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Video Education: Free Online Learning Resources Mini-Guide
2006 proved itself to be the year of online video, and as the medium has evolved more and more free online resources have become readily available for those willing to look for them. As universities get wise to the Open Courseware concept, and independent video producers share what they know with their peers there has never been a better time to get yourself a free video education.
Photo credit: Andres Rodriguez
In this Mini-Guide I gather together a list of totally free online video resources for anyone looking to learn something without having to pay for the privilege. As Web 2.0 evolves into a democratic, largely social landscape, online video proves itself to be a great asset in collective knowledge-pooling.
But even the micro-sphere of online video learning content is far bigger than could be shoe-horned into a single guide. As such I have cherry-picked a handful of the best and most relevant resources for those looking to brush up their video, presentation and independent publishing skills. Feel free to compliment this selection with your own recommendations in the comments.
The guide features the following resources:
- University-sector video courseware
Universities are catching on to the idea that learning content need not be so fiercely guarded, and at the heart of their collective endeavors is the Open Courseware concept: free to use, free to share lectures and screencasts that open up the ivory tower to the masses. - Tutorials in digital video production
As video becomes an increasingly important way of communicating, production values are on the rise. Keep up with the techniques that will make your video stand out from the pack. - Flash design, animation and video
Adobe's Flash is not only a ubiquitous delivery platform, but also a great way of streaming high-quality, low-bandwidth, interactive video content across the web. Free flash tutorials can give you the flexibility to make your website, slideshow or digital video come to life. - Web publishing and sharing
It's one thing to read about blogging, social bookmarking and Internet television, but quite another to be guided step by step through the process in a video tutorial. These resources provide you with a ready collection of easy to pick up learning content for all things Web 2.0. - Presentations
Whether you want to deliver online presentations at a distance, brush up on your PowerPoint skills or just learn what separates a good presentation from a boring one, these resources are going to be very useful. - Digital Imaging
Nobody is born knowing how to use Photoshop, but that doesn't mean that you have to pay for the privilege. - Collaborative learning
Sharing your skills online just got a lot easier, whether they be in digital photography and image editing, or drawing, creating music and modifying technology. With the advent of collaborative video learning resources, if you know it, you can share it.
Read on to see exactly how.
Open Courseware videos
MIT's Open Courseware concept has taken off in a big way, with universities queuing up to join in the sharing of higher education learning materials online. As Internet video becomes increasingly prevalent, so the audio-visual materials available as Open Courseware are growing. The following sources offer easy access to free higher learning video content.
MIT Open Courseware Videos
http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Global/OCWHelp/avocw.htm
The service
MIT Open Courseware has been a trailblazing initiative to bring free university sector courses to the public via the Internet. While the content is primarily syllabus and reading list based, of late they have added some great video content across the range of their courses.
What you can learn
The service offers a diverse range of subjects, with an academic bent, across various disciplines. For example:
- Introduction to copyright law
- MEdia Education and the Marketplace
- Principles of Digital Communication
Access and file format(s)
Videos must be downloaded, along with the rest of the materials for a given course.
The Real Player format is used for the video content.
Additional Resources
While not entirely geared up to independent publishers, you may also want to check out:
- Open Courseware Finder, a free service that will search all Open Courseware titles from a range of universities
- For those of a scientific bent, Free Science Online may be of interest for its collection of science-based video lectures
Digital video production
Producing great looking video and publishing it to the web has certainly become a lot easier and more accessible in the past year, but how do you make your content stand out from the ocean of mediocre, amateur productions out there? The following resources are there to lend you a hand.
Izzy Video
The service
Izzy Video is the work of a single dedicated DV enthusiast, Israel Hyman, and offers a huge array of useful tutorials on digital video production.
What you can learn
There are a great many tutorials - 50 at the time of writing - covering the entire digital video production process, and these include:
Access and file formats
Movies can be viewed online (or downloaded to your desktop) in the popular Mp4 format, in both large (640x480) and iPod friendly (320x240) sizes.
Additional Resources
The Izzy Video Wiki gathers several additional resources, including the chance for viewers to request future tutorials to fit their specific needs.
GoToAndLearn
The service
While GoToAndLearn is not strictly a digital video production resource, there are a great many tutorials dedicated to the use of the ubiquitous Flash format in the world of video production. Lee Brimelow is the man behind these well designed and great looking video tutorials.
What you can learn
In addition to a great collection of Flash tutorials there are several well-made tutorials on using Flash in your video production workflow. These include:
- Using Flash FLV files in video production
- Creating a Flash-based video player
- Adding contextual menus directly into your video
Access and file formats
All videos are in high quality, large FLV format and can be viewed online straight from your browser, provided you have the Flash plug-in installed.
Additional resources
GoToAndLearn's videos are well supported by:
- A very active User Forum
- The ability to request future tutorials directly from the main site's Flash-based interface
Flash design, animation and video
Flash has long been a ubiquitous part of accessing the Internet, and since the explosion of online video it has become even more popular. Video sharing giants such as YouTube make use of the Flash Video format due to its ability to provide high-quality, low-bandwidth material.
But Flash is much more versatile than simply being able to serve up online video, and there are resources available that will teach you how to make the most of this powerful platform. In addition to the previously mentioned GoToAndLearn, Steve's Tutes offer various tutorials on the Flash authoring process.
Steve's Tutes
http://www.video-animation.com/flash_01.shtml
The service
Steve's Tutes bring together a comprehensive collection of video tutorials that will teach you how to create a number of effects and animations using Flash.
What you can learn
The focus of the tutorials is on using Flash to create animations and interactive web applications. Among the tutorials on offer are:
Access and file formats
All videos can be viewed online from your browser, and use Camtasia Studio's proprietary player.
Additional resources
In addition to the free video tutorials available, there are even more text-based Flash tutorials available from the same site.
Web publishing and sharing
As Web 2.0 expands the possibilities of what can be done online, it has become easier than ever to create, publish and share content from within your web browser. Inevitably a number of useful video resources have arrived that will guide you through the process of optimizing your new media productions.
Tubetorial
The service
Tubetorial has a diverse selection of videos aimed squarely at bloggers and other independent online publishers. With a focus on getting things done online, and finding ways to monetize your efforts, this is an excellent resource for anyone interested in creating web-based content.
What you can learn
Tubetorial places a great emphasis on both putting your own website together, and finding ways to effectively monetize your work. Tutorials available include:
- Creating web pages with HTML
- How to maximize AdSense profits
- How to increase comments and page views
Access and file formats
All videos can be accessed online, through your browser, and make use of the Flash Video format.
Additional resources
Tubetorial actively solicits video contributions from it's site visitors, in addition to providing them with the opportunity to leave feedback on the tutorials offered.
Awakened Voice learning center
http://learn.awakenedvoice.com/
The service
Awakened Voice offer some very well put together video tutorials in the area of social media, covering all kinds of material relevant to those wanting to make use of Web 2.0 technologies.
What you can learn
With an emphasis on making use of online social media, tutorials include:
Access and file formats
All videos can be streamed online, open in a pop-up window, and make use of the Quicktime format.
Additional resources
In addition to being able to subscribe through RSS, email or iTunes, users can also make use of the Awakened Voice Wiki, a repository for information on social media.
Presentations
For those looking to brush up on their public speaking and PowerPoint skills the first port of call is likely to be our own Masterviews site. But should you need even more in the way of presentation-focused video tutorials, the following rich media resource will doubtless be of interest.
SpeakCast
The service
While Speakcast does offer a paid subscription service, it is possible to access the ten latest videos for free. Speaking expert TJ Walker delivers straight to camera advice on how to be a great speaker, and what makes for a powerful presentation.
What you can learn
As you would expect, the video content tends to focus on the needs of public speakers and PowerPoint presenters. Recent free videos include:
Access and formats
All videos can be viewed online or downloaded to your hard drive (if you have Quicktime Pro), and use the Quicktime format.
Additional resources
Speakcast has a number of other resources, including audio and text-based tutorials.
Digital Imaging
While there are certainly more ways that one to edit your images, the industry standard Photoshop continues to be the benchmark against which other applications are judged. But if it wasn't enough that the program comes with a hefty price tag, paying out for training in how to use it can soon add up too. Not anymore.
Photoshop TV
The service
With no less than 60 (at the time of writing) comprehensive tutorials on all things Photoshop, Photoshop TV is the definitive resource for anyone looking to improve their knowledge of this versatile, powerful application. The latest episode is always free, while archived videos are free to members of the National Association of Photoshop Users, or $1.99 per download.
What can you learn
If it's in Photoshop it is likely to have been covered. Recent tutorials include:
- Converting color to black and white using channels
- Turning a photograph into a sketch
- Lighting effects for portraits
Access and file formats
The most recent video is free to view, with archived videos charged at $1.99 per view. The Flash video format is used throughout.
Additional resources
In addition to soliciting user feedback, Photoshop TV is affiliated with the previously mentioned NAPP, an organization dedicated to Photoshop users.
Collaborative Learning
While the majority of the sites mentioned above are the work of individuals and organizations, a new paradigm in online learning is emerging - that of collaborative learning. Just as YouTube relies on User generated content, so this new breed of video learning repository taps into the knowledge of its viewers.
Instructables
The service
Instructables taps into its user-base to gather tutorials focused on the act of making something, from recipes to mechanical devices. Among this diverse mix are a great many tutorials likely to be of use to independent online publishers. While the tutorials are primarily comprised of sequences of still images, rather than full motion video, the sequential nature of the tutorials warranted inclusion in the guide.
What you can learn
In addition to the truly esoteric blend of tutorials available through the service, there are tutorials that will help you to:
Access and file formats
All tutorials can be accessed online, with video largely comprised of (flash-based) YouTube embedded video.
Additional Resources
In addition to social interest groups, Instructables also provides a user forums, which seem to be very active.
Visuarios
http://www.visuarios.com/controller.php
The service
While Instructables focuses purely on making things, and uses a combination of video and still images, Visuarios remit is a little broader - it is a hub for user generated tutorial videos of all varieties. Among the vast range of videos available through the service, there are a good many of interest to independent web publishers.
What you can learn
The Visuarios library is a vast one. You may find the following tutorials of interest:
- How to compress a video file
- How to play FLV files in Windows Media Player
- How to correct colour in Photoshop
Access and file formats
Videos, in the popular Flash Video format can be viewed online or embedded into your own blog or website.
Additional resources
It is possible to browse videos by popularity, by those that are most recent, or using a powerful advanced search. Users can also rate and leave comments on videos.
Conclusions
The resources for online video education listed here only touch the tip of the iceberg, and 2006 has seen the possibilities open up for independent learners to tap into a vast reservoir of collective knowledge. As Web 2.0 continues to enable social media, so the opportunities to learn and develop new skills are growing exponentially.
Please feel welcome to add your own favourite video learning resources in the comments section here below.
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