Workshops – Page 2 – This Week @ MIIS

What you really want to do is direct: iMovie Workshop Recap

Tom Video, Workshops April 21, 2015

On Thursday March 26th, 15 students attended an iMovie workshop at the DLC.
The workshop provided an overview of iMovie from importing media files (video, sound, and photos) to exporting the finished project as a file or YouTube video.

Did you miss the workshop or want a refresher? Below are some resources for iMovie and video production in general. And don’t forget: you can make an appointment at the DLC for assistance in creating your class video projects.

iMovie
Lynda – online software tutorials (you get free access through MIIS!)
iMovie guide from Stanford (overview and links to other resources)

Tips for Better Video Capture
There are a lot of “top 5” tips for just about everything, and that is definitely the case for video recording. I like the 5 tips that are written below which you can also view on the YouTube link

Top 5 Tips by SuperSaf TV
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cj0BIhyx9kc

5) Good lighting

Move to an area that is well lit, either by sunlight or lamps
If you’re indoors use light coming in from the windows, or use an area that is brightened up by lamps
Place the subject that you are filming opposite the light source (i.e. if you have the person you are filming stand in front of a window or lamp it will create a dark shadow on their face). So, unless you want a dark spooky vampire shadowy look, don’t have the light behind your subject.
–> You won’t always be able to control what light is available so just try to make the best of the situation. And if that doesn’t work and its dark, you can always make your video a vampire movie!

4) You Want Good Audio!

Avoid background noise as much as possible, ESPECIALLY if you are recording speech
Background music is bad. Not only is it distracting, but if you plan to post your video on YouTube there could be copyright legal issues, especially if it is a popular song. If you are taking video of someone talking and in the background we can hear Rihanna or Pitbull playing out of someone’s car, YouTube can take the video down!
Keep the mic on the phone clear. Make sure your finger isn’t covering it by accident or that your case isn’t over it.

3) Avoid Distracting Backgrounds

Unless the background helps to accentuate the subject or is an important part of your video you want to pay attention to what is behind your subject and make sure it isn’t too crazy or busy.
For more on choosing good backgrounds for your video you can check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8bG1ebAwVF0

2) Try to keep steady and stable

Use both hands to record.
Give a few secs at the beginning and end of shot for easier editing
Tap the screen to focus on your cell
If you want to capture a large landscape or room, pan very slowly so that the shot does not appear blurry

1) ALWAYS FILM IN LANDSCAPE!

Landscape is how monitors are set up to display images (standard ratio of 16:9)
If you film vertically you will have black space on either side of your video footage when you play it on a tv or projector screen

BONUS TIPS!
The above tips will help you go a long way. But If you feel comfortable with filming and want to get into some more details to give your videos some sophistication, these tips should help you. In general…

Keep takes under a minute
If you are doing something specific where you want to shoot for longer than a minute, then by all means, get creative and take it away! (Or if you are recording a long speech or conference, then this does not apply). But for general purposes, recording a scene for around 30 seconds is enough. This will make it easier when you are editing.
Vary the camera angle
Shooting every person or every object from the same distance and same angle will make your video less visually interesting, so record it from different angles. Overhead angles can be interesting so if you are able to go up a flight of stairs above everything give it a try.

*Use the One Take with Many Angles technique: Let’s say you are recording a family event and different people are sitting around talking. But you don’t want to worry about editing your 5 minute video, you just want to shoot it once and upload it and be done. Well, in one take you can shoot a wide shot to capture the whole scene of people, then come in close to video record your auntie (with a close-up) who is telling a story about when you were 5 years old, then you can move to her left to record your uncle (close-up) who is smiling, then back to your auntie, then you can pull away and record your cousins (medium shot) who are laughing a few feet away, then you move out again to a long shot to capture the whole scene again, then move in to a medium shot of a group of kids playing, then pull in to a close up shot of a family friend who is cooking something on BBQ grill and you interview him about his recipe, then you pull away again to capture the whole scene, and you fade out… Your 5 minute family reunion video is Done!
Don’t use zoom
The zoom on phone cameras are not very good and they will bring down the quality of the image. It’s better to simply walk up closer to your subject (unless the subject is a stuntman who is hanging from a tall building, in this case it could be difficult getting closer to video record).

Record Better Sound with Your Smartphone
Sound quality is so important to make a video watchable. Your fabulous creative shots can be ruined by bad sound. This is a cool video that shows you some simple ways to get the best sound for your smartphone movies!

You helped us help you

George Payne About Us, Curricular Technology, Digital Storytelling, Excel, Projects, Services, Workshops April 20, 2015

This past Tuesday from 12-2 the DLC had a table set up on Samson Patio, accompanied by a mobile white board. We were staging an event to assess the needs of the student body in the final weeks of the Spring Semester. We wrote on the board:

Come have your needs assessed!

How can the DLC help you succeed in the last 4 weeks of the semester?

I need to be able to:

Use | Make | Manage

And at least 25 of you all gave us your detailed opinions about how we could help you to succeed in the last 4 weeks of class. This is what we learned:

Some students demanded that we offer training on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Staff Management software, like Salesforce, Asana, and Basecamp.

Some students are tired of playing the role of technical support to teachers who struggle to use the iLearn platform, and GA positions are springing up to address those needs, but the DLC is assumed to be at fault for that.

Excel training in workshop format will remain in high demand every semester.

Making websites (in e-portfolio/blog format especially), infographics, and digital storytelling methods are coming in increasingly high demand.

Some students love being supported by the DLC in full-class format because they want to be able to learn beside their classmates in DLC workshops.

TLM students continue to request that we teach them how to build apps.

Many of you don’t feel comfortable navigating Apple computers

Some students are under the impression that we in the DLC assume going to Lynda solves problems, but many of you find it intimidating to teach yourselves in that way.

So what are we going to do about it? Some of you will receive a direct email in response to our assessment. Some of you will be best addressed in group format, so keep a look out for a group email. And other needs may take a few more days of prep to be addressed appropriately. We may organize a workshop or two, but we need to have another team meeting on Wednesday first.

More updates coming soon

Infographics with Piktochart Workshop

Yuwei Xie Blog, Events, Workshops April 10, 2015

Have you ever thought of creative ways to present your information, especially the important kind such as your resume? Have you ever tried to craft an attention-grabbing poster or handout? Unless you are a born artist, it could be challenging to make your information stand out. Fear not, this workshop will introduce you to the basics of using Pikotchart to create infographics, a visual presentation to present information.

When: 1:30-2:30pm Friday, April 24th

Where: DLC Design Space

What will be covered:

Sign up for Piktochart
Templates available for free and paid versions
Modify an existing template
Create from a blank template
Share and present the Piktochart

Please bring your laptop so you can try it out!

Infographics with Piktochart Workshop | 1:30-2:30PM | Location: Digital Learning Commons

Date: April 24, 2015

Sign up below…

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Do ya Pecha Kucha?

George Payne Camtasia, Digital Storytelling, Powerpoint, Presentations, Projects, Storytelling, Workshops April 7, 2015

Pe-cha-ku-cha? Hold up, before you think I’m insulting you, let’s talk about it.

Pecha Kucha literally means “chit-chat” in Japanese, but in this context, it’s a style and method of presenting. So when I ask, “Do ya Pecha Kucha?” what I mean to ask you is, do you know how to rapidly present an idea in 6 minutes and 40 seconds? Better yet, can you devote a mere 20 seconds to 20 different slides? Let me tell you, if Peter Shaw and Bob Cole can do it, I’m sure you can!

Just before spring break I lead an open-ended workshop with Peter Shaw that helped 20 GSTILE students contribute 20 seconds each to 20 pecha kucha slides for the TESOL department…

And this past Friday I watched Bob Cole freestyle a pecha kucha presentation using truly random assortment of slides. Needless to say it was AWESOME and it even included some audience participation, which caught us all off guard.

Bob Cole’s 20×20 about MIIS Happening and Pecha Kucha

Both the process and finished products of the presentations were quite amazing, so in the spirit of MIIS Happening and the upcoming Pecha Kucha Clinic on Friday, April 10th, let me share with you some key takeaways…

Pecha Kucha is direct
- 20 slides may seem like an overwhelming amount of space for content, but 20 seconds is a very short amount of time to present anything meaningful. There’s no room for slides full of text or complex diagrams. Every slide is a short, powerful chapter in a story. Peter used 20 still images from his class field trip to Bay View Academy, where his graduate students taught foreign languages to middle school students. The voice overs for those 20 slides came from 20 students in the session, so each student had to be very succinct in the soundbytes they provided. Each one used an average of only 50 words!
Pecha Kucha is engaging
- Styles vary even within Pecha Kucha, but the idea is to convey a meaningful message or story in a short amount of time. In a way, it’s a direct response to death by powerpoint. Pecha Kucha tends to bring a presenter’s points to life by giving them a relief point. After 20 seconds, the slide shifts whether they’re ready or not, so when presented live it tends to keep the attention of the audience, who deep down inside know that they only get 20 seconds to hear and see each point. It’s like a power point that’s adapted to our short attention spans! Bob was riffing, but great at keeping our attention. He even had a timer built into his slides, which you can find the template for on the MIIS Happening page.
Pecha Kucha is fun
- Unlike all the text above, Pecha Kucha is enjoyable to be a part of. On the back end I got to help Peter Shaw put together a fast-paced multimedia project using PowerPoint, Garageband, and Camtasia, and on the front end it’s fun to watch! Get a group of Pecha Kucha presenters together and you’ve got yourself a party… of sorts, which is exactly what MIIS Happening is!

I don’t want to spoil the details of the MIIS Happening event, so just take my word for it that Pecha Kucha is what’s happenin’ – so follow the link to get schooled and I’ll see you on Friday in the DLC from 10-11am!

Emerging Teaching Practices Brown Bag Lunch with Visiting Asst. Professor Orion Lewis

Bob Cole Events, Workshops April 6, 2015

The Digital Learning Commons is pleased to invite MIIS faculty as well as interested staff for a lunchtime brown bag conversation on effective and emerging ‘next generation’ teaching practices: ‘Striving for High Def in Hybrid & Online Courses’. Bring your lunch, DLC will provide snacks and drinks!

Middlebury Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science, Orion Lewis, shares his insights and experience in planning, designing, collaborating and teaching hybridized and online courses via HD video conference with Middlebury College and MIIS students. Orion will be joined by DLC and Middlebury curricular technologists as well as students involved in the joint Middlebury-MIIS NPTG 8546 Insurgency & Security Policy course.

PLEASE RSVP on the DLC event page by clicking “sign up” on the event Sign-Up Sheet below by Monday, April 20th to attend.

Emerging Teaching Practices Brownbag – Orion Lewis | Tues, Apr 21 12:15-1:30pm | DLC

Date: April 21, 2015

Sign up below…

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Mind Mapping 101

George Payne Design Thinking, Mind Mapping, Projects, Workshops March 30, 2015

Mind mapping sounds like something diabolical scientists do… but in actuality, it’s a simple tool to process the scope of work and direction for any project or idea. Like your average brainstorm, it usually starts with a circle in the center of a blank page, and expands with arrows out from the center connecting other free floating ideas, eventually leading to a page full of words, doodles, and color…

Once the concept has been thoroughly mapped however, people usually don’t understand that a mind map can and should be simple, easy to read, and easy to understand.

How do we do that?

Start with a firecracker
- Consider how you frame the context of your map and you’ll find that a good starting point can lead to all kinds of interesting connections and discoveries. For example, if you put the words “Users ignore our product” in the center of your mind map, you’re going to have a much different outcome than if you put “Users are buying from the competition!”
Speed map
- A wise man once told me to read every book twice – once for feeling, once for meaning. Sadly, I don’t have time to read most books once, but most of us have time to draw two mind maps, so try not to get bogged down in the details during the mind mapping process the first time. First time around, just write what you feel!
Keep it brief
- As you speed map, try to limit yourself to 3 connections per node (the bubble or box containing the concept). Beyond 3 and you might be reaching for connections that don’t exist. Less than 3 and you’re just not thinking. By limiting yourself to 3 connections the first time around, you’ll find that you spend less time thinking, and more time mapping.
Value the connections
- Simple lines and arrows suffice for most mind maps, but mind mapping possibilities are endless if you consider the value of the connection. Label your connections, use colors, and draw unique symbols to represent connections. Your connections are as valuable as your nodes. As an example, the words “Fruit” and “Dried Cranberries” might connect well together, but “Fruit” and “Salad” might not connect well without an arrow labeled “Dried Cranberries”.
Mind mapping should move at the speed of authenticity
- I know I just told you to speed map, but if this is your second time around slow it down! By the time you get your first (and most pressing) concepts on the page, try only adding and taking away from the map when you can justify the action. Because it’s an iterative process, don’t expect it to be finished in just a few minutes. Return to it after a day or a week if time will allow and you might see a new node or connection you hadn’t before.

In the end, mind mapping is a tool best exercised with patience. I’ve been promoting mind mapping for a while now, and I’ve found that most people’s reservations about it stem from thinking it’s a waste of time. However, if you ever learned to make an outline before writing a paper, consider it the parallel process for project development. Take it one step at a time, and maybe your map will be as beautiful as the one above. For some good mind mapping tools try using Mind42 or CmapTools!

Design Thinking 101

George Payne Design Thinking, Projects, Workshops March 25, 2015

Design thinking is key to maximizing both brainstorming potential and project direction. Thanks to the D-School at Stanford, the picture above highlights 5 simple steps to designing a better project or product. This blogpost however is not reiterate how to design think, but rather what design thinking can offer you. Here are 5 reasons why you should consider design thinking for your next project:

Perspective
- Gaining or even changing perspective is difficult. We’re often so close to our own biases that we don’t even need to articulate them. Deliberately empathizing with the target audience is an invaluable exercise in changing perspective. Your dedication may be unshakable, but your approach may be askew. Try mapping out the life of, and needs of, your target audience, and defining what is most important to them before proceeding with innovation.
Fresh voices
- People who both lead and dominate discussion, don’t have to be in charge of either of those roles in design thinking. Encourage your quietest team members to contribute by deliberately silencing the leaders, choose a random facilitator for each session, or ask your team to bring inspiring youtube clips or artifacts to the meeting. The opening stages to design thinking should be wild and unpredictable.
Planned brainstorming
- The only thing worse than a long-winded office meeting, is a long-winded brainstorm session. Planned brainstorming has a limit, and design thinking will allow you and your team to close the door on brainstorming in a collective and convenient way. Try having your teammates bring ideas to the meeting before it starts, have them share their ideas with another, then present on each other’s ideas. Feel comfortable closing the door on a brainstorm session when it’s time to prototype.
Distillation of ideas
- Ideas are always good until they’re shared, then we may realize most of them are flimsy. There’s no better way to distill ideas into useful prototyping directions than to bounce them off other team members. Keep in mind that by empathizing wholeheartedly with the target audience, your ideas should resonate well with your team.
Rewarding experimentation
- By the time you move on to prototyping and testing your ideas, you should feel good about how radical your brainstorming process became. It’s equally as valuable to cull bad ideas from the table as it is to find the right idea to proceed with. And as the process becomes increasingly refined, feel free to return to the brainstorming process for something a bit more specific.

Design thinking doesn’t have to be the kryptonite of your group focus – and don’t expect it to be the savior of every project. Try it out here and there with intentionality. Tap into the creative potential of your team by pushing them to the edge of their comfort zones and welcoming their ideas as invaluable parts of the process. So next time you hear someone suggest design thinking a solution, give it a chance!

Skill Print Questions

Workshops March 17, 2015

1. Before you begin filling in your map, answer the following questions:

What do you spend a lot of time doing?
What are you good at?
What do you enjoy doing?

Download your own blank Skill Print Map!

2. Then start coloring!

Peaks

your emerging skills

Valleys

skills you feel more confident in

Fault Lines

points of great tension or conflict

Rivers

what helps to refresh or replenish you

Add extra growth patterns to show steeper inclines and declines.
Shade in the levels differently, with darker shading representing steeper gradients.

Tuesday, March 17, 12:00-1:00pm in the DLC Design Space

Join the DLC staff in exploring a unique tool for assessing the topography of your developed and emerging skills. During this brown bag lunch, you will have an opportunity to make your own skill print, and discuss how stress points, replenishing factors, and growth patterns play a role in your skill landscape. Come bring your lunch and try out something new!

Thanks to the Stanford D School for the idea!

An Analog DLC Needs Assessment

Rafael Hernandez Blog, Events, Workshops February 10, 2015

The Digital Learning Commons (DLC) prototyped a new way to assess the needs of our clientele! In line with DLC tradition, which marries creativity and analog imagination with digital innovation, we tried out a fun and simple method to assess the needs of our clientele based on four basic knowledge areas: Presentation & Graphic Design, Audio & Video, Blogging & Web Tools, and Instructional Technology. We created the needs assessment tool around these four basic categories to find out if what we currently offer is still in demand, and if there is a demand for something that we do not currently offer.

How we did it

Using a large interactive sheet of paper sectioned off into 4 knowledge skills areas (depicted as different landscapes) students and faculty placed dot stickers over software programs, or knowledge areas, that they would like to learn more about and/or attend a workshop on. They were also encouraged to write in anything they did not see listed but would like to have a workshop on. This occurred in the Samson Center Courtyard from 12-2pm on Tuesday, February 3rd.

What we found

Out of the four categories, Presentation & Graphic Design got the most “hits” (dot stickers), with Blogging & Web Tools having the second most. Audio & Video came in third and Instructional Technology was in 4th place. Excel had the highest workshop demand, but Photoshop and LinkedIn were close behind. Overall, we found that the DLC is in the right position to offer services to the MIIS community in different knowledge areas, particularly Excel, PhotoShop, LinkedIn, Camtasia, and iMovie.

What this means

Services offered by the DLC are in high demand, but disproportionately so. We have a working workshop offering and schedule based on need, but we need to connect and advertise more deliberately for our clientele to receive the training they demand. More than 90% of the hits were labeled by program, so we will be using teachers in specific programs as gatekeepers to targeted workshops.

What is next?

More targeted emails regarding upcoming workshops, more service offerings gleaned from your feedback, more needs assessments, and more delivery! We at the DLC pride ourselves on customer service, and this was just a simple step on the way to delivering better services to you, our clientele.

Keep an eye on your email for announcements on upcoming workshops!

The return of screen capture and webcam recording!

George Payne Camtasia, Video, Workshops January 28, 2015

Welcome back to MIIS and welcome back to the DLC!

Today we hosted a Camtasia 2 workshop for some Translation and Interpretation students and it’s likely that you might want to learn the very simple and straightforward way to screen-capture and record video via the webcam as well. Camtasia 2 is a great piece of software that allows you to record entire presentations—including recording your computer screen, your voice, and/or a video of yourself talking, and then edit it with text, photos, and external media to have a completely polished movie on your topic.

Be sure to come visit us in the DLC if you’re interested in learning more.

Resources

Schedule an appointment or drop-in between the hours of 12pm and 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. Camtasia 2 is installed on all of the DLC laptops and in the two recording booths. Click here to reserve a recording booth.
Tutorial: Getting Started with Camtasia
To teach yourself about the program before you come in, try going to go.miis.edu/lynda to review a tutorial video about it or other software packages we offer in the DLC.

Hope to see you soon!