Being online doesn’t mean you have to give up having guest speakers bring different perspectives and unique viewpoints to your students.
In this post:
1) Why Zoom is an effective way to record guest speaker content for classes
2) How to prepare for a Zoom recording session
3) Recording Zoom content for desktop and mobile devices
Zoom, the free video conferencing software, can be used to record interviews with guests speakers and these interviews can then be made available online for students to watch.
Typically Zoom is thought of for real-time conferencing with a student or groups of students or incorporating a guest speaker in real time. The limitations are finding a time that works for a majority of students, the instructor and any guests.
I am experimenting with using Zoom to video guest speaker interviews that can be posted within the course and be viewed by students at any convenient time. This combined with an extra credit (or assigned) discussion forum will allow me to tap the many great guest speakers (including an immigration attorney) that I featured in face-to-face classes.
Video conference interviews used to be a static group shot of two small talking heads and dreadfully dull to watch, but Zoom’s active speaker feature automatically cuts nearly seamlessly between speakers, much as it would in a cable news remote interview. I recently did a test run with a New York-based author. The result is much more dynamic and interactive and thus watchable.
Zoom makes both audio and video recordings available, so this could be done as an audio-only podcast as well.
Other video conferencing apps such as Skype are more complex to use to record, requiring additional software that Zoom has built in. Many professional podcasters and vloggers use Zoom.
Zoom recordings can be made with either a desktop computer or a mobile device.
Zoom recording via desktop computer: If you are using a desktop computer with a camera, you can create what is called a “local recording.” A local recording is saved directly to your hard drive and can be uploaded to Canvas or to YouTube, which can then be linked to Canvas.
Note: This is the only option available through our university Zoom accounts. As IT explained to me, CUDenver declined the Zoom cloud recording option as it didn’t meet university privacy standards. It seems unnecessarily restrictive as it would apply to some conference uses, but not for using Zoom as a pedagogical tool in an online course. You'll have to set up a personal Zoom account to use a mobile device or otherwise archive your videos on Zoom.
Your initial steps for setting up a Zoom interview
Use Zoom (or the Zoom app) to schedule a meeting time. The guest(s) will receive an email with a link to join the meeting via the Zoom website. If they are using a mobile device they can download the free Zoom app. You can warm up with some conversation with your guest before hitting record. Tell your guest what to expect during the interview recording. I’ve found it is better to have more questions than you can use since some people may answer quickly. On average, four questions every 15 minutes can be considered a rule of thumb. I’ll also be experimenting with an optimum length and am initially aiming for 10 to 15 minutes, given current student attention spans. It is also possible to record in 10 or 15 minute segments if more time is needed.
Why use an interview format? Not every guest speaker will be comfortable making a short video recording solo. Also interactive approaches are more watchable and will help you keep the content focused to the needs of your students. If you have a guest comfortable with a solo recording it would be easy enough to do that.
Here are step-by-step instructions on making a Zoom recording using your desktop computer:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362473-Local-Recording
It is also possible to create a Zoom recording via your mobile device (tablet or phone): You will record the interview almost exactly as you would if using a desktop computer. The only choice for storing the recording when using a mobile device is to record to Cloud. This is done by enrolling in Zoom for $15 a month to access this feature using a Zoom app (which I have done). Up to several hours can be stored in the cloud and will be available via your Zoom account. These cloud recordings can then be downloaded to a Dropbox app. You can then upload from Dropbox to YouTube for processing and then linked to your Canvas course. You can regularly delete Cloud recordings once they are uploaded to YouTube to make sure you don’t go over the storage allotted for the basic Pro subscription and incur extra fees.
Here are step-by-step instructions for making a Zoom Cloud recording.
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/203741855-Cloud-Recording
For more on uploading videos to YouTube: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57407?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesk...