Latest Updates to Zoom (with bonus Kaltura content!)

 There have been quit a few updates to Zoom this summer. We'll do a dive into each of them in this blog and include links to Zoom's content so you can learn more. 

Video Waiting Room

You can now add a video to your waiting room (if you use one.) This can be welcoming the attendees, going over any housekeeping or rules, or just be something cute and interesting to look at. Learn more about this and get a downloadable customized video by going to https://bit.ly/3j3CsKw

Zoom Apps

Zoom now has the capability to add certain apps to its platform, rather than having to share your screen and have students participate that way. This is especially helpful for anyone wanting to use Kahoot! or Mentimeter in their meetings. You can learn more about apps within Zoom, as well as what apps are available, by going to https://bit.ly/3kdT29G

Kaltura Integration 

Management of the Kaltura Zoom Integration is now set in the Kaltura Management Console instead of in Zoom. This allows for improved Zoom integration setup and management workflow. You do not need to do anything to enable this change. 

Kaltura Transcoding

Starting on 8/15 Kaltura introduced a new method of transcoding their videos. The new transcoding profile generates a Full HD flavor and a SD flavor for smaller screens. The Full HD flavor is marked as the source and the original source flavor is not retained. Previous content is not affected. The new transcoding profile is applied only to the new Zoom recordings ingested to the system from now on. You do not need to do anything to enable this change.

Add Kaltura Quizzes to YouTube Videos

If you've used the quiz feature in Kaltura and like how it keeps your students accountable for watching course videos, you can now utilize that same feature on top of a YouTube video (think TedTalks, etc.)

 

As always, contact Learning Technologies with any questions about these changes!                          

Which Video Tool Should I Use?

Emporia State supports three instructional video resources for faculty and staff: Kaltura, Zoom, and Panopto. What's the difference between these tools and why are there so many options? Which one is the best option for accessibility?

To answer that question we need to provide a brief product history to understand how we got here. Roughly ten years ago, the Counselor Education on campus program needed a solution to replace an aging VHS recording system. Panopto, a new lecture capture product developed at Carnegie Mellon, provided the perfect solution. It integrated into the campus LMS, supported two camera recording capabilities, could be used in multiple rooms at the same time, and was completely digital. Since then it has been used to record and upload thousands of videos. 

About the same time, the campus migrated its webconferencing system from Wimba (later acquired by Blackboard) to Adobe Connect. Webconferencing software had a very narrow niche in the mid 2000s - there was virtually no overlap between a lecture capture product and a webconferencing product.

Fast forward a few years, the campus has since replaced Connect with Zoom and acquired Kaltura. Like Connect and Wimba before it, Zoom is branded as a webconferencing/meeting product. Kaltura, in contrast, is branded/marketed as a video hosting, streaming, and curation product. Again, little or no overlap among products a few years ago, but that's changing. 

Each of these products, which are still very viable and highly ranked in Gartner's Magic Quadrant, are now vying to expand their reach and become a one-stop solution for lecture capture, desktop recording, curation, and more. However, shifting a campus that is deeply entrenched in each product to a single solution is easier said than done. Hence, we're likely going to continue licensing these products indefinitely. Let's break these down and see which product is best to use for your purposes:

The primary application of Zoom is live meetings. The campus supports approximately 600 Zoom meetings every month during the semester. However, Zoom can be used for much more:

• Live meetings - Best Use ✓
• Support for 100 simultaneous participants
• Live webcasting ✓
• Support for up to 1000 simultaneous participants
• Two-way communication limited to chat
• Screen capture/recording ✓
• Lecture capture ✓
• External video upload ✘
• Cameras
• Single ✓
• Dual ✘
• Desktop and mobile app ✓
• Accessibility ✓
• Automatic captions ✘ (forthcoming)
• Automatic transcripts ✓
• Cross product integration
• Panopto (Possible, but not currently supported at ESU) ✘
• Kaltura ✓
• Canvas (Limited) ✓ 

  

The primary application of Panopto is lecture capture. The campus supports approximately 200 lecture captures every month during the semester. Like Zoom, Panopto can be used for much more: 

• Live meetings ✘
• Live webcasting ✓
• Support for up to 10,000 simultaneous participants
• Two-way communication limited to viewer Notes and Comments
• Screen capture/recording ✓
• Lecture capture - Best Use ✓
• External video upload ✓
• Cameras
• Single ✓
• Dual ✓
• Desktop and mobile app ✓
• Accessibility ✓
• Automatic captions ✓
• Automatic transcripts ✘
• Cross product integration
• Zoom (Possible, but not currently supported at ESU) ✘
• Kaltura ✘
• Canvas (Deep) ✓

The primary application of Kaltura is video hosting, curation, and streaming playback. The campus supports approximately 600 monthly hours of video playback/viewing during the semester. Like Zoom and Panopto, Kaltura can be used for much more: 

• Live meetings ✘
• Live webcasting ✓
• Screen capture/recording ✓
  •  Using Kaltura Capture desktop app
• Lecture capture ✘
• External video upload - Best Use ✓
• Cameras
• Single ✓
• Dual ✘
• Desktop and mobile app ✓
• Accessibility ✓
• Automatic captions ✓
• Automatic transcripts ✓
• Cross product integration
• Zoom ✓
• Panopto ✘
• Canvas (Deep) ✓