Panopto Beefs Up Free Lecture Capture Suite

• By David Nagel
• 01/30/08

Education technology provider Panopto has released an update to its lecture capture and streaming tool, CourseCast. The latest version, CourseCast 1.5, adds several enhancements in the areas of lecture distribution, editing, and workflow. It remains free for educators through the Socrates Project, which provides access in exchange for participation in the software's ongoing development efforts.

CourseCast is designed for capturing, editing, and streaming audio and video from lectures and other presentations over the Web. Captured materials can be searched, linked, and annotated through the software, and recorded materials can be embedded in popular course management systems. The new 1.5 update expands on CourseCast's feature set, adding the following enhancements:

• A new, automatic method for sending recorded materials directly to a Web page;
• The ability to edit materials and view edits immediately from any computer on the network;
• Support for searching notes and PowerPoint slides from the viewer;
• A new cross-platform viewer that supports note taking; and
• New support for "arbitrary collections of object material," which can include whiteboard captures, slideshows, and other content associated with a given lecture.

The software also includes general enhancements to workflow for content creation and management.

CourseCast 1.5 is available now at no charge to educators in K-12 and post-secondary education through Panopto's Socrates Project, which asks that users participate in beta programs aimed at further enhancing the software. Information on CourseCast and the Socrates Project can be accessed via Panopto's home page, below.

More Information:

• Panopto

Get daily news from THE Journal's RSS News Feed

Proposals for articles and tips for news stories, as well as questions and comments about this publication, should be submitted to David Nagel, executive editor, at dnagel@1105media.com.

About the Author

David Nagel is editorial director, education for 1105 Media's Public Sector Media Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal. A 22-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art and business publications.

He can be reached at dnagel@1105media.com. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at or follow him on Twitter at @THEJournalDave (K-12) or @CampusTechDave (higher education).