Wow! I cannot believe I am finally done! It did not seem like this day would ever come a couple of years ago. I started the program in 2015 and was poised to finish in the spring semester of 2016. However, several factors delayed me until the spring of this semester. That being said, I could not have asked for a better practicum experience.
It got off to a rocky start because I had to have Camtasia 8 installed on my home computer at the IT office at Lenoir-Rhyne. That went fine, but the IT guy forgot to give me back my power cord and they were closed for the next three days. Fortunately, this did not set me back and my professors were very understanding.
For the practicum, I was to design and make videos and how to use Camtasia 8 for the Lenoir-Rhyne faculty and staff. I have never made videos before, much less instructional videos so I was apprehensive about how it would go. I also was not sure about the process of making videos and definitely did not realize how much goes into making instructional videos. The biggest surprise to me was all the work before and after the making of the video.
Before making a tutorial, I would have to first figure out if I would be able to record the screen and show the information or if I would have to take screenshots. With some of the tutorials it was not possible to show the steps and how the screen would look if I was recording. Therefore, I had to take screenshots of the what the screen would look like and incorporate those into my video. After I had all my screenshots if they were needed, I would write out a script for the video. At the beginning of the semester the initial format that I scripted usually had to be altered for various reasons: too much time, poor flow, or it just did not feel right once I finished the video. Towards the end of the semester, I was much better at planning my videos.
The actual making of the video was also more difficult then I thought it would be. I definitely have a new found respect for narrators and anyone that does live television. I'm not sure how many takes it took me to get the first video right, but it was a lot. I would stumble over words or just get tongue tied in what I was trying to say. If I happened to get the narration correct, I would mess something up with what I was trying to show on the screen. It was very frustrating at the beginning, but the last couple of videos I made were completed in a much more efficient manner.
The most time consuming aspect for me was the editing after the video was complete. I would go back and have the video zoom in at certain points so the viewer would be able to see what I wanted them to see instead of having to look at the entire screen and hope they they were looking in the right place. I also added title pages to the videos so the viewer would know they were watching the correct video. Another great function in Camtasia is the ability to cut parts of the video. This allowed me to cut out dead space when I was waiting for something to finish uploading or saving. At first, I thought I was going to have to fill that time time with talk which is something I did not want to do. I know I don't like listening to someone on a video talking just to fill space. Adding closed captions was not as easy as I thought it would be. That could be because of my voice or my computer. I am going to blame my computer. I tried training my computer to my voice several times, but I typically had to retype 85% of the lines. This took a while because I had to listen to the same box multiple times to make sure I had everything right. I also had some problems getting the closed captions to appear on several videos, but it was user error.
I really learned a lot about not only making videos, but about Camtasia 8. It seems like a great way to produce videos. I had great professors that worked with me through the semester and gave me excellent feedback. I cannot thank them enough for all their help. So, I guess that is all I have for today. Looking forward to the Hooding Ceremony and I am excited and nervous for what the future holds. Thanks to everyone that has helped me achieve this goal!
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