Screen Recordings Replace Textbooks at Walsall Academy
Benefits realized:
- Cost savings: replaced printed textbooks with online video.
- Timelier, more flexible course content development.
- Improved transfer of complex, technical concepts such as 3D modeling.
- Increased student excitement and engagement.
- No cost to produce continuing education materials on rapidly-changing subjects.
- Better support for learning styles and self-paced study.
Walsall Academy, a secondary school in the U.K., applies the latest technology to teaching all subjects—from foreign languages to business studies to computer aided design (CAD).
Camtasia Studio plays a vital role in helping the school deliver fun, interactive, bite-sized course content. According to deputy headmaster Jonathan Boyle, video screen capture is the best way to convey technical subjects such as how to use CAD software. Students can easily follow the action while it's being presented live, then replay and rehearse videos at their own pace.
"In the morning I might produce a video before my duty and it is there for the children when they start 20 minutes later. I even sit with the microphone on and record live with an actively involved audience. They like to play it back on the network and you can see them laughing and joining in again with the jokes they heard 10 minutes earlier," said Mr. Boyle.
Boyle uses Camtasia Studio to create Flash versions of his screen recordings, which are posted to the school's website for at-home viewing by parents and students alike. Mr. Boyle says his Flash videos also serve to train the trainer—helping his colleagues keep up with the rapidly-changing field of CAD software.
High Tech Approach to Traditional Subjects
At Walsall Academy, even traditional subjects benefit from the high-tech treatment. Foreign language instructors use Camtasia to record Microsoft PowerPoint slides with narration, then create Flash video for students to play back later online. Over in the business studies department, instructors can update content throughout the school year to reflect what is happening in the current economic landscape.
"Camtasia Studio gives educators more one-on-one time with those students that require greater assistance and more quality time with those students who want to push the boundaries...a wonderful goal to meet!" - Mr. Boyle, Deputy Headmaster Walsall Academy
Printed textbooks could never offer such flexibility, which may explain why Camtasia Studio has been enthusiastically adopted by both administers and educators throughout Walsall Academy.
It's All About the Students
When it comes right down to it, however, instructors at Walsall use Camtasia Studio because it helps them provide a more tailored, student-centered educational experience.
As Mr. Boyle puts it, "Not all children learn the same way, at the same rate, or retain the same information...Intriguing exercises with layers of multimedia content delivered via video, with high-fidelity quality, makes learning and teaching exciting and effective. While the students are the beneficiaries, the teacher, as always, plays a critical role in the outcome. Camtasia Studio makes this role easy and enjoyable."
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