FrontRow Newsroom

Capture Classroom Video and Audio for Remote Learning

19 October 2020|Hannah Olson

Often when we're using Teacher Edition to capture a lecture or create content for flipping, it's just the instructor's voice and a PowerPoint show. In most situations, that's enough. But what if you want to -- or need to -- show something that you can't do in a slide? Chemistry or physics lab demonstrations are a great example of this.

Fortunately, it's easy (and cheap!) to do. Since Teacher Edition records whatever is on your computer screen, all you need is an inexpensive webcam and free or inexpensive video image display software.

Step 1: Get a camera

You'll need a camera of some sort -- whether it's the one built into your laptop or an external webcam.

Step 2: Get some free software

A couple of free options for software are Yawcam (www.yawcam) and Webcam Viewer (www.bustatech.com/webcam-viewer). Some webcams also come with free software you can use to display your image -- check the manufacturer’s website to see if your webcam includes this type of software.

Step 3: Position your camera

Just position the webcam so that it will be able to capture your image where you will be presenting.

Step 4: Place the image where you want it

Open the webcam software (e.g. Yawcam, Webcam Viewer) and under the application’s settings / options, select the webcam you’re using and select the option to keep the webcam image “always on top”. Position the webcam image window in a corner of the screen and size it so that it is out of the way of the content you are presenting.

Step 5: Start recording!

Next, open the FrontRow Teacher Edition application and start your recording (or, if using Juno, use the 'Begin' voice command). All of your presentation content along with your image on the screen will be captured!

It's really easy to create great-quality instructional content without a lot of extra time. What other ways are you using Teacher Edition with your classes? If you're new to automated lecture capture and want to learn more, just ask!