Two new features for screencasting in OS X Lion
As I was looking through the list of 250 new features in OS X Lion, I came across two that I think will be helpful to teachers and anyone who creates screencasts (screen recordings). QuickTime in OS X Lion includes the ability to record a region of the screen, not just the full screen. This feature is helpful when you just want to record one application window. Another feature that is helpful is the ability to show mouse clicks while recording. This feature will make it easier to follow the action on the screen as you watch a screen recording. Now if only Apple would add a pointer to the iPad when it is in mirroring mode that should be a big help for classroom demonstrations.
Slimming Down Video Files, Part 2
Well, after finding out that Miro does not really handle WMV files on Windows, I had to look for another option for video compression on that platform. Fortunately, one of my co-workers suggested Quick Media Converter HD. QMC is a Windows only freeware program that converts to a number of formats, including H.264 MP4 for iPhone. I tried converting the sample HD video (which is in WMV format) that ships with Windows 7 and it reduced the video from 25MB to 4MB using the MP4, 640 X 380 preset. The performance in terms of the time it took to do the conversion was pretty good, even though this was a short clip. The interface for QMC is not the prettiest, but I think it’s a good tool to have if you work with videos and need to support teachers using Windows.
Slimming Down those Video Files
cc licensed photo by alancleaver_2000
One of our faculty came to us with the following challenge: we want our pre-service teachers to video tape themselves in the classroom and then upload the video somewhere where the faculty member can view it and provide comments about the teaching practices shown in the video. I should add that this is an online class. One of the options the faculty member considered was using VoiceThread for providing the feedback to each student. I thought that was a pretty cool use of VoiceThread, but there was one big problem. Even with the education/pro version of VoiceThread there is a 100MB limit on the sizeof the files. That was probably not going to work, so the next thing I had to look for was a great compression tool that would allow our pre-service teachers to keep their file sizes within the limit imposed by VoiceThread.
I knew about Evom, which we have been using as a replacement for the excellent, but now retired VisualHub. Evom is really easy to use, free, and does a decent job with the compression, but it’s Mac only and many of our pre-service teachers are still using Windows computers. After searching around a bit and trying a few different tools, I think I found one that will do the job and meets all the requirements: it’s free, easy to use, and cross-platform. The name of the tool is Miro, and while it is not intended to be just a compression tool, it does a great job of shrinking the file size while keeping the quality not just acceptable but pretty good.
Using Miro, I was able to take a file that was 54MB and reduce it to just 1.4MB. I compared Miro to Evom using the same MP4 settings and while the size of each file was about the same, the one created by Miro had by far the best quality with the fewest artifacts. I also like the fact that Miro looks a lot like iTunes (it was after all created to be a media management and podcast subscription tool). This should help make it more accessible to our pre-service teachers, many of whom are familiar with iTunes from owning iPhones and other Apple devices.
Converting a file with Miro is pretty easy: File, Open, then with the file selected choose one of the conversion presets from the Convert menu.
As you can see from the screenshot, presets are available for a range of Apple mobile devices (including different generations of the iPhone and iPod touch), as well as an Apple Universal one that I have not tried yet. The generic MP4 one I have used so far produced such good results, I can’t wait to try the other presets to see how well they do. I think Miro is a tool we’re going to be using a lot to make the files we upload to iTunes U smaller so that they take less time to both upload on our end, and faster to download on the end users end.
Miro is available for Mac OS X, Windows, and even Linux.
Updated: Miro does not seem to compress WMV files on Windows, which is odd since that is the format you are most likely to work with if you have Windows computer and are using Windows Movie Maker. Also, I found that there is a standalone conversion tool based on Miro called Miro Video Converter (for people who just want to convert/compress videos without installing the full Miro program).
5 tips for ePub accessibility
I was scheduled to present at a workshop on ePub at ISTe 2011 along with a group of fellow Apple Distinguished Educators, but since I was not able to go to the conference this year, I decided to create this ebook to be distributed to the participants instead. The ebook is in ePub format and can only be read on the iPad or another IOS device, or by using a desktop reader application such as Adobe Digital Editions or Calibre. It is an enhanced ebook that includes a few embedded video tutorials. This means it is on the large size, so please be patient with the download time on your device.
This was my first time using Apple’s template for ePub creation with Pages, and I must say that it made it pretty easy to create the ePub. In the past, I created the ePub documents from scratch using my own styles for headings. The Apple template, which can be downloaded here, saved me some time and the resulting ePub document looks great.
To summarize the key points of the ebook:
If you are implementing new technologies at a college or university, you really should read the Department of Education’s Dear Colleague letter to college and university presidents regarding ereader devices, along with their follow up guide. The follow up guide clarifies the following:
- it is not just ereader devices that are covered by laws such as the ADA and Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, but any emerging technology. The new guide clarifies that online programs are also covered.
- it is not just students with visual disabilities that are protected, but any student who has a specific learning disability or who otherwise has difficulty getting information from text sources (students with print disabilities).
- the laws apply to elementary and secondary schools as well.
- use headings to split up long documents and provide structure and additional navigation in iBooks. The headings will be used to display a table of contents for navigating long ebooks.
- provide captions or alternative text for images. At the very least provide a text caption underneath each image or video. This text should provide a concise description of the image’s content for those who use the VoiceOver screen reader.
- provide a link to a captioned version of each video if you are creating an enhanced ebook that includes multimedia. iBooks does not currently read the captions when the video is embedded into the ebook. For this reason, you will need to link to a captioned version that can be accessed through the Mobile Safari web browser.
- emphasize cognitive interactivity rather than just interface interactivity. Cognitive interactivity can be emphasized by asking questions and asking students to reflect on what they have read using the Notes feature of iBooks.
- keep up with the ePub standard and become familiar with the new features available in ePub 3, such as media overlays.
New Video Tutorials for IOS Accessibility
I created a couple of video tutorials about the accessibility features in IOS 4.2. The first tutorial provides an overview of the accessibility features available in IOS 4.2, and the second one covers basic VoiceOver gestures for those new to using this built-in screen reader on their mobile devices. These tutorials, which include closed captions and are available on YouTube as well, are on the Mobile Learning 4 Special Needs wiki I maintain. In a future post I will document my process for creating these tutorials.
Favorite Free Apps on the new Mac App Store.
When the new Apple Mac App Store launched on January 6th, I was at first really disappointed with the choice of free software available. However, there was a lot about the App Store itself to like. One thing I really like about the Mac App Store is that it simplifies the software update process by making it extremely easy to update all of your purchased/downloaded software with one click (much the same way you update apps on an iPad or iPhone). I also like that it is tied to your iTunes account so that you can install the same software across several machines and keep them in sync without having to spend endless hours downloading the same software on each machine.
Now, I have not had a chance to do an extensive review of the accessibility of the app (it is not part of iTunes but it’s own app accessed through the Apple menu or the Dock) but so far it appears to be good. The secret appears to be using the rotor to quickly move between the different sections. In any case, I would think that a single app that supports VoiceOver, even if not perfectly, would be a much better option for someone with a visual impairment than having to visit each individual website to purchase/download individual apps.
Of the paid apps, the standouts are Rapidweaver (a web design program I used to design my own website), Pixelmator (a graphic editor that should have most of the features needed by the average person who doesn’t want to mortgage their house for Photoshop) and the unbundled iLife ’11 and iWork ’09 apps (don’t use Numbers, fine don’t buy that one). Some of the software is available at a reduced price (Pixelmator is half price on the App Store). If you are a photographer, Aperture for only $80 (instead of $200) is a steal.
But this post is about the free apps, so here are the ones I have installed so far that I like:
- Caffeine is a tiny program that runs in the menu bar and allows you to suspend your energy settings. It is perfect for when you’re doing a presentation or watching web video and don’t want to be interrupted by the screen reader, screen dimming and other energy saving features. Using the menu bar icon is much faster than opening the display preferences.
- DropCopy allows you to copy files between any Apple devices, including your laptop or desktop and your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch (you will need to install a free companion app).
- MindNode for Mac is a simple brainstorming/concept mapping app for those who are visual learners. The app doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of other programs such as Inspiration, but it presents a simple interface that is perfect for brainstorming ideas.
- Alfred is now my favorite way to search my Mac and launch applications. It works much like Quicksilver. Press a key and a text box will open in the middle of the screen where you can type in your search term. I like that it is much simpler and appears faster than Quicksilver, which never really caught on with me.
- TextWrangler is a pretty good text editor with features usually found on much more expensive editors (search and replace across multiple files, FTP and SFTP support, etc.).
So far the only program I’ve downloaded that I was not happy with has been Smart Recorder. I just didn’t find it that useful or easy to use. However, it is still on my list of Purchases, so if I change my mind and find a use for it, it will be there waiting for me to install it with just one click.
You will notice that my list has a heavy focus on utilities. Your list may be different depending on how you use your Mac.
2X the Productivity with DisplayPad
Ok, I may be exaggerating about the 2X boost in productivity, but DisplayPad has been one of the most useful apps I have purchased recently. With DisplayPad ($4.99), you can set up your iPad to serve as a portable secondary display for a laptop. When working with programs that have a lot of settings panels, such as Photoshop and other Adobe software, having a second display can save you a lot of time.
The app is really simple to set up and use. You will need to download a helper program that will run on your Mac. To start using DisplayPad, click on the helper program’s menu bar icon and choose your iPad (both devices need to be on the same Wifi network). Your iPad will then act just like any secondary display. Tapping with one finger will be the same as clicking with the mouse, and tapping twice will be the same as right-clicking. You can also drag with two fingers to scroll, just like on your laptop’s trackpad. I have been very happy with the performance. There is very little lag when you drag windows from your laptop screen to the iPad. I have even used DisplayPad with my regular secondary display to create a triple-display option when I use my laptop at home.
