Although I have hit some technical hurdles in attempting to install video tutorial software on my laptop, I was able to check out the Jing introductory video and some other materials, and could begin to see how having the capability to provide a video tutorial could be a useful device for communicating instruction. A video tutorial is a fantastic way to provide students with step-by-step instructions in a manner that integrates video, audio, and is interactive enough that allows a student to pause or rewind if they need to see something again. In the past, I have benefited from online video instruction (via YouTube) to learn how to do things such as adjust the derailleur on my bicycle or learn how to make repairs on my guitar.
A video tutorial such as Jing, however, has its advantages over such YouTube instruction in a way that it is less demanding of the instructor to videotape themselves physically doing something. All the instructor needs is to be able to demonstrate a lesson with a computer screen, while the tutorial software captures the process in real time. In a way, the instruction is limited to what you can demonstrate with a computer screen, but given the vast amount of tasks that we are able to accomplish on our personal computers today, there is much that can be taught in this way.
For example, an art teacher could conduct a fantastic graphic design tutorial by capturing a Photoshop session with Jing, or a physics teacher could demonstrate a lesson on vectors using any illustrative software or tools they may have available as well. Such video tutorials could be implemented in classrooms, or to help guide students through work at home, as either a supplement or as a lesson in and of itself. I heard somebody say in one of my classes last week, "Pretty soon, there will be no such thing as snow days." I could see how video tutorials could help bridge said physical divides and make oral/visual instruction possible from anywhere.
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