YouTube MyWebcam

Create Videos using the YouTube MyWebcam Tool

YouTube’s MyWebcam is a free tool you can use to record short videos using a webcam. Instructors could use the tool to record videos and add them to Sakai courses. Videos could be used to introduce yourself to students in your classes or introduce weekly lessons or assignments.

How do Instructors use Videos with their Students?

• Highlight important or commonly misunderstood aspects of an assignment
• Answer frequently asked questions
• Give group or whole class feedback
• Introduce a lesson, to emphasize what students should focus on
• Introduce themselves to an online class
• Could Video Feedback Replace the Red Pen?

What do I need to record a video?

• Gmail account
• Webcam (some notepads have built in webcams)
  • Need suggestions? Check out How to Choose a Video Recording Headset or Webcam
• Microphone (if your webcam doesn’t have a microphone)
• Adobe Flash installed on your computer

Tip: Before recording your video it’s a good idea to write a script. Save the script as a text file. You can use your script to add captions to your video.

Record and upload a video

1. Go to http://www.youtube.com/my_webcam
2. Log in with a Gmail account (Here's Gmail/YouTube account info)
3. Have your script ready. When you want to record your video, click Start recording to record your video.
4. If asked, on the Adobe Flash Player settings screen select Allow and click Close. Tip: The webcam starts recording as soon as you click Allow.
5. When done, click Stop recording to stop the video.
6. Click the play button, like you would to watch any video.
7. Made mistakes? You can click Start over to record your video again.
8. When you are finished recording your video, click Continue to upload the video to YouTube.
9. In the Video Manager, enter info about the video in the Basic info area:
   1. Enter a title for your video
   2. Enter a description for your video
   3. If any tags are listed, delete them (or you can add your own tags, if you are creating a public video, to make it easier to find your video)
   4. Click on the drop down list to select the video privacy settings. The recommended setting is Unlisted.
      1. Public (anyone can search and find the video)
      2. Unlisted (the video is not available via search, only people with the link can see the video)
      3. Private (the video is only available to you)
   5. Click Save changes

Note: Here is more info about video privacy settings (YouTube)

Add captions to a video

1. In the YouTube Video Manager menu on the left side of the screen, click on Videos.
2. Find the video you want to add captions to and click Edit. Note: If you don’t see the Video Manager menu on the left side of the screen, click on the Settings button in the top right corner of the screen and choose Creator Studio.
3. At the top of the screen click on Subtitles and CC
   1. Then click on the Select language drop-down box.
   2. Next, click English.
   3. Finally, click on the Set Language button.
4. On the right, click on the Add new subtitles or CC drop-down list, then click on English.
5. Now select a method for adding your script, to generate the closed captioning (CC).
   1. Click Upload a file to browser your computer for your script file. The file type is set to Transcript by default (if a pop-up appears, ignore it).
      1. Click on the Browse button, select your file, click Open
      2. Click on the Upload button. You'll see your transcript displayed.
      3. Click the Set timings button on the bottom. You'll now see a new box, "English (Setting timings..)"
      4. Click on the new box, English (set timings..). You may get a message "Subtitle timings are being set. Check back soon".
6. Your transcript is now being synced with your video. This may take a few seconds or minutes. After the "English(Setting timings...)" message changes to "English", your transcript has been successfully synced.
7. After you see English without (setting timings...), your transcript is synced with the video. (You may have to click on the Subtitles and CC tab again, to refresh your view). Click Publish. You'll see a confirmation message "Subtitles Published".
8. Click the play button to watch the video with captions.
9. Now you need to get your video's web address.
   1. Click on the Info and Settings tab.
   2. On the right side of the screen look for Video Information. The Video URL is the link to your video that you’ll add to your Sakai course. Copy this link.

TIP: If you'd like to change the picture displayed on your video, click on one of the three miniature photos. Then click Save changes.

Add a video to a Sakai course in Lessons

• Instructions for using the Sakai Lessons tool
• Log in to Sakai and go to the course that you want to add your video to.
• On the course menu click on Lessons and click on the subpage. Click on Add Multimedia. Paste the YouTube video link in the URL: box and click Save. The video will display in the lesson.
• Add a link to the video. Click on Add Text and use the text editor to add the video link. Click on the Link button and paste the link in the URL box. Click on the Target tab and select New Window (_blank) from the drop down list. Click Ok. Click Save. The video link will display. Click the link to open the video in another window or tab.
• You can also add info about what students can do if they cannot hear the video’s sound:

If you cannot hear the video’s sound, check your speaker settings, or turn on captions: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/100078?hl=en

Advanced Tips

• What are 10 ways YouTube can engage your classes now?
• How do I edit a video, or add subtitles, annotations, and music to a video?
• How do I use the YouTube MyWebcam app? Check out this video
• How do I upload a video longer than 15 minutes?
• How do I upload a video using an Android or iOS device?
  • Will my default settings work with my Android/iOS device? NO.