How to capture the z plane using Screen Recording Video microscopY – SCuRVY

Objective: A feasible method to capture and share the z plane in cytology, for use in education and teaching.

Introduction: When looking at a gynae or FNA slide, thick hyperchromatic crowded groups are helpful friends. Why? Because these 3D groups contain information which discriminates between benign and dysplastic/malignant. We are trained, and train others, to examine thick groups at high power by focusing up and down through the z plane. Our helpful friends, the thick hyperchromatic crowded groups, turn into fiendish foes when we try to capture and share their 3D information digitally. Photomicrographs show a dark mass, like a lump of coal; and whole slide imaging z stack is expensive to capture, store and share.

Method: Use equipment already in the lab. A microscope with a PC controlled camera. Use free screen recording software.2 Focus on a thick hyperchromatic group, turn up the light. Record the screen as you focus from the top to the bottom of the group. Save as a .mp4 video. Upload to a free video hosting site, or share on USB.

Results: See the z plane yourself in these three examples. You control the fine focus up and down, by moving the video play head left and right.
1) Papillary thyroid carcinoma. https://vimeo.com/178583083
2) Intraoperative smear of choroid plexus papilloma. https://vimeo.com/133436689
3) Intraoperative smear of subependymal giant cell astrocytoma Z plane at 1:28. https://vimeo.com/133438085

How to make screen recordings using free simple software on a PC or Mac

Why use screen recording ?

Demonstrate how to use software such as Socrative for quizzing, and image editing in PowerPoint
Narrated digital slide to create a virtual double header experience
Record your ipad screen or iphone screen on a PC via screen mirroring with Airserver
Show z plane focus in cytology
Explain macroscopic pathology
Record lectures and presentations such as this example of virtual pathology pots
Record muliple synchronised virtual slides on one screen
Explain complex text and photos with annotations and drawing markup
Explain navigation of a website

Screen recording software
table originally compiled by Sarah Halawani, modified by Amanda Charlton

	Mac	Windows	Cost (USD)
QuickTime Player	Yes – Step by step instructions	No	Free
Powerpoint 2013	Not sure yet	Yes – Step by step instructions	Free (If you have Office 365, 2013)
Office Mix [plug in for PowerPoint 2013] Download software		Yes – Intro video	Free (If you have Office 365, 2013)
Screencast-o-matic Download software or use web based tool	Yes – Demo Video	Yes – Demo Video	Free (Basic features) Pro ($15 per year)
Camtasia (Techsmith) Download software	Yes	Yes – Overview video	Free trial $249 with academic discount
Screenflow (Telestream) Download software	Yes – Demo video	No	Free trial Buy for $99, 10% academic discount

The paid software includes editing and annotation functions, and options for file compression and type.

More resources

Blog post of tips and discussion of using screen recording in education, Mediacore

How to use smartphones for in class quizzing to engage and assess learners in real time

Recent student survey:

Q: When were you most engaged during the tutorial?

A: ” the team quiz!!!!”

You can engage learners during tutorials, seminars, workshops or in lectures using free audience response systems, where the learner uses a free app on their own smartphone to answer quiz questions posed by the teacher. The collated audience responses can be shown on a big screen for all the class to see, and the results are anonymous. Using the learners own smartphone as the input device is easier than using separate hardware such as ‘clickers’.

Immediate learner feedback from quiz questions exposes prior levels of understanding, misconceptions and is a form of spaced recall if the content has been previously presented.

These online quizes can be deployed in class, or asynchronously before or after a teaching encounter. The quiz can be deployed for individuals, or for team quizzes for fostering collaboration.

Here are a couple of free and easy to use websites we use, Socrative and Kahoots.

Socrative sign up page

Kahoot sign up page

How to shoot, edit and share videos

Introduction

Have you used YouTube to learn….. how to play the guitar, program the garage door remote, bake hot cross buns, learn a dance move, tie a bowline knot….? Video is an ideal method for recording procedures, demonstrations, and clinical symptoms and signs. I use video in pathology with audio narration to document complex 3D anatomy such as congenital heart anomalies, record moving subjects such as live parasites, make training videos such as ‘how to collect a subamniotic placenta swab’, and screen recording to explain histology on digital slides, or how to use computer software, and video abstracts and supplementary digital content to accompany journal publications. I’m sure you can think of applications for your subject and workflow.
Primary school kids record videos on mobile devices and upload to YouTube for fun. You as the subject matter expert are in an ideal position to create video content. You too, can shoot, edit and share video; using low cost cameras you already have, free simple editing software and free video sharing sites. In these instructional videos you will see how to set up your camera, shoot short video clips, edit these clips using Microsoft Movie Maker and share your video on Vimeo, link to a PowerPoint, or embed on a webpage.

video in 4 steps.JPG

Instructional videos:

Camera

movie mode icon.JPG

Settings for video and still photos on compact cameras and prosumer level cameras are explained.
Memory card minimum 2GB, class 4 and above; 4GB or more and class 10 is recommended for video.

Camera settings for video
Camera settings for still photos

Shoot

little bear headshot.png

Using lighting from the hardware shop and backdrops from the $2 shop, these videos show the physical set up of camera, lights and specimen positioning for video of pathology specimens.
Set up camera, lights, stage, background

Edit

Like editing anything you have written, video is improved by editing. This is where you cut out mistakes, re order clips, add still photos, title, voice over, captions and credits. Using free editing software is demonstrated
Using Windows Movie Maker
Import, re-order, rotate
Trim, narrate, captions
Save, export

Using iMovie
Import, re-order, rotate
Trim, narrate, captions
Save, export

Tutorials on how to upload to free video hosting and sharing site, and how to share your videos on websites and in PowerPoint for lectures.

Upload to Vimeo
Embed on website Pathobin
Link to PowerPoint
Trim edit in PowerPoint

Want to learn more?

ShootHalls, Jonathan. Rapid Video Development for Trainers. Downloadable ebook as pdf.McKee, Karen L. The Scientist Videographer. Website, training videos, downloadable ebookLynda.com online training videos for set up and shooting of video using SLR and compact cameras.$20/month, or free if your public or university library is a subscriber.Harrington, Richard: DSLR video from Snapshots to great shots. Ebook or paper back.Digital Cinema workshops Sydney Pieter DeVries
DSLR video course Centre for Continuing Education University of SydneyFilm, radio, short courses at Australian Film, Television and Radio school.

EditIn Windows Movie maker, click on the ? Icon top right, to activate the help menuIn Vimeo video school, this is a free beginner level video tutorial covering editing in WMM
For more tutorials, then a paid subscription to Vimeo plus is required at $10/month.A free Lynda.com tutorial on using Windows Movie Maker 2011 (the current version is now WMM 2012) shared on YouTube by a third partyOnline subscription training videos at Lynda.com $20/month, or free if your public or university library is a subscriber.Editing, animation, short courses at Australian Film, television and radio school.

Share In Powerpoint click ‘?’ or F1 to activate the help menu. Type ‘link video’ into the search bar to find instructions to link to a video on your PC or from the web.
On Vimeo
On YouTube

Technology enhanced learning tools applied to health sciences, with a focus on pathology.

‘How to’ video guides, links and resources for creating your own e-learning content.
Created by 3 anatomical pathologists involved in medical education.
Dr Amanda Charlton LabPLUS Auckland Hospital, and University of Auckland, NZ.
min en Dr Min En Nga, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
Dr Diane Kenwright University of Otago, Wellington, NZ.