Quicktime

= Description = toc Every Apple computer comes with the software application called QuickTime. This application’s most common uses are for listening to audio or watching video files, either stored on the computer’s hard drive or streamed via the Internet. QuickTime is also available for Windows computers as a separate download through [|Apple Inc.’s website], usually as a package with iTunes, Apple’s digital music and video store.

Beyond listening to audio clips or watching video clips, QuickTime has other features that are not well-known. Most come with the free version of the software while others will be unlocked if a license for QuickTime 7 is purchased. These features will be covered in the Practical Applications section below.

= History = Apple’s first version of QuickTime was released on December 2, 1991. However, it’s first public appearance was earlier that year at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference in May. The company used QuickTime to show the now-famous 1984 television commercial.

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Version 2.0 was released in 1994 and required the purchase of a license to use. When version 3.0 came out in 1998, Apple moved to its current pricing structure where the basic version of QuickTime is free while additional features can be unlocked if a license is purchased for the Pro version.

Two new features came with QuickTime 4.0 in 1999: the ability to stream video over the Internet and a brushed-metal appearance in its interface. Versions 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 continued to enhance the application. 1] In 2009, Apple did a dramatic overhaul to QuickTime. To really show its newness, it was renamed QuickTime X (skipping versions 8.0 and 9.0). Users could now create, edit, save, and share videos with the standard QuickTime X install, features only available previously to users who paid $30 for the licensed Pro version. With the newer version, it is now capable of creating screen recordings and performing HTTP live streaming. 2]

= Impact on Teaching and Learning = Due to the fact that QuickTime is included on every Apple computer and is a free download for Windows computers, it is inexpensive for educators to implement (beyond the purchasing of the computers themselves). Its simple user interface allows for quick learning for students of all ages and at all levels of computing comprehension.

There have been multiple projects that have involved using QuickTime to create Learning Objects, which are defined as “interactive digital resources illustrating one or more interrelated concepts. They are small in size, but contain enough content and context to make them pedagogically useful.” Also, they “are meant to enhance learning and to be reusable within a range of learning contexts.” 3] Thomas Cochrane studied the use of QuickTime to help create Learning Objects with two groups for Audio Engineering: Audio Engineering tertiary students at the Music & Audio Institute of New Zealand and Church Sound Engineers. “QuickTime was chosen as the architecture for authoring and delivery of the Learning Objects, for several reasons.
 * Cross-platform delivery (Macintosh and Windows environments).
 * A large installed user base.
 * Availability of free download and installation of the QuickTime player and Web browser plug-in.
 * Ability to create stand-alone interactive objects without requiring the user to purchase or learn a proprietary audio application (e.g. Pro Tools, Logic Audio, Cubase, etc.).
 * Support for a wide range of multimedia file formats.
 * Integration of Flash tracks.
 * Excellent synchronization of multiple audio tracks within a single ‘movie’.
 * Comparable level of interactivity to that of Flash and Director.
 * Scalability for delivery over different bandwidth formats (Web, 3G mobile devices, CD-ROM, Hard Drive).
 * Integration of time code tracks for synchronization.” [ 4 ]

Another interesting example of QuickTime being used in education took place at Boston University School of Medicine between 2010 and 2012. In an effort to to help students learn and review anatomy in the first year of medical school, interactive stations were set up in class. At one of the stations, “ QuickTime videos and static images without labels (for discussion purposes) and with labels (for review purposes) were used. The students interacted with the media by scrolling through the QuickTime videos to identify the anatomic structures” [ 5]

Royal Van Horn, a professor of education, wrote a column in //Phi Delta Kappa// back in 2001, discussing the benefits of streaming videos and other media through the internet. [ 6] These same applications are still used today in distance education. With QuickTime, an instructor can live-stream a class to one of his/her students who is unable to come to school, thus allowing the student to participate with the rest of the class. Asynchronous lessons recorded with QuickTime would allow students to go home and re-watch parts of the lesson to help them with their homework.

= Practical Applications =

Screen Recording
One of the most practical applications using QuickTime would be the recording of your screen when you need to explain to someone how to perform particular functions on their computer. It even includes the option to show mouse clicks to ensure viewers know exactly what the recorder is doing. If teachers need to instruct on the basics of the computer or an application, instead of demoing live to the students each semester, it could be recorded and shared with the students before class. If the students need a refresher after class on how the software works, the video would be available to them to watch again at any time.

Movie Recording
A new movie recording can be made right to your computer using the computer's built-in web camera or using any other digital camera plugged into the computer. This saves the instructor the time of setting up video equipment, recording their class, and then taking the memory card or video tape and downloading it to the computer as a separate step.

Audio Recording
If an educator is meeting with a student to discuss an assignment and both parties want the conversation recorded for future studying, QuickTime can record audio. Students can also use the audio recording feature to record clips that can be inserted into a PowerPoint presentation or website.

Exporting/Sharing
Recordings that have been made using QuickTime or videos on your computer can be exported or shared within the QuickTime application. By selecting Export from the File menu, you can select to have your audio or video sent to iTunes, iMovie, or into a web-friendly format. If you'd rather share your audio or video, you have quick access to several options through the Share function under the File menu: Mail, Message, Airdrop, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr. QuickTime will do the hard work for you as you wait a few minutes for the file to be converted and uploaded.

QuickTime 7 Pro
The Pro version still supports some of the older file formats that were dropped by QuickTime X. It also allows you to save QuickTime movies to your computer, which QuickTime X does not allow anymore. (There are other ways of saving a QuickTime movie without purchasing QuickTime 7 Pro. Like [|this], for example.) 7] Lastly, it allows you to convert your media to different formats, so you can watch a movie or video on your iPhone, iPod, and Apple TV" 8].

= Examples or Demonstrations = In the Spring 2013 semester I took a class that required us to develop a website. I worked with two others in my class. Using QuickTime X, I was able to create a screen recording that I then shared with my team members to show them how I was designing the site. []

Here is a demonstration on how to make a screen recording with QuickTime. media type="custom" key="23950448"

= References = [1] QuickTime (2013). Retrieved September 28, 2013 from [] [2] Seff, Jonathan (2009). Snow Leopard: QuickTime X. //Macworld//. Retrieved from [|http://www.macworld.com/article/1142440/quicktime.xhtml] [3] Cochrane, Thomas (2007). Developing interactive multimedia Learning Objectives using QuickTime. Computers in Human Behavior, 2007, Vol. 23(6), pp.2596-2640. [4] Cochrane, Thomas (2007). Developing interactive multimedia Learning Objectives using QuickTime. Computers in Human Behavior, 2007, Vol. 23(6), pp.2596-2640. [5 ] Arya, Rahul (2013). Making education effective and fun. // Academic Radiology, Volume 20, Issue 10, Pages 1311-1318 //. [6] Van Horn, Royal (2001). Streaming video and rich media. //Phi Delta Kappan, March 2001, Volume 82, Issue 7//. [7] Savage, Jason (n.d.). Quicktime 10 Vs. 7.6.6. //eHow//. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/info_12205381_quicktime-10-vs-766.html [8] (n.d.). QuickTime and beyond. Retrieved from http://www.apple.com/quicktime/extending/index.html

= External Links = [] [] []

= About the Author = Dainan Skeem is an archivist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa's Hamilton Library where he works with old documents from the University as well as papers from Japanese American vets who served in World War II. As a faculty member of the University, he enjoys teaching other faculty and students about the archives and documents found inside. He also teaches the introductory graduate course on Archival Science in the Library & Information Science Program at UH Manoa. Dainan is currently enrolled in the Master's of Educational Technology program at UH Manoa.