Podcast357: Options for Saving and Trimming Online Video to Your Local Hard Drive

This podcast is a recording of an unconference session at the Learning 2.010 Conference in Shanghai, China, on September 18, 2010. The focus of our session was different techniques for saving online videos from websites like YouTube, Vimeo, etc. to your local computer’s hard drive. This skill is important for teachers and librarians wanting to integrate the use of online videos in class with students for several reasons. First of all, in locations like China and many U.S. schools, video sharing websites like YouTube and Vimeo are blocked by content filters. In order to access these websites in these locations, for instance, a VPN service or proxy service must be used. Teachers in U.S. schools which block video sharing sites may need to download videos at home and bring them to school. In addition to exploring different free techniques for downloading “offline” versions of online videos from sites like YouTube, I explained how to use the software MPEG Streamclip to convert downloaded FLV (Flash format) files into other formats which play in media players like QuickTime and Windows Media Player. I also explained how to use MPEG Streamclip to “trim” video clips into shorter versions, which can then be exported and shared in class with students. I turned the recorder on about 10 minutes after our session began, so the longer explanation of using UnPlug for Firefox is not included in this recording. We also discussed copyright and fair use laws as they apply in the United States. Please refer to the podcast shownotes for links to all referenced resources in this podcast.

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