Media Components

I created five flash media components for a little presentation I gave recently. The idea was to provide instructors with a relatively easy and slick way to include media in their online courses or web pages. The contents of each component are customizable by gathering media and editing a simple xml file. Instructions as well as all the support files are available at the link above. The media components include: Image Presenter (basically just a slideshow), Audio Presenter, Video Presenter, Flashcards, and MediaMatch (a drag-n-drop multiple choice type activity).

If you are a developer and improve these components, I would love to know about it.

Zamzar.com

This might just be the mother of all file conversion tools. Ever receive strange file formats from students you can't open? Try converting them to something you can with Zamzar.com. Handles documents, images, audio and video. Will come in handy if you need some flv formatted video and only have mpgs or mov or avi or many others...

Download Youtube

This TechCrunch page proved helpful today. If you need a quick way to download a video from YouTube, and don't want to install anything, this one worked great for me. It downloads in Flash video format (.flv), so you will need some kind of player. The files do not play natively in a browser or even the Flash player. It just so happens I have created a little component to play and organize Flash video (.flv) files on a webpage. I call it the Video Presenter.

iPod Video Converter

Another tip from Geekbrief.tv today that might prove useful if we can ever get off the ground with podcasting or vidcasting. This little aptly named software (IPOD Video Converter for Free) converts many formats of video into iPod friendly format. And it's free! I'd play with it, but I don't have a video iPod. Maybe this is the reason to get one? There are also other options out there. Check out some of the comments on the lifehacker post.

jott.com

Ever wish you could remind yourself to follow up with a student or colleague without wasting a post-it note? Well, now you can! All you need is a dedicated phone to register. Sign up with Jott.com and leave yourself a message that will be transcribed and emailed to you. Now, I am a certified mumbler and quiet talker, so I was apprehensive. But my fears were pointless since the audio is also attached to the email file. If I can't make out the transcription, I can always listen to my audio.