Ed and tech sitting in a tree…

Embedding YouTube into a PowerPoint is a mostly painless process. It also looks to fall within YouTube’s Terms of Use (#5) since the video is simply embedded within a presentation and not hosted on a local computer. However, if you know you will not have access to the Web during your presentation then you have the option to capture the YouTube video locally to your computer. Remember, you’ll be breaking YouTube’s Terms of Use (#5).

Capturing and playing a YouTube video in PowerPoint (PC)

1. Download and convert the YouTube video to .avi

1. Download and install Vixy.net desktop client (BETA) to capture and convert the YouTube video. Windows users will also need to download and install DivX to be able to play the file. Windows XP will also need to install the .NET Framework 2.0. All these instructions are listed on the vixy.net site.
2. Copy the URL of the YouTube video you wish to capture and paste it into the Vixy.net client.
3. Select AVI for Windows (.avi) as your conversion type and click the [START] button

2. Convert the .avi video file to .wmv

1. In Windows MovieMaker, import the .avi file you just saved.
   Windows XP users: Click File then Import into Collections.
   Windows Vista users: Click File then Import Media Items.
2. Drag and drop the clip down to the MovieMaker timeline. If your YouTube video gets broken into multiple clips then be sure to drag and drop them into the timeline in the right order.
3. Save the video in the Windows Media Video format.
   For Windows XP users: Click File then Save Movie File. Select My Computer to save movie for best quality playback and click [Next]. Provide a name and location for the video to be saved and click [Next]. Accept the default of Best Quality for playback on my computer and click [Next].
   For Windows Vista users: Click File then Publish Movie. Select This computer and click [Next]. Provide a name and location for the video to be saved and click [Next]. Select “More settings” and from the drop down menu choose Windows Media Low Bandwidth as the compression type and click [Next]. High quality compression is unnecessary since the video quality from YouTube is already low.
4. Click [Finish].
5. The file can then be easily inserted into PowerPoint by clicking Insert, Movies and Sounds, and then Movie from File.

Capturing and playing a YouTube video in PowerPoint (Mac)

1. Download and install Vixy.net desktop client (BETA) to capture and convert the YouTube video. http://vixy.net/
2. Copy the URL of the YouTube video you wish to capture and paste it into the Vixy.net client.
3. Select MOV for Mac (.mov) as your conversion type and click the [START] button. By default the file will be saved to the “Movies” folder, but that can be changed in the Preferences panel.
4. The file can then be easily inserted into PowerPoint by clicking Insert, Movies and Sounds, and then Movie from File.

Embedding YouTube in PowerPoint 2003

These instructions were transcribed from the YouTube video, Embed YouTube Video into PowerPoint, which is also displayed below.

1. Massage the YouTube URL

1. Copy the URL of the YouTube video you wish to use (e.g., http://youtube.com/watch?v=4yzUxNbi1h4).
2. Paste the URL into a text editor or into Word.
3. Remove from the URL watch? (e.g., http://youtube.com/v=4yzUxNbi1h4).
4. Replace the equal sign = with a forward slash / (e.g., http://youtube.com/v/4yzUxNbi1h4).

2. Embed the YouTube URL into PowerPoint

1. Open PowerPoint.
2. Display the Control Toolbox toolbar by going to View, select Toolbars, and then click Control Toolbox.
3. Click the “More Controls” button located in the bottom-right of the Control Toolbox.
4. Scroll to “Shockwave Flash Object.”
5. On the slide, draw a box to the size you wish to display the YouTube video.
6. Right-click the box and select Properties.
7. Double-click the first option, Custom.
8. Insert the newly massaged YouTube URL (e.g., http://youtube.com/v/4yzUxNbi1h4) into the “Movie URL” box. Be sure the “Embed Movie” box remains unchecked.
9. Click the [Apply] button then [OK].

Ah, the power of Twitter. I mentioned earlier today on Twitter that I would need to pass along the MacBook Air we have circulating in the department and how I would miss the little bugger. One of my W&M colleagues, @witchyrichy, asked me to comment more about it’s “Airness,” especially as it relates to travel.

The MacBook Air is not a desktop replacement, but it’s not intending to be either. It’s not the machine for the video editors on the go or the gamers, but it probably does nearly 100% of what most everybody else needs and probably does it as well as any other MacBook model.

I liked:

1. It’s small and light, though my wife mentioned she thought it would be lighter. I’m guessing the solid-state harddrive would make it a little lighter, though the Apple site doesn’t confirm this.
2. It comes back from Sleep mode almost instantly.
3. No more push button to open the lid! I think the lid stays shut with some magnets on the outer rim. I must say I have not been pleased with the push buttons on any of the Mac laptops I’ve used because the springs go bad and the button can be hard to engage sometimes.
4. A five hour battery, though I think that’s only when running a browser and nothing else.
5. Full size, backlit keyboard!
6. Doesn’t run hot on my lap.
7. Oversized trackpad with pitching, swiping, and rotating.
8. Photoshop opened as quickly as it does on my MacBook Pro.

I didn’t like:

1. I thought the power cord was a bit strange to engage with the machine. The angle was just weird. I bet I could get used to it pretty quickly though.
2. No built-in CD/DVD, but I don’t think this is a big deal because I don’t find myself needing access to this media all that often. Apple does offer a $99 SuperDrive and software can also be installed wirelessly from a “host” machine.
3. Minimal ports, though this doesn’t bug me much since it has a USB and headphone jack located under a slick little flip door. It also includes a special DVI output, which requires a special dongle to connect it to a projector or display.
4. $1,699 (academic pricing), $1,799 (retail) is a little steep. Still, I think I could justify a purchase like this if I traveled a lot.

I think the MacBook Air would make a great companion when traveling (just don’t forget the DVI dongle) or when working around the house. I seriously think I could accomplish most everything I do with this machine, except import/edit/compress video.

Needless to say…I want one.

Marybeth shared this quote with me as she knows I’ve been struggling with some things going back and forth in that melon of mine.

“One doesn’t discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” Andre Gide

I had been anticipating attending this Digital Audio Workshop, a NITLE workshop, in Bryn Mawr for a few months, but my daughter woke up not quite ready to return to school. Thankfully, my wife offered to stay home with her yet another day, so I made it, albeit 45 minutes late.

Here are just a few of the things I wanted to remember from the day, of which not all are related to audio editing:

1. VideoThread: Annotate slides (images, docs, videos) using very simple tools. First 3 threads are free. Pro accounts are free to K-12.
2. GCast: This was my favorite tool of the day. Recording a podcast by phone was numbingly easy, but now I’m wondering if I could record a phone interview with someone using 3-way calling. Listeners can easily subscribe to the podcast through iTunes by clicking a button.
3. Audacity: Open source audio editor, which I’ve used before. Very powerful, especially for the price. Be sure to download the LAME MP3 encoder.
4. Magnatune and Podsafe Audio: Two sites that offer music that can be used on non-commercial podcasts.
5. Ripon College offers a free Trek bike, helmet, and lock to any incoming student who agrees not to bring a car on campus.
6. Luther College migrates its email services to gmail.
7. Luther College archivist uses Flickr to organize digital pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/luthercollegearchives/

Thanks to Bret from NITLE for offering such a great workshop and thanks to Rachel Vagts from Luther College for the shared dialog.

What do you see as the single-most reason for using an audience response system?

• Helps keep students engaged during class.
• Allows me to immediately learn if students just “got” whatever objective I was trying to teach.
• It’s a quicker way to record students’ responses on a brief quiz.
• Makes me look cool among my peers.
• Nothing.

What is the single-most reason that would prevent you from using an audience response system in your course(s)?

• Technology is too difficult to learn how to use.
• Technology is too difficult to troubleshoot during class.
• Possible resistance from students if they had to purchase their own devices.
• Time needed to create questions.
• Students would be too distracted by their “clickers” and not pay attention to the course material presented in class.
• Nothing.

Are you interested in using an audience response system in your course(s)?

• Yes, intermittently throughout a semester.
• Yes, in most every class session throughout an entire semester.
• No.

If a pilot program for using audience response systems was scheduled for Fall 2008, would you want to participate?

• Yes
• No