As part of my job as a corporate trainer, I often hold “Continuing Education” sessions with my team. While much of the team is usually able to attend, we have one group of “remote” reps who are not based out of Orlando. Also, there is always a section of the group that is either out sick or on vacation. I videotape our training sessions and have been posting them on our work server, but the server is running out of space. I need another option.
That’s where Vimeo can come in to help. I chose this site to research because it gives the option to upload and even store videos, and to keep those videos private. The interface of the site is easy to use, so even team members who are not internet savvy should find navigating the site very simple.
Within my own “Your Videos” page, I can sort through any videos I have uploaded, easily sorting by newest, oldest, most liked, or even most commented to name a few. Uploading is easy, with a simple confirmation of my email address, I can get started in no time. There are several links on several different pages that will take me to the upload page, as well a s toolbar in the top right that will take me to the upload page.
Another important element of the site is the ability for social participation. There is a comment section for each video. When I post a video, I want to keep track of who has viewed the video to make sure that my whole team has gotten the information. I plan on requiring my team members to comment on the video so that I know they have watched it. That they have a voice will also help them feel active in their own training.
As a unpaid user, I can upload a weekly limit of 500 MB and one HD video. This resets every Friday. I think that this will suit my purposes at work, but I do have the option of upgrading to Vimeo Plus for unlimited HD uploading and 5 GB a week limit. It also gives me the option of original file storage and downloading, which may come in handy when I’ve built up a sizable video library and begin to run out of storage. Recently, I purchased a large external hard drive to store my training videos at work, but when that fills up, I’ll think about the Plus option before I buy another hard drive. The Vimeo Plus option has an annual fee of $59.95 a year or $9.95 per month, which is very reasonable for what it is offering, and cheaper than a hard drive.
Vimeo’s user-friendly site is easy to navigate. On the chance that you do have any questions, help is only a few clicks away in the Vimeo Help Center. There are “Community Directors and Managers” available to chat on AIM, as well as a host of tutorial videos to solve a wide range of common problems.
Vimeo started as a way for professional filmmakers to share their projects, and then turned into a open forum for all sorts of people who wanted to share videos. That’s perfect for me!
I like this! This is a great way for families to gather all their pictures and film clips together and share via the web. I also see great applications for projects for students as well. It continues to boggle (or should I say bloggle) my mind what is available on the internet for free and shall we repeat the word FREE. It's the only way it will get into the schools is if it is free.
ReplyDeleteAfter checking a number of my classmates’ Web 2.0 choices, I came across the blog entry by Ms. Kirkpatrick. It fit my criteria for the selection of a tool to review, as I wanted to review one that I might be able to utilize myself. Vimeo seems to fit the bill. This is a video sharing community which may suit my purposes very well.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through the review, I immediately thought of my speech and debate team. Our state activities association requires that a school administrator view all student selections entered in our championship series in order to insure appropriateness of materials. This tool will allow my students, or myself if necessary, to upload a video of their performances for review and critique by our principal. It will also allow any of my assistant coaches to watch and comment on the performances they see. Thus, without having to be in some place in order to see the selection, videos can be watched at the convenience of the viewer.
To extend the benefit to my debate team, students can share debate cases through this platform in order to perfect arguments and delivery. While performing in front of a camera doesn’t replace a live audience, the possibility of having their presentation watched by countless critics and being able to apply the comments to correct mistakes makes this tool an exceptional asset.
In my classroom, this becomes another way for my students to store presentations for use in class. Getting away from the typical PowerPoint or Keynote format and moving to video is one of the goals for my Action Research. Having Vimeo as a place to store and retrieve movies will help this movement.