Screen casting, according to O'Reilly.com, is a digital movie in which the setting is partly or wholly a computer screen, and in which audio narration describes the on-screen action. It has been being used for quite sometime to market software products and to train people to use those products. Screen casting has began to shift directions. Twitter users are now able to screen cast and get the word that they want out to the public.
There are many different websites out there that allow the user to use free screen casting. One of these websites includes Screencast-O-Matic, which it requires Internet connectivity but doesn't require a login unless hosting the finished product. It's very easy to use, offering a small set of options and user-friendly navigation. It captures video in four different sizes (640x480, 800x600, 1024x768, and full screen), though it will automatically scale down the largest capture sizes to 800x600 when uploaded. I tried out this website and found it fairly easy to use. It has great usability, good flexibility, includes good audio and great video.
Another good website that i found in my search was ScreenToaster. With ScreenToaster to begin a recording users must log into the web site and start their recording. As with the other online screen-capture tools, no extra software is downloaded onto one's computer, meaning that staff and patrons at libraries with locked-down computers can use this tool easily. It's possible to capture the full screen or to select a small area. The area selector tool is nice but doesn't give size indicators, so users can't tell exactly how large the capture area is. I liked ScreenToaster because it gave some demos of how to use the product. Some of the things it showed like sending music to friends through instant messaging. This is another way screen casting is being used today.
The last one that i demoed was CamStudio. CamStudio is an easy-to-use, lightweight screen-capture tool with more audio and video capture and exporting options than web-based tools. Users can capture a panning region, a fixed region, or the full screen. For the first option, the recording actually follows the mouse. The region for fixed recording can be moved around the screen by clicking and dragging the corners of the capture area. The mouse can be hidden or jazzed up using a custom cursor icon or customizable highlighting, including user-defined size, shape, and color. Mouse clicks are also customizable.
I liked trying out the different screen casting websites. They were all a little different, but in general the same results came from them. I think it is an interesting technology and is something that I had never heard of until taking this class.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Alternatives to Office
The first alternative that I found to Office is Corel Wordperfect Office X4. It creates polished documents including letters, reports and newsletters. It also can produce budgets, invoices, receipts and expense reports. It can turn complex spreadsheets into charts and graphs that make it easier for the user to interpret. Corel has the ability to present slideshows, proposals, demonstrations, and interactive reports.
The second alternative is Staroffice Software. Staroffice allows the user to use a word processor, work on spreadsheets, make presentations such as powerpoint, draw graphs, make self contained database documents, and has great tools and support for the user.
The third alternative is Google docs. Google docs allows its users to create and edit. You can also import existing documents. Google docs has spreadsheet capabilities and the user is also able to create spreadsheets from scratch. The users can store all their information securely online.
The fourth alternative is Lotus Symphony. Lotus allows the user to use three different applications. These applications include Lotus Symphony Documents, Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets, and Lotus Symphony Presentations. These three applications allow the user to do anything you can do on Microsoft Office.
The final alternative to Office is Open Office. Open Office allows the user to use applications such as Microsoft Work. It has spreadsheet applications also. There is a way to make presentations such as a powerpoint too.
The second alternative is Staroffice Software. Staroffice allows the user to use a word processor, work on spreadsheets, make presentations such as powerpoint, draw graphs, make self contained database documents, and has great tools and support for the user.
The third alternative is Google docs. Google docs allows its users to create and edit. You can also import existing documents. Google docs has spreadsheet capabilities and the user is also able to create spreadsheets from scratch. The users can store all their information securely online.
The fourth alternative is Lotus Symphony. Lotus allows the user to use three different applications. These applications include Lotus Symphony Documents, Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets, and Lotus Symphony Presentations. These three applications allow the user to do anything you can do on Microsoft Office.
The final alternative to Office is Open Office. Open Office allows the user to use applications such as Microsoft Work. It has spreadsheet applications also. There is a way to make presentations such as a powerpoint too.
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