I enjoyed Molly’s introductory video. I appreciated the blend of pictures, graphics and video used to deliver the message. I also appreciated the practical recommendations. I used Snagit to develop a screencast. Snagit was very easy to install and to use. It will be a valuable tool as I develop my online e-government course. I did not develop a script. I wanted the video to feel personal and warm. However, without a script I was never completely satisfied with the final product. I shot the video several times. Each time there were things that I liked (or didn’t like) about my message. This assignment was beneficial. It is very likely that I will use Snagit to develop material for my course next semester. Perhaps I’ll use a script next time 🙂 The timeline was also easy to create, but it was a bit more tedious. It would be a great assignment for a GA.
Here are the links to my Timeline on the Evolution of Open Government and my screencast titled Building Open Government.
Glad that you found Snagit easy to use and helpful. That Open Govt timeline is a great resource, too. Well done!
I’ve struggled with the script/no script thing before. My middle ground is usually to create a decent outline (which I don’t read from) and back it up with the visuals I want. The visuals are usually enough to prompt me so that I usually end up with a nice mix of structure (and only one or two do-overs) and conversational tone.
I liked the Timeline as well. There’s something satisfying about creating open content with open tools about e-government. I’m pretty fascinated by the mix of accessible government data, tools to analyze it, and the challenge of creating a populace with the sophisticated blend of literacies needed to navigate that. If you ever want to go further down that road, let me know. 🙂
Tom, thanks for the recommendation. I think an outline supported by visuals is a great idea! I’d love to meet for lunch to discuss e-government 🙂