KnowledgeBase Tools & Assumptions

Goal:

Improve entry level experience, show what technologies can do - what it is, why do I need it, DSpace vs. Fedora - why chose one over the other, use cases examples, how to set up a repo and get started.

Strategy:

Collaboratively develop on-line materials (similar to Ruby's RailGuides: http://guides.rubyonrails.org/). Each topic will have: (a) Screencast, (b) Text-based Guide, (c) Powerpoint slides, and, if available (d) link to relevant video/webinar.

Next steps

1. create table of content page and a team for each project, solicit feedback
2. create wiki space for education curriculum
3. create examples for each vehicle: (a) Screencast, (b) Text-based Guide, (c) Powerpoint based
   1. DSpace: 
      1. Basic intro on XMLUI - w/screencast, text guide and Powerpoint
      2. install/set up process (paragraph descriptor only w/references and future plans)
      3. What is DSpace?/Why use DSpace? Jonathan working on already
   2. Fedora: 
      1. installation
      2. conceptual Fedora (what is an object? what is a Fedora repository?)
      3. What is Fedora? Why use Fedora? Jonathan working on already
4. develop a contributor process
   1. all materials need to be reviewed/approved - make sure information is accurate and there are no writes violation, ensure a copy is permanently stored in a repository
   2. all contributors to sign license agreements - Apache 2 both ICLA (individual) and CCLA (corporate) licences, and then Creative Commons on the content - use one of the some rights reserved - future opp to pkg up and profit from it

Delivery Tools

-vimeo account for video - link to w/in the guide, people will have to submit the videos to us so we can put it in our vimeo acct

-slideshare account for powerpoint

-copies should be permanently archived/stored in a repository

Confluence Tools

Embedding Video/Slides using Confluence's Widget Connector
(http://confluence.atlassian.com/display/DOC/Widget+Connector+Examples)
Examples of embedding Vimeo, Flickr, YouTube, SlideShare, etc. into Confluence.

Screencast.com Widget Connector Extension
(https://plugins.atlassian.com/plugin/details/33430)
Jing, Camtasia, Screencast.com videos can now be embedded in Confluence using the Widget Connector.

ScreenSnipe for Confluence
(https://plugins.atlassian.com/plugin/details/28446)
Create easy and powerful screenshots at hand - directly from your Confluence (with no client-side installation). Creating beautiful and informative release notes, technical documentation or clear, visual comments was never simpler.

TaskDock for Confluence
(https://plugins.atlassian.com/plugin/details/13744)
Communication and workflow for your content. Project tracking, tasks, and messaging for your wiki. Includes JIRA integration.

How to Create a Screencast for the DuraSpace Educational Curriculum

Introduction

A screencast is a video of someone showing how to do something on a computer.  The screencast software captures what is happening on the computer screen along with an audio recording of the speaker explaining what he or she is doing.  Many people enjoy learning online procedures from screencasts, and the DuraSpace Educational Curriculum makes frequent use of the screencast format for teaching people how to use or deploy our software.

You can create your own screencast and contribute the resulting video to the online Educational Curriculum.  There are four parts to creating screencasts:   1. Planning what you are going to present,  2. Choosing screencast recording software, 3. Making the recording, and 4. Producing the final screencast video. This guide will walk you through those steps.

Planning

First, select one of the curriculum topics for your screencast from the table of contents for one of the products.  Good topics for screencasts are ones that show people steps for completing a task online.  The viewer will be watching a recording of your computer screen, following your mouse movements, and listening to your explanation of what you are doing.  To the extent that your recording is clear, interesting to watch, and instructive, your screencast will be a success.  Here are some guidelines for planning your screencast:

• Pick a topic from the curriculum table of contents for DSpace (insert link) or Fedora (insert link).  Make sure you give your screencast the same name as the curriculum item you've chosen
• An effective screencast lasts in the neighborhood of five minutes.  It might be necessary to go longer if you are describing a process that needs to be presented in one piece.  On the other hand, you may want to divide your topic into two or more screencasts, if appropriate (e.g., "Getting Started with DSpace Access Controls, Part One" and "...Part Two").
• Do you need to write out a script for your screencast?  Perhaps, but not necessarily.  A simple outline might do, or just some reminders on a page.  Informal, extemporaneous screencasts are not at all uncommon on the Internet.  You may find it easier not to juggle a written script while you're navigating through the flow of screens.
• Make sure your computer software is configured for the screencast.  In addition to the screencast software (more on that later), you will probably need to have an application environment set up for whatever you are going to demonstrate.
• Best bet for quality audio is to use a headset with microphone.  We have found that the Logitech USB headsets work very well, but most any USB headset should do nicely.

Choosing Screencast Software

Video Tools

The following tools may all be used to perform Screen and Audio capture for Screencasts: