Charlie uses a Sony Mini DV camera which he bought through a grant he had gotten for his research and other work in Complex Instruction. Charlie reports that the camera is easy to use and “produces unbelieveably high-quality video.”
Charlie says that lighting is never a problem, but sound always is. He’s exploring the use of wireless microphones because a colleague has reported that these work well.
Once the video is shot, all Charlie needs is a “firewire” cable that plugs into his iMac running iMovie. Everything is amazingly simple from there. iMovie helps him edit the video until it’s just right, and then he just plugs a couple of cables into a VCR from the Mac to record the video he’s edited onto regular VHS tapes for use in the classroom.
Oh, just one more thing. Charlie recommends making sure you have a good tripod available for your videotaping.
top
