For this week’s assignment, we were asked to create a video tutorial that instructs users how to access and use an online database. Video tutorials are an excellent means of training information literacy to users at a distance. I am currently in the process of creating tutorials for databases and other online tools for my school library’s website, but I have not created a video tutorial with screencast technology yet. Instead, I opted to create photo slideshows because, personally, I find it cumbersome to watch tutorial videos while also trying to execute what that video is instructing me to do — like cooking while watching Julia Child.
However, it dawns on me that perhaps tutorials ought to be offered in multiple formats in order to adapt to the various levels of literacy of our users. Therefore, I chose to create this video tutorial for a Gale Database called Student Resources in Context which I already created a photo slideshow for. I know the database well, so it’s a natural fit for this assignment. For the screencasting, I used Apple Quicktime which I also have used and know well.
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
I began the screencast by speaking off the cuff, following a general idea I had about what components of the database I wanted to point out. After my 6th or 7th attempt and following several word jumblings, I realized I needed to type a script which I could read as I directed my cursor around the database. I typed the script and emailed it to myself, so I could read it on my iPhone as I used my computer to screencast my actions. It took two takes to complete because of delays in loading pages.
Next, I imported the video from Quicktime to iMovie where I created intro and outro title cards accompanied by music I found on Creative Commons Music. Then, I exported the video to YouTube.
Creating a video tutorial would be useful not only for librarians and media specialists but also teachers and educators of all stripes. Perhaps, I could create a video tutorial of how to create a video tutorial including options for screencasting tools and where the video can be exported to. There are a lot of components that many could need instruction on such as how to create a screencast video in parts and edit them together through a movie editor, where to find copyright-friendly music and images, and how to share the video.
