page.

Enhance Your Newsletter with Screenshots

Liven up your newsletter by adding intriguing images captured and edited with SnagIt.

Take anything you see on your screen – from the Internet, an application, a digital camera, a scanner or file – and add special effects or annotations. Using SnagIt is easier and quicker than the copy, past and edit features on your PC because these steps are integrated into one application.

There's no need to crop, because you can capture exactly the area of the screen you want. You can use SnagIt's image processing options to alter anything you desire. And, since SnagIt is so easy to use with other programs, you'll have no difficulty pasting it into your application.

In addition, if you use Microsoft Word to create your newsletter, you can now access SnagIt from within the toolbar or menu! That way, you don't have to switch in between programs to perform your screen captures. SnagIt also works well with Adobe FrameMaker.

Create a newsletter that looks how you always wanted it to look – with no additional effort!

How to enhance your newsletter with image captures

1. Use SnagIt to capture whatever image you want to use in your newsletter, whether it an image from a Web site, an area of text, a chart or a picture from a digital camera. Or, open any image right into the SnagIt Editor.

2. Use special effects and annotation tools to customize the image.

3. Save the screen capture as a file or send it to the Clipboard.

4. Move the image into your software program. You can paste the screenshot or insert the file.

5. Continue enhancing your newsletter with various images.

For more information, see: SnagIt Add-ins.

Create Tutorials for Your Media Center Applications

Are the students perplexed by the media center software? Does the faculty keep asking you the same questions?

Alleviate their problems by creating tutorials with Camtasia Studio. Camtasia Studio allows you to record narration along with the video, or add narration later. You then have the option to edit your recording. When you're finished, you can save your video in a variety of formats, including Adobe Flash.

The best part is, you can then share your recording with them so they have access to it anywhere and at anytime - post your video on a Web site, distribute them by e-mail or save them to a CD-ROM.

Just think – the few minutes it takes you to create a Camtasia Studio video will save you hours of explanation time.

How to create tutorials for your media center applications

1. Open the application you want to record.

2. Begin recording with Camtasia Studio.

3. Perform your tasks as usual.

4. When you are finished with the task, stop recording.

5. If desired, perform any enhancements like adding Callouts or Transitions.

6. Post the video on a Web site or burn the video onto CD-ROMs.

Create Visual Training Materials for Labs

Imagine the time you could save by showing students exactly how to perform computer tasks!

Instead of struggling to explain actions in words, allow SnagIt and Camtasia Studio to help your students actually see what they are supposed to accomplish.

For instance, with SnagIt, you can quickly capture images of anything – including menus, dialog boxes, cursor placement, error messages - on your desktop to create a tutorial document. As a result, students will quickly become familiar with new computer applications.

Camtasia Studio allows you to create tutorial videos to assist the students' comprehension. It’s as easy as watching TV – they only need to play the video to learn the actions they are supposed to take. Place the videos on your course Web site or burn them onto a CD-ROM, and they can refer to them whenever they have a question.

Whether you're teaching a computer, math, statistics or science lab, TechSmith products make working with new applications easier for everyone. Take advantage of the latest technology to enrich your classroom experience.

How to create video training materials for labs

1. Open your lab computer program.

2. On your computer, begin recording the screen with Camtasia Studio.

3. Demonstrate the computer task you want the students to learn.

4. When you're finished with the task, stop recording.

5. Use Camtasia Studio to produce the video. You have your choice of producing the video in any popular file format, including Adobe Flash.

6. Burn the video onto CD-ROMs and distribute them to the students. Or, post the video on a course Web site.

How to create tutorials for labs

1. Use SnagIt to capture whatever image you want to use in the tutorial whether it is a menu, a dialog box, a toolbar or a Window. Save the screen capture as a file or send it to the Clipboard.

2. Move the image into your tutorial program, such as Microsoft Word. You can paste the screenshot or insert the file.

3. Continue enhancing your tutorials with step-by-step images of the computer processes.

Use Camtasia Studio as an Assessment Tool

Camtasia Studio allows you to easily and accurately assess your students' computer ability.

After your students learn a task, measuring their abilities is simple – they just need to press Record before they move through their assignment, and Stop when they’re finished. If you choose to record the audio, you will also have a recording of your voice and their answers.

Watching the resulting video will be a learning tool for both of you. Not only will the students learn from their actions, but you will also learn how the students' minds are working. As a result, the students will have a clearer understanding of their mistakes and achievements, and you will be able to better teach the computer processes.

Bring technology to the test administration level - assess your students today with Camtasia Studio.

How to use Camtasia Studio as an assessment tool

1. Instruct the students to open the computer program on which they are being tested.

2. On the computer, instruct students to begin recording the computer screen with Camtasia Studio.

3. Instruct the students to work through their computer task assignment. If you are recording the audio, encourage them to talk through their thought processes.

4. When they have finished, instruct them to stop recording.

5. As the instructor, you have many choices for assessing the video. You can watch the playback in Camtasia Player. You can also use Camtasia Studio to produce the video. You have your choice of producing the video in any popular file format, including Adobe Flash, to share with others. You can also burn the video of the test onto CD-ROMs and distribute them to the students, so they can refer to them later.

For more information visit the Camtasia Studio Getting Started tutorial.

Capture Web Sites for Research Purposes

SnagIt is designed to make it easy for you to capture anything from the Internet. As a result, you can make projects more informative and appealing by adding screenshots to your projects.

Both teachers and students can improve their research projects with SnagIt's capturing abilities. For instance, SnagIt's ability to capture a scrolling window lets you to grab an entire Web page as one image – no need to capture multiple screens and paste them together!

If you are interested in capturing the entire Web site, enable SnagIt to capture with the Auto Scroll Window. You also can explore SnagIt's other scrolling options - Scrolling Region, Scroll Active Window, and Custom Scroll. SnagIt's Web Capture even lets you simultaneously capture every image from a site.

You don't even need to switch between programs, because if you're using Internet Explorer, you can access SnagIt right from your toolbar, which makes the screen capture process go even more quickly.

Whether you need art prints, charts, graphs, images or text, SnagIt lets you get the information and the images you need to make your projects instructive and interesting.

Capture the images that matter... to create the projects that matter! Use SnagIt for your research collection purposes today.

How to use SnagIt to capture Web sites

1. While researching on the Internet, find the image or page you want to capture.

2. Access SnagIt from the Internet Explorer toolbar. If you have not placed SnagIt in your toolbar, open the SnagIt program window.

3. If you are interested in capturing the entire Web site, enable SnagIt to capture with Auto Scroll Window. You also can explore SnagIt's other scrolling options - Scrolling Region, Scroll Active Window, and Custom Scroll. If you want to simultaneously capture every image from a site, use Web Capture.

4. If you want a single image, select your Capture preferences.

5. Paste or insert the SnagIt image into your research document.

6. Continue enhancing your research documents with various screenshots.

For more information, visit the SnagIt Learning Center.

Use Videos and Screenshots to Improve Distance Learning Classes

Offering distance learning classes allows students to take a class that is not offered at a particular school.

For instance, if a student wants to take an advanced placement class, and that class is not available, a teacher can recreate the class experience with Camtasia Studio and SnagIt.

Camtasia Studio's capabilities allow you to bring your class directly to these students in many ways. First of all, you are able to record your online actions to instruct them - how to perform computer tasks, how to access the online classroom, how to set a password. You can either post the videos or burn them on a CD-ROM and mail them to students.

Recording lessons onto CD-ROMs also assists students in self-paced courses. It also makes distance learning easier for students who may not have reliable Web access, since they can work anywhere they have a computer.

Working together is an important part of the classroom experience that sometimes is omitted in distance learning, but Camtasia Studio also makes it possible to complete group projects. For instance, students can record their section of a PowerPoint presentation with Camtasia Recorder. A student can link the sections and produce them in Camtasia Studio, and then post them online for the class to view and discuss. That way, students get the full value of the presentation, just as if everyone were in one room together.

Similarly, SnagIt allows you to quickly supplement your online tutorials, presentations, Web site and lesson plan materials with up-to-date screenshots. Increase student comprehension and interest with added images, while saving time and costs. Students will also be able to send their screenshots to you, so you can diagnose problems or view their research finds. Even though you and your students aren’t in the same room, the increased communication will make you feel like you are.

How to use videos to improve distance learning classes

1. Use Camtasia Studio to record your video.

2. To embed a video file in your Web page (with Internet Explorer 5 and higher), save the video file to your Web server.

3. On the Web page where you would like to feature your recording, include the following source code in the body of your web page: <img dynsrc="url_of_your_movie" start="fileopen" height="" width="" border=0>

4. Upload the finished Web page to your Web server.

See more information on Embedding Videos in a Web page.

How to use screenshots to improve distance learning classes

1. Access whatever you want to capture on your Windows screen, such as an Internet image, a graphic from an application or anything that appears on your desktop. You also may want to take advantage of SnagIt's ability to capture a scrolling window, which allows you to capture an entire Web page as a single image.

2. You can then save your SnagIt capture as a file. In this case, you should save it as either a GIF or a JPEG, both of which are Web-safe images.

3. Save your image to your Web server.

4. On the Web page where you would like to feature your screenshot, include the following source code in the body of your web page: <img src="url_of_your_screnshot" height="" width="" border=0>

5. Upload the finished Web page to your Web server.

Record Pen Tablets

Using Camtasia Studio to record the screen of a pen tablet is a cost-effective and simple way to create tutorials.

The method is relatively simple. First, you need a whiteboard for your pen tablet. Microsoft NetMeeting's Whiteboard is a free application that is already installed on most PCs - but any blank background will work.

As you write on your pen tablet, the writing appears on your computer screen. In addition, you can narrate your onscreen actions. Camtasia Studio records the video of your work and your audio. You can then post your video online or burn the video onto a CD.

As a result, students can actually see and hear your explanation. Since the educator is writing, the student can watch the process in real-time. And since the instructor is talking, the students get an in-depth explanation that pure text cannot capture.

With pen tablets and Camtasia Studio, you can explain once and replay it forever! For more information, visit www.wacom.com.

1. Begin using your pen tablet.

2. Find a background, like a whiteboard, on which to write.

3. On your computer, begin recording the screen with Camtasia Studio.

4. Record the writing you do on the pen tablet as well as the audio. Demonstrate for the students as you normally do.

5. When you're finished with class, stop recording.

6. Use Camtasia Studio to produce the video. You have your choice of producing the video in any popular file format, including Adobe Flash.

7. Burn the video of the whiteboard class session onto CD-ROMs and distribute them to the students. Or, post the video on a course Web site.

Educator Resources