Cadre12Jing

=**Jing** = [|www.jingproject.com]

**About**
Jing is a tool that enables the user to capture "screenshots" of their monitor as an image or as a 5 minute narrated movie (SWF format) of a process taking place on a users computer. Images can be pasted to the users clipboard or as movies, can be view via a URL link on Screencast.com. The open source version is limited in the format for videos (SWF, Shockwave), the time of the captured video (only 5 minutes), and the ability to utilize different hosting sources (such as You Tube). Many of those features are available in the "Pro" (for a fee) version. For many applications, the open source version works excellent. Using the program is relatively easy requiring a download of the application from Jingproject.com. Later viewing/access via Screencast requires a separate account creation at Screeencast.com. Once downloaded, the app appears as a sun in the corner of a user's desktop and clicking on the sun allows for a crosshairs to approximate the area of the screen to be captured as an image (which can later be added to with text and other visuals) or as a movie with voiceover.

Jing is a useful in both a corporate and educational context as a //tutorial// tool to show someone how to navigate a program or site, perform a process, or accomplish a task while in a computer interface. In situations where 1:1 training is needed but unavailable or impractical, Jing fits the bill. With it's 5 minute limit, presentations must be short and to the point.
 * Applications**

Business Uses: Training/Tutoria (IT or HR), Feeback/Proofing (design or graphics applications). Education: Showing students how to submit work to a dropbox or online, in math class (with an application like Geometer's Sketchpad) to illustrate and solve equations, providing verbal critique/feedback of student/peer generated media

For my purpose, I used Jing as a training tool for teachers following a recent emergency meeting regarding the outbreak of H1N1 at my high school. Faced with the possibility of missing one or more students for prolonged absences (7 days min.), I was showing my faculty how to connect students with their class sessions using both Etherpad (here, used as a "note-taking buddy" tool- when an absent student and present student both use the same pad) and Skype (so that the absent student can virtually attend the class activity) This was a short presentation of two relatively new tools to my staff that I wanted them to be able to refer to later, so I used Jing to record the process and walk them through using both tools. This video was later posted in our shared teacher folder for faculty to view at a later date. See the video below:
 * Illustrative Example**

media type="custom" key="4272257"

Within our Learning Circle, Jing was broadened to create content (in this case, teacher training videos) which could then be stored on a created social networking site, such as Ning, which all teachers would have access to. We would use a tweetbot, in this case DM-Tweet Bot, to keep teachers appraised of new content, such as the posting of this tutorial video.


 * Limitations/Problems**
 * Tutorials are limited to screenshots and processes taking place on a computer.
 * Difficult to move between applications and "capture" at the same time.
 * Third party sharing (via Screencast) somewhat limits access.

**Reflection**
//In preparation for this project, I had only played around with Jing. The events of last week's outbreak forced me to make up a plan, especially when my principal asked me to come up with some strategies for teachers, on the fly. Though I felt the presentation was effective, it was so fast that I wanted teachers to have a place to learn at their own pace or refresh, which led me to create the Jing tutorial. Since this happened (last Thursday), more of my faculty have used either the combination of Etherpad and Skype or just one of the tools along with the tutorial video. This has not only spawed a new experimentation with Etherpad and Skype (many of which worked fabulously, some not so much) but my counseling department wanting to use Jing for Naviance (a college search/application program) and my math department using Jing to have students submit videos of solving equations with their explanations of the solution.//


 * Mike Aquino**