Speed Reading Course

Most videos I watch on video sharing sites are poorly done. They waste so much of my time. Here are some suggestions on how to improve your videos.

The videos all suffer from common problems:

* Bad sound
* Bad lighting
* No tripod
* Fuzzy, purpose

Let’s take these in order.

Bad Sound:
The microphone on the camera picks up every sound in the room, echos and all. The sound will be a distant, boomy, hard to understand, and if the recording is at a convention, you can hardly make out the narrative. (I just watched one of those videos…pretty bad.)

This problem is easy to fix, but it may cost some money. The equipment necessary to make good web site videos isn’t very expensive. Get a lavalier mic ($30 on eBay) or a shotgun mike ($250 – $350). I know, it is not easy to find an inexpensive video camera today that has an external mic jack, but that is what you need. They exist, of course, but you will have to really search carefully. Most video camera manufacturers have stopped putting external mic jacks on most of their cameras for cost reasons. You need to step up to a higher level camera where cost is not the main concern of the manufacturer. Here is an article I wrote about inexpensive equipment.

What can you do? If you do a search for “external mic jack video” you will see that Google will serve up several cameras for you to consider…use the quotes around the search phrase as shown here.

Bad lighting:
If you are going to make a video by room light, at least balance it out to make it look more realistic. If you go to the hardware store, you can purchase a work light for about $10. Don’t shine it at your subject, bounce it off a wall or corner of a room. It will take up the color of the walls, so try to find a wall that is close to white. Also, do your video taping at night. You don’t want sunlight coming in. You can correct your video for one color temperature, but not more than one.

Many problems are solved with throwing more light on the subject. The picture will be sharper. (Your video camera will be using a smaller aperature.) In addition, with more light, there will be less blur from movement as a result of the camera using a faster shutter speed.

No tripod:
If you are going to make a good video, use a tripod. If you cannot afford one, then, just place the camera on a sturdy chair, ladder, or whatever you have available. Never hand hold a camera – you can’t hold it perfectly still…it just doesn’t work very well.

Fuzzy purpose:
What are you trying to say? Get to the point. Most of the junk you see in today’s amateur videos is superfluous. Here is a good rule of thumb. Keep your videos to three minutes or less if you plan to publish them on the various video sharing sites. If you have a long instructional video, cut it into several parts. YouTube has a limit of ten minutes anyway.

Start with the end in mind first. Grab their attention with the main point of your video. You don’t have much time in a video to keep their attention. Then, proceed to create interest by supplying details. Be sure that you make your line of thinking easy to follow. (Think it through first. Storyboard it if you must.) Next, deliver the summary. Tell you what you told them.

What do you think? Are you happy with the videos you watch? Do you have suggestions for improvement? Do you prefer to read articles rather than watch videos?

About the Author:

Rich Day at TrafficBumper.com has many tips to help you make interesting, effective videos. With over twenty years in the photography business, he has down to earth suggestions to help you promote your site properly with video. Visit
TrafficBumper.com Tell us what you think

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – You Cannot Speed Read a Web Video

speed reading Questions Answered It’s So Easy

Speed Reading for Success (Unabridged) $11.99 Speed Reading for Success will show you how to read faster – and understand and recall what you have read….

Triple Your Reading Speed $14.38 A complete program of practice exercises designed to improve reading speed and comprehension includes tips on study habits and test-taking skills. Reprint.

Strategies for Reading Assessment and Instruction (Mixed media product) $176.35 This best-selling book is a ready-reference for teachers of reading, a highly popular core text for reading diagnosis and assessment courses, and an ideal guide for ongoing professional development workshops. The unique format of the book, with its IF/THEN Strategy Guides that help readers quickly match student needs to research-proven strategies, make it a quick, effective, ?point-of-teaching? resource of up to date information, strategies, and suggestions. In Strategies for Reading Assessment and Instruction Readers can quickly turn to current information on evidence-based assessment and instruction and find ways to assess, teach, and organize for effective and comprehensive reading instruction.

Speed Reading for Dummies (Paperback) $19.81 A guide for time-pressed students and employees reveals how to change reading methods in order to process information more quickly and accurately while improving retention and recall, in a guide that outlines the latest speed-reading techniques for a variety of media. Original.

Assessment for Reading Instruction (Paperback) $59.27 Description not available.

Differentiating Reading Instruction (Paperback) $40.71 Description not available.

How to Plan Differentiated Reading Instruction (Paperback) $47.47 Walpole (education, U. of Delaware) and McKenna (reading, U. of Virginia) collaborate in producing their fourth text, based on work with teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators, to design and provide meaningful learning opportunities for children. Designed for K-3 teachers, the text includes an overview of the authors` approach to differentiated instruction, how it compares to other differentiation models, and how it addresses the use of assessments to plan differentiated reading instruction. The core of the text is four practical chapters, providing detailed explanations of differentiated instruction for phonological awareness and word recognition, word recognition and fluency, fluency and comprehension, and vocabulary and comprehension; each chapter includes ready-to-use sets of 3-week, small-group lesson plans. The authors conclude with suggestions for making differentiated reading instruction a schoolwide priority. Annotation )2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Speed Reading For Professionals $23.03 Barron`s Business Success books offer useful advice to career-minded men and women who are looking to get ahead in the business and corporate world. Titles touch on all levels of management, marketing, organization, and related business operations. Reading and comprehending a large number of documents and reports—many of them specialized and technical—is a vital task that is intrinsic to fulfilling management and executive responsibilities. The authors of this practical book recommend techniques and exercises designed to increase reading speed dramatically and to retain important information more easily. They also offer tips on methods for comprehending dry and often difficult reading matter.

Assessment & Instruction of Reading and Writing Difficulties (Hardcover) $251.73 Focusing on reading and writing ability/disability from an interactive perspective, this text emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing learner`s difficulties in relation to the instructional context. Extensive, in-depth treatment of current research and best practices make this text a `must-have` addition to any current or future teacher`s library. Section I (Chs. 1-3) provides readers with a strong, comprehensive knowledge of reading/writing research and an introduction to an assessment-instruction process that is described in-depth in the second, third, and fourth sections of the text. K-12 teachers

A Guide to Speed Reading (Unabridged) $5.89 Do you ever find yourself wishing you could save time by reading faster? The author of this program felt exactly the same way just a few short months ago….

Differentiating Reading Instruction for Success With Rti (Paperback) $46.32 Margo Southall shares her classroom-tested tools for differentiating reading instruction within an RTI framework: assessment strategies; when-then charts describing a menu of intervention options; targeted lessons and interventions in word recognition, fluency, and comprehension; techniques for forming and managing small groups; guidelines and practical tips for implementing Tier 2 and Tier 3 interventions, and so much more. Packed with planning sheets, record-keeping forms, and reproducible student materials—including kid-friendly charts, visual aids, games, and interactive tools—this resource will help teachers efficiently and effectively differentiate instruction. Includes a CD with more than 100 reproducible forms and student resource pages. For use with Grades K-3.

Better Reading English (Paperback) $20.99 Sharpen your English language skills through readings about its speakers` daily lives and culture Better Reading English offers you entertaining, "real world" texts to help you understand and learn more English vocabulary and phrases. Each chapter features articles that cover a specific topic, such as cuisine, music, sports, film and theater, art, the family, today`s lifestyle, or politics and history. Along the way, you will find instruction and exercises to help develop improved reading speed, comprehension, and vocabulary. The articles become gradually more difficult as you proceed through the book to keep you challenged and engaged.Better Reading English is an easy, engaging way to boost your language skills and learn more about the language and its speakers as you go.

Better Reading French (Paperback) $19.91 Sharpen your French language skills through readings about its speakers` daily lives and culture Better Reading French offers you entertaining, "real world" texts to help you understand and learn more French vocabulary and phrases. Each chapter features articles that cover a specific topic, such as cuisine, music, sports, film and theater, art, the family, today`s lifestyle, or politics and history. Along the way, you will find instruction and exercises to help develop improved reading speed, comprehension, and vocabulary. The articles become gradually more difficult as you proceed through the book to keep you challenged and engaged.Better Reading French is an easy, engaging way to boost your language skills and learn more about the language and its speakers as you go.

Better Reading Spanish (Paperback) $20.99 Sharpen your Spanish language skills through readings about its speakers` daily lives and culture Better Reading Spanish offers you entertaining, "real world" texts to help you understand and learn more Spanish vocabulary and phrases. Each chapter features articles that cover a specific topic, such as cuisine, music, sports, film and theater, art, the family, today`s lifestyle, or politics and history. Along the way, you will find instruction and exercises to help develop improved reading speed, comprehension, and vocabulary. The articles become gradually more difficult as you proceed through the book to keep you challenged and engaged.Better Reading Spanish is an easy, engaging way to boost your language skills and learn more about the language and its speakers as you go.