Brainshark: The Birth of e-Learning and Creativity.

If you are looking for a convenient way of developing and delivering your learning or teaching materials, I think you've just found one: The Brainshark. 

What is Brainshark?

It is a web-based application that enables users to transform their Power Point slides and other content materials (documents, videos, PDFs etc) into voiced-enriched presentations for educational, training, business and other purposes. In other words, Brainshark enables you to narrate your own contents with just 2 simple steps:

1. Upload: Get your materials uploaded in the Brainshark web and it will automatically convert your content.
2. Record: Use computer microphone to start narrating your presentations. Even simpler, you can use your    mobile if you're on the go. 

Don't worry if your slide shows have loads of animation actions, Brainshark will efficiently show them all during your narrating process. 

Getting To Know Brainshark:

It's always a good idea to get yourself familiar with the tool first before you start using and exploiting it for your learning or teaching purposes. In this section, we'll explore some of the key features that make Brainshark a cutting edge tool that is distinctive from others of its kind. 

Figure 1: The homepage

To start working with the Brainshark, you can click on Try It For Free button and you'll be directed to a sign-up page where you're required to create your own Brainshark account. This will only take you a minute and once you're all set up, you can directly log in. 

Akin to Lyrics Training, Brainshark is also equipped with a friendly option buttons where you can search and filter your contents according to your tags and categories. Notice the blue box with the Brainshark's uses on the right hand side of the page and the upload button above it. This is where the distinctive element comes in: other reviewed web tools apparently do not have such great uses as Brainshark does. Intervue only offers videoed interviews with limited (60s) responses, Bubblr only accounts for pictorial strips with no animation feature while Dvolver only favours limited movie animation.

Brainshark, on the other hand, allows for (at least) 5 main uses:

• Voiced-Power Point Presentation
• Voiced-Document Presentation
• Voiced-Video Demo
• Voiced-Photo Album
• Creating podcasts.

Note that these features are available for a FREE version of the tool. If you get yourself a PRO Brainshark account, there will be more interesting functions (Guessbook, Polls) await you. In other words, Brainshark is the upgraded version of all the reviewed web tools which offers more advanced functions and uses. 

Figure 2: The working board

To start working, get your Power Point slide show uploaded, or if you're a returning user you can just directly go to My Content to resume editing your work. There are plenty of edit features available in here such as Edit Presentation, Add Slides, Download the Podcast and Add Question. Edit Presentation itself allows users to manage your slides, manage audio (including recording and adding background audio), add attachment and questions as well as comes with other basic function of Print, View, Share and Delete. 

Figure 3: Edit Presentation

To narrate your presentation, click on the Record Audio and you will need to choose your recording method: via mobiles or computer microphone. 

What if I stumbled or forget my points? Will it affect my presentation? Well, obviously it's not. Brainshark won't even allow it to happen. There will be Retry, Discard and Save buttons displayed once you've finished narrating each slide show. You can always play your recording first before deciding to save and continue with the next slide or to delete and record a new one. Click End Recording Session once finished and you can start embedding your presentation in your blog or sharing it with your friends. Simple! 

Figure 4: Narrating your slide show

A lot to take in? I get you. Click here for Russell Stannard's easy peasy lemon squeezy Brainshark Tutorial. 

Example of Voiced-PowerPoint Presentation

TIPS: 

Once finished, don't forget to change the status of your presentation from INACTIVE to ACTIVE. This will allow your work to be accessible for public viewers. 

Brainshark & Relevance in Learning:

Blended Learning Era:

My personal view of technology in learning and teaching is that ICT is meant to supplement the whole process, not to take away the traditional role of the teacher and students' face-to-face classroom instruction. Brainshark as the medium for this hybrid learning fits the concept perfectly as it combines both teacher-students classroom interaction with computer-mediated activities and together it forms an integrated instructional approach. Adopting Brainshark in learning would mean that distant learning is no longer a barrier. Teachers could have virtual classes with their students and easily link them with extra online materials for homework or exam preparation. Or even better teachers could get their lessons recorded through voiced-PowerPoint presentation for absent students and indirectly make learning more accessible to them regardless of where they are. The whole idea of employing Brainshark for blended learning does not only offer flexibility and convenience on both teachers and students parts, but also is aimed for developing learners' independent learning skills in a long run. 

You might want to consider the balance between such online instruction and direct interaction with your students, however, depending on their learning level because obviously blended learning (particularly with Brainshark) will require them to have at least basic knowledge in ICT.  I would not recommend Brainshark for a supplement learning for students with pre-intermediate level and below because I think less advanced learners would benefit more in real classroom instruction rather than virtual. 

Why It Is Recommended?

• The skeleton of an integrated learning: Combines speaking, writing as well as listening inextricably.
• A source for assessment: Teacher could use students works on Brainshark to assess their learning formatively.
• A practice platform: Students could email their presentation to the teacher and have it assessed virtually before the actual day of the evaluation day.
• Reduce students' affective filter: Students can present their works through voiced-presentation without having to worry to talk in front of the whole class - lowers their anxiety and indirectly increases their confidence in speaking.
• Free! Everybody loves free stuff. :)
• Provide students with a reason for speaking.
• A room for creativity development: Brainshark allows students to get creative as they are able to add background musics, questions for presentation, audio clips and so forth.
• Gain wider audiences: Brainshark's links can be emailed and embedded in blogs.
• Accessibility: Brainshark presentations can be viewed public (unless you set it as inactive)

Some Shortcomings:

• Since this tool only allows for voiced-based presentation, assessing speaking skills (particularly fluency and accuracy) could be an issue as students may have the script written and they just read it aloud. 
• Time constraint: Making a voiced presentation is a time consuming process - not suitable for a classroom activity.
• Feedback issue (this will be discussed in Recommendation section below)
• Proper microphones are needed if students want to narrate their presentations using computers or laptops. 

Classroom Activities with Brainshark:

Brainshark & Feedback Issue: Recommendations

Since voiced-based tasks are often highly personalized, finding the right way to channel feedback to students' works has been a major concern on the teacher's part. The question is how should teachers  deal with it? Here are some of my humble recommendations:

1. Peer evaluation: Presentations do not always have to be individually assessed solely by the teacher - it could be exploited for peer-feedback activity. Get the students to assess one another by pairing them and this could be done as a follow-up activity after creating their own Brainshark presentation. Feedback from peers are believed to have more impacts on students' learning as it increases their awareness of their own mistakes by correcting their friends' work. 
2. Group / Whole Class evaluation: Besides serving as an evaluative basis for groupwork activity, assessing Brainshark presentations in groups also allows for a discussion platform where students get to communicate and rationalise their judgements in checking errors in their tasks. Teacher, however, need to clearly explain the criteria for evaluation (eg: accuracy, fluency, pronunciation, cohesion factors) before letting them to assess their friends' presentations. 
3. Individual evaluation by teacher: Once in awhile it is always good for teachers to be able to assess students' work individually as it will provide them with more precise and accurate feedback on areas for improvement. 

P/S: Brainshark is sure worth a try especially for a novice user like me. I was impressed by its functionality when first exploring it. Try yours and let me know how you feel about it!

Thanks for reading! :)

My Rating on Brainshark's Usefulness:

5/5