With classes online, I wanted to remind faculty about two tools that might help those wanting to record video lectures for their students or post on their TRACS or Canvas course sites. Mediaflo is the university’s online media management system where you can upload and host videos, create playlists, and more. Ensemble Anthem is a tool that allows you to create video recordings of your screen and webcam. Together they are great resources for faculty to deliver content online.
Mediaflo
Mediaflo has a variety of features. You can upload and manage videos in your account, and download them when you need them. The videos uploaded will be private to you and whoever you choose to share the video’s direct link with, such as your students or other faculty. Mediaflo links are customizable, so you can create a link with any custom words you want as long as it isn’t already in use.
You also have the ability to add closed captioning to your videos using the Amara Caption Editor that is built into Mediaflo, upload a caption file, or submit the file to an external service called Rev (after getting a Rev account set-up with ITAC and your department, and with your department’s approval) for captioning.
Mediaflo accounts are free to all faculty and staff. Students are not issued personal accounts, but it is not required to have one for viewing media.
Ensemble Anthem
At the top of your Mediaflo account page, you’ll find a giant button that says “record,” and when you click it, Ensemble Anthem launches directly from Mediaflo. With this software you have four recording options: screen only, webcam only, screen and webcam, or voice only. It’s versatile!
For the classes that I teach, I like to lecture over a PowerPoint, but I still want my students to see me so they feel connected. The screen and webcam combination has worked perfect. What’s also great is that once you finish recording, you have the option to save your video and upload it directly to Mediaflo.
If you’re interested in these tools, be sure to request a Mediaflo and Ensemble Anthem account, so you can get started.
Steffanie Agnew is the digital marketing strategist in the IT Marketing and Communications office.