Classroomtech.org.uk

Many people have seen or used Webcams for video calling over the internet. Applications such as Skype have made seeing people the other side of the world and talking to them very accessible.

The Webcams that make this possible are simply digital cameras that are capable of recording video and taking still pictures and at a fraction of the cost of other digital cameras.

In the classroom there could be many uses of a webcam. One possible use would be to showcase a pupils work. Instead of trying to hold a piece of work up or describe what it looks like to the class, a webcam can be used to show a live picture of the work that can be projected so that even those at the back can clearly see what you are talking about.

Almost all webcams will come with some software that will allow you to show the image live (often called the preview) on the computer. If you want to you can also capture the picture as a snapshot or as a video that could be saved and shown to the class again later.

If you are buying a webcam try to get a High resolution model of at least 1.3 megapixels. The lower resolution cameras won’t be clear enough to show a good picture when projected on a large screen. I have a basic model and it does the job ok. One of the new 5 MP cameras especially with autofocus would be even better.

You can buy many webcams from Amazon.co.uk as well as computer shops and even larger supermarkets.

The growth of online video fueled by video sharing websites like YouTube has created a great resource of millions of videos ready and waiting to be tapped into to support our teaching and our pupils learning. Obviously there is a lot of rubbish that needs to be waded through, but there are some gems as well.

Because of the possibility of misuse of these sort of sites and the unsuitable nature of some of the videos, most of these sites are blocked by school networks. That means that it is impossible to show a video streamed directly from the site in the classroom and another approach is needed.

As long as there are no copyright issues, videos can be downloaded from YouTube (and other video sharing sites) using one of a number of free websites. These websites will take the address of the video (that you get from the YouTube page) and will download the video and allow you to save it on your computer for playing back later.

Some of the sites download it in the format (type of video) that YouTube uses, which has the file extension .flv . If you get a file like this you will need a special video playing software such as VLC media player or Wimpy desktop FLV player, both of which are free. Other websites will convert the file for you into a format that can be played on windows media player (e.g. .avi, .mpg or .wmv).

Here is a list of some of the websites that you can use to save videos from YouTube and other sites:

Sites that will download as .flv files

• videodl.org – multiple sites supported
• youtubecatcher.com – YouTube only
• keepvid.com – multiple sites supported

Sites that will download and convert videos into nice formats

• catchvideo.net – YouTube only
• vixy.net – Multiple sites supported
• vconversion.com – YouTube only
• zamzar.com – Multiple sites supported

I haven’t tested all of these sites, but have listed several to help you find one you like.

**UPDATE**

I have found another web site called Youconvertit.com that allows you to convert and download videos as well as convert files of all kinds into other formats.

Most children love playing games and flash based games are very popular. There are lots of educational flash games available and they can be a useful tools in the classroom for reinforcing or revising topics. They can be used with the whole class or for individual pupils on computers.

The problem with the many of the games I find for use with pupils is that they never do quite what I want them to. The questions may not be all on the topic I want or the website they are based on may have too many other distractions that make if difficult for pupils to concentrate on what they should be doing.

A solution to these problems is to make your own games that are based on the questions you want to focus on and that can be run from a school network or a website that you have control over. Unfortunately developing games in flash requires a lot of skill and knowledge that most of us don’t have the time or skills to develop. That is where Contentgenerator.net comes in. Contentgenerator.net provides a series of programs that make it easy to create your own flash games to use with pupils. Many of the programs are commercial, but are priced reasonably, while others are free.

(Read the rest of this entry…)

The age of digital TV has brought with it an explosion of specialist TV channels catering for all aspects of society. Teachers.tv the specialist channel for teachers is available on digital cable, satelite and digital terrestrial TV and importantly on the internet.

Dispite the name Teachers.tv is not just for teachers, but has over 2000 programmes covering every subject including PHSE and suitable for everyone from head teachers to teaching assistants. It also has lots of programmes aimed at pupils.

You can watch most of the programmes online and when you have created a free account you can download many of the programmes to your computer. Videos can be found by browsing the categories or by searching directly by keyword. The quality of the programmes is good enough to watch full screen and they are ideal for showing to a class on a projector.

There is a community aspect to the site with ratings and comments on videos and various groups focussed on specific topics. You can subscribe to news of the latest videos via RSS or email and there is a news podcast. You can keep track of the videos you like in your account and there are even instructions on how you can edit some of the videos. If you want to watch in even better quality many of the videos can now be bought on DVD direct from the site.

Find out more and explore what is available at the Teachers.tv website.