Jing is a web based tool that allows you to capture still and video images of your desktop. Jing is more than a screencasting tool as it also allows you to share your capture instantly via a link. This can be useful in a chat session with a colleague or with a teacher. Maybe you want to explain or demo a tool you are discussing. Using Jing you can quickly invoke the tool and capture some video along with your narration. When Jing is finished capturing and processing the video, it also places a URL to the video on your clipboard. Paste that into your chat client (or email…) and share with the person you are talking to.
"Think of Jing as a supplement to all your chat discussions, email threads, forum posts and blog entries. It sits nicely on your desktop, ready to capture and share your stuff at a moment's notice. Simply select an area of your screen, capture it as an image or record it as a video, and then click Share. Jing conveniently places a URL to your content on your clipboard ready for you to paste the URL into any of your conversations."
One example I am thinking of is helping my teachers with some simple technology questions that seem to come up often. For example, suppose a teacher is confused about changing her default printer settings. One could invoke Jing, capture the sequence of steps along with a narration, and then email a link to the screencast that describes the steps she needs to make the change. To expand this, one could set up a simple web log that cataloged these technology tips, building a knowledge base for the building.
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