It’s very early in the year. Too early to be thinking about the prospect of some late May snow days, right? Well if this month is anything to go by, you should definitely check that your emergency supplies are up-to-date, that you have a spare pair of dry socks in your desk drawer, and if you’re teaching classes in Semester 1, that your laptop or home computer has a copy of Personal Capture on it.
Personal Capture is the version of our lecture recording software that you install on your own computer.You can download it (at no cost to you or your Department), and then record a presentation on your computer, which might include a powerpoint or other document with some audio, and optionally, your webcam. You can’t use it to live stream your lectures, but you could record your session from home, upload it and have it available to students on the same day. You can also use Personal Capture to clarify a point in a lecture, answer a question that a student asked after class, or in a flipped-classroom model where you’re using recordings for pre-session knowledge and discussion prompts.
There’s a couple of things you’ll need to do ahead of time:
- Set up a Capture Section (a section is a storage area for your recordings, and they’re typically named for the paper: for example, GEOG214). You can do this in Otago Capture Administration.
- Download the Personal Capture Software.
- Refer to our handy guide for help using the software.
- Do a trial run from the comfort of your own couch.
If you need any help, don’t hesitate to contact the helpful folks on the Service Desk.
