By Barry Dahl – October 21, 2016
Post #7 in Accessibility series. #A11Y
In the last post, we looked at techniques for finding videos with good captioning that you can use in your online courses. However, you just might want to create your own videos to make sure that the content is covered the way you prefer, and to put your own personal stamp on the course content.
In this post we will not look at the many different techniques that you might employ to create a video; but we will examine ways that you can create a good set of captions for a video.
Captions are created from text transcript files with time codes identifying when that phrase is to appear on screen. While you can create your own caption file using word processing or almost any text editing tool, I recommend you use a video platform such as the YouTubeTM video community or a similar tool that has tools to make captioning your video pretty easy.
Captioning in YouTube
To use YouTube, you need to have a GoogleTM account. Creating a Google account is free and easy. You already have one if you use any of the various Google tools. After logging in to your account, go to the YouTube Video Manager. Here you will find many different options related to your video. Alternatively, if you are viewing your own video, you should also see a series of icons just below the video frame, including a CC icon, as shown below.
After clicking the icon, you will be at the Manage subtitles and closed captions page. On the right-hand side, you’ll see a blue bar that says Add new subtitles or CC. This is where you could upload your own transcript or subtitles file. Alternatively, you can click the green button besides the language of the currently published captions, which might be the automatically-generated captions, unless you have previously edited the captions.
Editing the captions is quite easy; and you are able to make changes to the captions text as well as the timing of when each caption starts and stops.
Creating a Transcript
You might also want to have a transcript of the captions to share for students using screen readers. One option is to download the captions file and turn it into a transcript. You’ll find the download option in the “Actions” drop-down menu while editing the caption text and timing.
Another technique for capturing your words is to use a speech-to-text tool while you are recording the video. There are several technology tools that do a fairly good job of converting your speech into text on the fly. One method that I have started using successfully is to use the speech-to-text converter on my mobile phone. It does a great job of parsing through my speech and creating the text file.
There are many techniques for creating captions and transcripts. For the Web Accessibility MOOC for Online Educators (WAMOE), Karen Sorensen created the video shown below to explain how she creates captions in YouTube.
In the next post, we’ll consider some of the important accessibility elements for HTML content pages in your online courses.
Accessibility Posts - October-November 2016
- Setting the Stage for Improving Accessibility of Online Courses
- What is a VPAT and Where Can You Find Them?
- What Value Can You Find in a VPAT?
- Alt Text for Web Page Images
- When Simple Alt Text is Insufficient
- Finding Captioned Videos for Your Online Courses
- Creating Captions for Your Online Course Videos
- Four Easy Wins to Make Your HTML Content Pages More Accessible
- Three More Ways to Improve Accessibility in your Brightspace Courses
- Creating Accessible Course Content in Microsoft Word
- Creating Accessible Course Content in Microsoft PowerPoint
- Six More Tips for Making Online Courses Accessible
Much of the content in this series of posts comes from WAMOE, the Web Accessibility MOOC for Online Educators; co-created by Karen Sorensen of Portland Community College and Barry Dahl of D2L.
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