We’ve been looking for an easy to use, affordable solution for online presentations. Our faculty need this for reaching extension centers, WSU students, colleagues at other institutions, etc. We found a really exciting cloud app called myBrainShark. This free online tool has the potential to replace the need for desktop applications like Articulate.
3 minute Tour of myBrainShark
Step 1) Record your Presentation
Option A – Use PowerPoint to record narration
- Create your slides in PowerPoint
- Go to the SlideShow tab
- Click Record Slide Show
- Tip: Try not to speak while transitioning between slides, it may cut you off.
- Save your Presentation as PowerPoint 97-2003 PPT version (not PPTX)
Option B – Use myBrainShark to record the narration
- Create your slides in PowerPoint
- Move on to Step 2
Step 2) Upload Presentation to myBrainShark
- Go to: http://my.brainshark.com/
- Click Sign-up for Free (or Login if you’ve already signed up.)
- Click Upload Content
- Click Upload a PowerPoint
- Follow the upload Wizard to complete the process
- OPTIONAL— if you want to record your narration with myBrainShark, you can do that right after you upload with either your computer microphone, or the myBrainShark phone option.
TIP: If you see options for recording audio, but you think you already recorded it in PowerPoint, you probably didn’t save it as a PPT 2003-2007 version file. Save the PowerPoint as the older version, and reupload to try again.
- CRITICAL — Activate the presentation so others can see it!
Step 3) Put Presentation on your Site
- Click the Embed/Link option below the presentation
- In BbLearn or in WordPress, create a Link to the presentation.
- In other web editing products, you may embed the presentation.
- Why not embed in Blackboard BbLearn or WordPress, you ask?
WordPress doesn’t have a “Shortcode” for this application (learn more). You can technically embed the presentation in Blackboard BbLearn, however, it may cause security errors for students using Internet Explorer because you’re embedding content from another server inside your secure course site.
More Help
- TIP: don’t forget to ACTIVATE your presentation
- TIP: Narrated PowerPoint presentations need to be made on a PC and saved as version 2003-2007 PPT files to upload with audio.
- myBrainShark Help & Training Resources provides help videos on adding audio, animation, engaging your viewers, adding polls & surveys, posting to youtube, and more.
- myBrainShark FAQ has answers to common questions.
