3 Ways To Start Creating Educational Video Content For Under $100

3 Ways To Start Creating Educational Video Content For Under $100
Summary: Video is a great way to make an eLearning course more interactive and more engaging. There's only one issue, video can be hard and expensive to create. Most eLearning professionals have avoided video simply because they have no idea how to get started with it.

Demystifying Educational Video Once And For All

What if I were to tell you that you could start creating educational video content today and for less than $100? What if I told you that there's multiple ways that you could accomplish this? First, we need to put away everything we know and expect about the creation of educational video. Maybe you're imagining that you will hire a video production company and start filming yourself at a studio somewhere. But we won't do that because that's expensive and frankly unnecessary when you're just starting out. You need to get comfortable with basic video creation before you start thinking of tackling more complex video projects. I will guide through 3 ways or methods that you can use today to start creating your educational video content.

1. Record Your Screen

One of the easiest ways is to use a screen recording software to capture PowerPoint presentations or other visual guides. Imagine creating a simple slide deck that contains all the information that you want to teach to your customers or employees. You can add some simple animations through PowerPoint to keep the entire thing engaging. You can then record your voice through your computer's microphone to create a complete video. Most screen recording software will then let your export to any video format and some even let you export to web friendly formats. Without doing much work, you know have an educational video that will be more engaging than just simply reading a document. Possible software options: Camtasia Studio. Price: Around $99 USD.

2. Simple Educational Videos With A HD Webcam

Maybe you're thinking to yourself, "But video is supposed to include a human! Isn't that the whole point of video?" And I agree with you, video should allow you to convey a more human element. Another tool that can allow you to do this is a simple High Definition (HD) webcam. While a HD webcam won't give you the same quality video as a professional video camera, it can still give you a pretty solid video. You can set up your HD webcam, and record your instructors or speakers talking about a specific subject or better yet, demonstrate a specific task. The HD webcam will then compress your HD video into a format that you can then plug in to your LMS or learning platform. A webcam can be perfect for filming short clips or segments for your courses. Possible options: Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920. Price: Around $79 USD.

3. Film Anywhere With Your Mobile Device

Finally, a third tool that you can use to create educational videos is your mobile device. Mobile devices such as the iPhone contain great portable cameras that can record videos in HD quality. You always have them with you and you can quickly set them up to start recording. To go one step further, there are bunch of cool tripods that are coming out that allow you to record yourself as you present a concept or an idea. Tripods such as the Galileo are perfect for educational settings. Exporting the video content from your mobile device is pretty straightforward and you could even upload it directly to sites like Youtube and other learning platforms from your mobile device. Again, I think the goal here should be to get used to creating video content instead of feeling paralyzed at the perceived complexity. Possible options: Galileo Tripod and other options (assuming you already own a mobile device). Price: Around $50-$100 USD.

Hopefully these few tips can you help get started with your educational video creation goals. Once you master basic concepts and get used to creating video, you can then start looking at more expensive options such as purchasing a professional video camera or even hiring a video production.

What other tips do you have around educational video creation? Let me know in the comments!