For Those With Budgets
GoReact: This is a software that students need to pay for using during a course. I am not sure if it would be possible to use it for mentoring, but in many ways, it is probably the easiest way to provide time-coded feedback. Drawback is the expense.
For Those Without Budgets
ELAN: A tool that is used for Linguistic Analysis might be useful. It allows you to create all sorts of streams to analyze language behavior, but I don’t believe that video comments are possible in this. Again, it is free – but is really designed more for linguistic analysis. Della Goswell, an interpreter educator from Australia, wrote an article in the International Journal of Interpreter Education discussing how this tool can be used by sign language students for self-reflection and analysis.
What I use: My technique is Mac specific. It might work on a PC, but I am not sure of the software. The key component is to have QuickTime Player. Usually, I am working with a YouTube video from my student.
Steps:
- Open student/mentee video. Re-size browser or video window so that there is room for another video window either to the side of it or below it.
- Open a New Movie Recording in QuickTime Player. (File > New Movie Recording.) This opens up a window on the screen that uses my web cam – and allows me to sign – or make comments in spoken English – depending on the purpose of the comments. Position this video window next to the Student Video window so you can see both of them simultaneously. Important: Don’t actually start this recording.
- Open a New Screen Recording in QuickTime Player (File > New Screen Recording) This is what you will use to record both of the video streams. Start the Screen Recording. I generally do the click and drag option to only focus in on the two video windows.
- Start the Student video. You can either make comments while it is running, or pause the video and make comments during the process.
- When you are done, stop the screen recording. You can then upload that to YouTube or other video service to share with the student.
Again, this is more work, I believe, than GoReact. And probably harder to navigate, but it is free… so what do you expect?
Posted in: Mentoring Resources