Using Kaltura Capture to Record Screen, Webcam, Audio (Guide for Faculty)

This guide summarizes a solution for instructors who need a tool to allow them to record some combination of screen activity, audio narration, and webcam video. This approach is useful in courses in which faculty demonstrate software (e.g. Excel, SPSS, coding interfaces, web), review documents (e.g. PDFs, Word, PowerPoint), or even to capture short headshot lectures. Integrated into Blackboard, this tool is not only available to faculty, students are also able to use this tool to create the same types of media recordings, which may be submitted as part of assignments and discussions.

Because the publishing process is different for students, see the “Student Version” for instructions for students creating and publishing Kaltura Capture media.

To use Kaltura Capture, you need access to Blackboard, a microphone of some kind (e.g. integrated into your computer or a headset). If you want to capture webcam video as part of your recording, you will of course need a webcam. [When accessing Kaltura via Blackboard for the first time, please use Firefox. Once you have accessed it, you may use any browser]

Here are the steps to create a recording with Kaltura Capture

1. Login to Blackboard [using Firefox, if this is the first time you are accessing Kaltura. After the first time, you may use any browser]
2. In the main left-hand navigation, choose “Tools”
3. On the Tools page, choose “My-Media,” this page will display all media you have created or uploaded to Kaltura.
4. To begin a new Kaltura Capture screen recording, choose the “Add New” button and choose Kaltura Capture. [Note: the rest of the features of Kaltura are available to you but not covered in this guide]
5. The first time you select Kaltura Capture, you will be prompted to download the Windows or Mac version of the Kaltura Capture application. Click the appropriate link to download the software and install. This first time only, you may need to close the Blackboard pane by clicking the red X in the upper left after the software install and re-select My-Media from the tools panel.
6. Once the software has been installed on your computer, select the “Add New” button and choose Kaltura Capture. Your PC or Mac will launch the Kaltura Capture application.
7. In the top right corner of the Kaltura Capture application, click “New Recording.” A recording tool panel will appear.
8. Use the record panel to configure your recording.
   1. Select which screen to record and whether to record the whole screen or a portion of the screen. If recording a portion, click and drag to move and resize the recording window.
   2. Select or deselect the webcam. If you do not have a webcam, click the middle of the webcam button to turn this option of.
   3. Verify your audio is working by speaking into your microphone and looking for movement on the microphone button image.
   4. Choose the Manage link to modify the settings of the recorder.
9. When you have your Kaltura Capture application configured, click the red button to begin recording.
10. While recording, you have several options available in the recording panel including
    1. Pause and resume recording. This is especially helpful if you want to rearrange content in the recording window or take a break to collect your thoughts.
    2. Open the annotation panel using the pencil icon. This makes available several tools for you to annotate your screen while you record.
    3. Minimize the recording panel. This is helpful if you do not want the recording application panel to be visible in the recording. You can also position the panel out of the recording window (if less than full screen) or on another screen if you have more than one.
    4. Stop the recording. This stops the recording and displays the Kaltura Capture application.
11. Edit the recording information including Title, Description, and tags if desired.
12. Click Discard to discard or Save and Upload to upload the recording to your My-Media page. Your recording will begin to upload, view the progress in the Application.
13. Return to your My-Media page in Blackboard. Your new recording should be visible, though it will likely be processing for several minutes. The content will also be automatically captioned.

Here are the steps to post a video from your My-Media library to your course:

These instructions are slightly different for Bb Original courses and Bb Ultra courses.

Blackboard Original Courses

In Blackboard Original courses, there are two primary ways to embed videos from the My-Media library to your course, by creating a link from the Course Build Menu, and by using the Mashup button in any rich text editor in the course (e.g. Discussion Forum/Thread, Assignment, Item, Quiz Question, etc.)

Blackboard Original Option 1: Course Build Menu. This is the simplest way to display your video in the course, this process creates a link in the course that students will click to see the video.

1. After having created your media, navigate to the place in your course where you want to insert a link to the video. Be sure you are in Edit Mode.
2. From the Course Build menu at the top, choose “Build Content” then “Kaltura Embed.”
3. This will display your My-Media content, click the blue “Embed” button for the video you want to embed in the course.
4. This will create a direct link to your content in the course. You may edit this item to modify the title if you like.

Blackboard Original Option 2: Playable Thumbnail via the Mashup Tool. You can insert a playable thumbnail embed of a video in any rich text editing window in the course that has a Mashup button (e.g. Discussion Forum/Thread, Assignment, Item, Quiz Question, etc.). These instructions refer to an “Item,” but the instructions are essentially the same for Assignments, Discussion Forums, etc.

1. After having created your media, navigate to the place in your course where you want to insert an item that contains a playable thumbnail embed of a video from your My-Media library.
2. Click Build Content, then Item.
3. Edit the title for your item and then click the Mashups button in the bottom row of the text editing tool panel, choose Kaltura Media. (If nothing happens, check that you are not blocking pop-ups.)
4. This will display your My-Media content, click the blue “Embed” button for the video you want to embed in the text window.
5. This will create a playable thumbnail embed of the video in the item. Finish editing the item and click Submit.

Blackboard Ultra Courses

In Blackboard Ultra courses, there are two primary ways to embed videos from the My-Media library to your course, by creating a link from the Course Build Menu, and by using the Add Content button in any text editor in the course (e.g. Document, Discussion Forum/Thread, Assignment, Quiz Question, etc.)

Blackboard Ultra Option 1: Create Button. This is the simplest way to display your video in the course, this process creates a link in the course that students will click to see the video.

1. After having created your media, navigate to the place in your course and hover your mouse where you want to insert a link to the video.
2. Choose the + icon and choose “Content Market” then “Kaltura Embed”
3. This will display your My-Media content, click the blue “Embed” button for the video you want to embed in the course.
4. This will create a direct link to your content in the course. You may edit this item to modify the title if you like.

Blackboard Ultra Option 2: Playable Thumbnail via the Add Content Button. You can insert a playable thumbnail embed of a video in any text window that has an “Insert Content +” button including Document, Discussion Thread, Assignment, Quiz Question, and Ultra “Document” in the course. These instructions describe creating a new Bb Ultra “Document,” however, you could also edit and existing Bb Ultra Document or other type of Blackboard item and follow the same steps.

1. After having created your media, navigate to the place in your course where you want to insert a Document that contains a playable thumbnail embed of a video from your My-Media library.
2. Choose the + icon and choose “Create” and “Document”
3. Edit the title of your Document and then click the Add Content button (or the + button on an existing document).
4. In the Document editing window, choose the + button at the far right (Insert Content).
5. Choose “Insert/Edit LTI Item”
6. Choose Kaltura Embed
7. This will display your My-Media content, click the blue “Embed” button for the video you want to embed in the text window. Edit the title if desired in the title panel that appears.
8. This will create a playable thumbnail embed of the video in the document. Finish editing the Document and click Save.