Audio or video discussions can add a personal element to your course discussions. There are a few different options available when integrating audio or video discussions. When doing video or audio discussions, please encourage your students to keep their recordings brief.
Canvas video and audio recording
Canvas has a built-in video and audio recorder that students can access through the Rich Content Editor available in Discussions.
Pros
- Mobile device friendly
- Simple and straightforward
Cons
- Not available on all browsers, such as Safari
- Limited to webcam and/or audio recording only
- No captions are provided for video recordings
- Recordings made within ungraded discussions count against students’ individual Canvas storage quotas
Kaltura (My Media) video and audio recording within Canvas Discussions
In addition to Canvas’s audio and video recording, Kaltura (My Media) is also available in discussions. In the toolbar of the Rich Content Editor, Canvas users can click on Kaltura icon (rainbow flower) and then use the webcam recorder or Kaltura Capture to record audio or video and immediately embed it in the discussion. It’s also possible to record or upload a video to My Media separately, and then embed that in the discussion post.
Pros
- Record screen, webcam, audio, and any combination of these simultaneously
- Personal recordings can be used in other places, like ePortfolios
- Video quality adapts to internet connection speeds to better support users on poor internet
- Machine-generated captions are added automatically to video recordings
- Unlimited file storage for every UWGB user
Cons
- Students may need extra practice using the tool to feel comfortable with the technology
- Requires high-speed internet
- If a student does not have high-speed internet, an alternative is to record the video with their phone’s camera app, upload the recording to Kaltura with the mobile app, and then embed it in their Canvas discussion
- Mac (Safari) users may need to allow 3rd party cookies for videos to appear