What are my software options for recording? (Zoom vs Kaltura vs Panopto vs Voicethread)

Zoom Online Meetings

• Upsides:   
   
  • Easier user interface, not a lot of setup.
  
  
  • Videos can be set to auto-upload.
     
• Downsides:
   
  • Very limited editing capabilities (can only trim the start/end of a video).
  
  
  • Meetings scheduled on your Canvas site could be interrupted by a student clicking on the ‘join’ button--meaning they could interrupt you while making your video recordings. Still, this does provide a simple route for students to access your recordings.
  
  
  • Potential for a long upload wait time (not immediately available to students).

Kaltura My Media and Media Gallery

• Upsides:

  • Easy to share across multiple course sites.
     
  • Kaltura's Record in Browser feature can be used for screen sharing and recording presentations with your webcam enabled.
     
  • Kaltura Capture includes a screencasting tool that automatically indexes PowerPoint slides. Text in the slides can be searched when viewing the recording, and slides can be used to navigate to points of interest in the video.
     
  • Recordings can be edited using Kaltura's video editing tools.
     
  • Students can use it to upload or create videos (individually).
     
  • Any video owner or editor can request FREE auto-captions in several languages (but have to clean them up). Instructors can also request more accurate professional captions for course materials by following the steps in these Help articles:
    • How do I request to add captions to a file in My Media?
    • How do I enable captions requests for all files in Media Gallery?
    • How do I edit captions in My Media?
       

• Downsides:

  • Kaltura Capture requires download/updates (may require administrator password).
  
  
  • Is a robust application with many options and settings that may be confusing to new users.
  
  
  • Videos must be published or embedded in a Canvas course site after upload when using the Kaltura Capture software.

Panopto Video

• Upsides:
   
  • As an asynchronous recording space, students can not accidentally wander in as you’re mid-recording (which can happen in a Zoom meeting scheduled through Canvas that you set to auto-record to the cloud).
     
  • Panopto Capture can be used to record directly in your browser.
     
  • Panopto for Windows and Panopto for Mac offer more robust features for recording than Panopto Capture.
  
  
  • You can edit your recording with the Panopto editor.


• Downsides:
   
  • Setup is a bit cumbersome.
  
  
  • Panopto for Windows or Mac requires download/updates (may require administrator password).
     
  • Sharing to multiple course sites can be counter-intuitive. See How to Copy and Move Videos in Panopto for details.
     
  • Potential for a long upload wait time (i.e., videos not immediately available to students).
     
  • By default, all recordings are auto-captioned in English. Instructors teaching in other languages may need to reprocess auto-captioning in a different language or change the language on their Panopto folder.

VoiceThread 

• Use VoiceThread to present, discuss, and annotate student- and instructor-created media, asynchronously.
   
• Both students and instructors can create, share, discuss, and annotate media (images, documents, and videos) in VoiceThread. It is commonly used for both students and instructors to present slideshows, assign asynchronous student discussion or conversational practice, and even to provide feedback on student work that is submitted as a PDF or image. Students and instructors can record audio, video, and textual comments directly into VoiceThread, and moderate privacy of material they share.
   
• VoiceThread is added to Canvas through Modules or Assignments. For steps, see Adding a VoiceThread activity to your course. Follow the steps under "If your institution uses Deep Linking."
   

• Upsides:

  • Available for students and faculty to create.
     
  • Easy to share content with class.
     
  • Easy to create assignments for students to watch, comment on, or create new threads (i.e., presentations).
     
  • Audio or video can be recorded slide-by-slide, or accompany a series of slides.
     

• Downsides:

  • VoiceThread is not a screencast tool--you are not able to share a screen. Rather, you share individual images, slides, videos, and other media, as you would in a PowerPoint slide show.
     
  • Limited drawing/annotation tools.