Speeding up YouTube

There is so much useful information on YouTube but only so much time in the day...

Here's a simple tip on how to watch a 5 minute video in 3 minutes-- speed it up! If you are watching a video of someone who is speaking clearly, you'll find that you can often watch at 1.25 to 1.5 times the normal speed and it is perfectly understandable (in the case of a slower speaker, even doubling the speed can work).

Don't believe me?  Give it a try.  Here's how:
Click the settings (gear) icon on the lower right of the video (you may have to hover to see it).
Choose Speed (note you can also change video quality and turn on/off captions here).

Bump it up to 1.25.  How does it sound?

I watch most videos (I tend to watch a lot of tutorials) at 1.5 speed.  That means it only takes me 2/3 the time it would normally take to watch the video.

So, what to do with all the time you save?  Relax-- you deserve it!

Another word cloud tool to try

Colleen Wedge shared this word cloud one of her students made. She used a tool called tagul.com.  This particular student is doing dog therapy, so the shape is a nice fit!  Can you see using word clouds within PLPs?

I've written before about word clouds, but it's also good to see what the new tools are.  Here are some ideas on how you can use them:

1. Try pasting in the full text of two presidential candidates' stump speeches.  How do they compare?
2. Make a word cloud from responses to a survey to get a feel for the main points.
3. Add a tag cloud to your blog to see what topics are most often discussed.

Thesaurus in Google Docs

I was just asked whether Google Docs has a built-in thesaurus.  The answer is, "yes, but you need to know where to look!"

Highlight the word or phrase for which you want to find synonyms. Then choose "Define" from the Tools menu.  If available, synonyms will appear with the definition(s).  Some of these are hyperlinked, so you can maneuver in as you would in an actual thesaurus.

For example, I tried the word big and got

I did find that some words yield more results than others (and some only give a definition).

There is also a Google Docs addon called Thesaurus, but it currently has a 2.5 star rating on the Chrome store, so...

Of course, there are also online and print thesauruses (thesauri?).  

Oo... now I get to tell my thesaurus joke:

"I lost my thesaurus the other day, which is really frustrating and....um....frustrating!" 

Anyone have a particular thesaurus they find useful?  Please post in the comments.

Recording voice

Technology integration doesn't have to be overly complex to be effective.  Here's a simple idea that can be very powerful-- ask students to share something in a voice recording.  This might be their reaction to some reading or explaining a concept in their own words.  Think of how what you get might compare to what they would write.

image from pixabay.com

How is this done?

To record:

1. For students with smartphones, use the built in voice memo app (or try one of the many free apps available for iOS or Android).
2. For students with laptops, use the built in microphone to record to TwistedWave (web app) or Audacity (installed app).
3. Other students can borrow a handheld digital recorder or a mic to connect to a computer (from 118).  

To share:

1. Smartphones-- install the Google Drive app (for iOS). Share the audio file to Google Drive
2. TwistedWave-- File..Send..Google Drive
3. Audacity-- save as mp3, then upload to Google Drive
4. Once in Drive, share the file just as you would a Google Doc.
5. The audio will play inside Google Drive.

Here's a screencast on using TwistedWave and sharing from Google Drive:

Screenshots and screencasting with the Snagit extension

When explaining something computer-related, it is often helpful to capture either a still image of the screen (called a screenshot) or a video of the screen as you do your thing-- often recording your voice narration, as well (called a screencast).

I've mentioned various tools for doing this in the past, but I started using a new one recently, and I'd recommend it for two reasons:

1. It's easy to use
2. It automatically stores your screenshots and screencasts in Google Drive for easy sharing.

I made a how-to video. Here's an index so you can skip ahead if desired:

0:00 What is screencasting?

0:55 Signing into Chrome

1:45 Starting up Snagit

2:18 Granting permissions for Snagit

3:00 Capturing screenshots (still images)

4:24 Capturing screencasts (video of the screen)

For those who prefer the short and sweet written steps:

1. Sign into Chrome
2. Click the SnagIt Extension (white S in a blue square)
3. Grant the necessary permissions
4. Click the extension again 
5. Use the sidebar menu to take screenshots and screencasts
6. These are automatically saved in Google Drive for sharing 

(full disclosure on the video above-- I didn't actually use the extension itself to make the video, because I demo it in the video.  You can't use a camera to take a picture of itself !).