1. State the technology and provide a link to a website or article
that discusses the technology and its educational applications.
Jing (http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html) is “a computer service that lets you capture basic video, animation, and still images, and share them on the web.”
This article suggests a number of ways that Jing could be used in the classroom:
http://teacherchallenge.edublogs.org/2011/04/26/free-tools-challenge-18-the-powers-of-jing/
2. Concisely affirm or challenge the category of technology you found it in below.
This technology is categorized under “Podcasting and Web-Based Video
Sharing”. This is definitely a tool that can make web-based video
sharing possible, and that is how I have used it, but the videos can
also be saved to your computer.
3. Describe the primary purposes or functions of the technology and how it is used.
Jing is a free software program that you can download on your Mac or
PC. It can create screen capture videos with voiceover as well as
screen shots. The screen shots allow for basic editing such as
textboxes, arrows, highlighting, etc. It can be used to share images or
videos of the users computer screen that can be shared on the web,
downloaded to a computer, or emailed.
4. Identify strengths and/or benefits of using this technology in a blended course.
Jing is a great tool in a blended course for making website tour
videos, answering student email questions, creating tutorials for
difficult problems, feedback on papers or projects, voiceover PowerPoint
presentations, or even having students create video projects. The
five-minute time length keeps the videos focused and hosting them on
Screencast makes them easy to play in any browser.
In my subject area of mathematics, trying to type out the answer to a
student’s question can be difficult and sometimes nearly impossible
when referring to graphs. Being able to write out the process
step-by-step or circling the key parts of a graph is much more helpful
to a student than a text only response.
5. Identify weaknesses and/or liabilities of using this technology in a blended course.
There are times when the five-minute limitation is a hindrance when
explaining more complicated problems. The editing options for videos
are also pretty much non-existent, so if there is an interruption or a
mistake, you have to start over in creating your video. Also, if
students are going to be creating and sharing their own videos, they
will need to have a microphone.
6. Is it no cost, commercial, subscription, shareware, or something else? Is it open source or proprietary?
Jing is free and allows you to create videos up to five minutes in
length. You can host your videos at Screencast which gives you 2GB of
storage free and 2GB monthly bandwidth. For $9.95 a month you can
increase your storage and bandwidth. To be able to make videos longer
in length or to have more editing options, TechSmith has two other
programs: SnagIt (Educational price $29.95) or Camtasia (Educational
price $75-179).
7. Why is this technology significant?
This technology provides a free and easy way for a variety of
communication: instructor-to-student, student-to-content, and
student-to-student. It is easy to learn with very basic controls and
provides a way to interact with students in a way that text does not. I
can make short videos such as this one (http://screencast.com/t/bVhaSCE8m) very quickly and easily.
8. What are people saying about it?
The feedback in articles and blogs about Jing is overwhelmingly
positive. It is a great tool with a lot of functionality without a big
price tag. I can say personally it is one of the tools I use most
frequently in my blended and online courses.
http://catl.typepad.com/blog/2010/03/using-jing-in-your-teaching.html
http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/CUOnline/FacultyResources/additionalResources/Handbook/cuonlinehandbook2011/Documents/chapter9.pdf
http://ejournals.bc.edu/ojs/index.php/ital/article/viewFile/3232/2845
http://blogs.techsmith.com/for-educators/screen-capture-helps-online-students/#.Uu1dTvYaG9k
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