Panopto Beefs Up Free Lecture Capture Suite

• By David Nagel
• 01/30/08

Education technology provider Panopto has released an update to its lecture capture and streaming tool, CourseCast. The latest version, CourseCast 1.5, adds several enhancements in the areas of lecture distribution, editing, and workflow. It remains free for educators through the Socrates Project, which provides access in exchange for participation in the software's ongoing development efforts.

CourseCast is designed for capturing, editing, and streaming audio and video from lectures and other presentations over the Web. Captured materials can be searched, linked, and annotated through the software, and recorded materials can be embedded in popular course management systems. The new 1.5 update expands on CourseCast's feature set, adding the following enhancements:

• A new, automatic method for sending recorded materials directly to a Web page;
• The ability to edit materials and view edits immediately from any computer on the network;
• Support for searching notes and PowerPoint slides from the viewer;
• A new cross-platform viewer that supports note taking; and
• New support for "arbitrary collections of object material," which can include whiteboard captures, slideshows, and other content associated with a given lecture.

The software also includes general enhancements to workflow for content creation and management.

CourseCast 1.5 is available now at no charge to educators in K-12 and post-secondary education through Panopto's Socrates Project, which asks that users participate in beta programs aimed at further enhancing the software. Information on CourseCast and the Socrates Project can be accessed via Panopto's home page, below.

More Information:

• Panopto