Video Cameras & Staff MacBooks

Over the past few years, staff members have been strongly encouraged to consider the role that podcasting might play in their classroom. Audio podcasts can be made very quickly with little production time, allowing students to create fantastic, authentic products that are available to the whole world via the Internet and our media server. With tools like USB microphones, iPods with voice recording capabilities, and Garage Band, students can create a podcast in no time, and instead of spending lots of time working on the computer producing, they can move on to learning new concepts and content and skills.

Producing video rather than audio typically requires a much greater investment in time working on the computers. In spite of this, there are many times and reasons why teachers will want to use video in the classroom. From capturing video on new iPod Nanos to Flip cameras to more traditional Canon, Panasonic, and JVC video cameras, there are lots of different types of video cameras available for schools to purchase and use with our MacBooks.

One of the changes that has taken place in the video cameras in recent years has been the shift from recording on tape to recording on hard drives (not so good for a school environment) or flash memory (ideal for tapeless cameras). While hard drives and flash memory can offer lots of storage, there are more complications in terms of compatibility with different operating systems and software depending on how the video is being encoded. To be sure that a compatible camera is being purchased for use with iMovie 09 on the Staff MacBooks, visit
Apple’s guide to compatible cameras.