1. 1 Zamzar The Solution for File Conversion Alison Fricke EDIT 605 Week 6&7 July 15, 2008

2. 2 Introduction Documents, music, video, images and compression files come in many different file types depending on the software used to create and save them Teachers especially are often limited by the software in their schools, and are unable to download conversion utilities Zamzar is a tool that can convert most of these file types from one type to another

3. 3 Goals This information is for a user who already can save a file, to use email, use the internet, and knows about file types. After this session the learner will be able to use the online tool Zamzar to convert a file from a device or a web page into another file type

4. 4 Outline Why Zamzar is a useful tool for Educators How to use Zamzar Video session Tips for Teachers

5. 5Overview PC, MAC, mobile phones - different platforms, different software There is no one standard file type for images, video, documents, sound or compressed files Files you find on the internet or that are given to you may not open on your computer or phone Example, these are all different image file types: pcx gif ico tga png tga bm p tiff jpg

6. 6 You need to know File types- extensions the last three letters of file name after the dot, example Flower.jpg is a type of image Conversion- what type of file you have and what you need

7. 7 Issues Teachers use the internet to obtain images, videos, documents, and sound files for educational use Teachers may need these to be available offline The software to open these files may not be available on school computers Even when free conversion software is available from the internet, teachers may not be able to download it due to the blocking of downloads, storage issues, or school computer use policy File conversion is a cumbersome process, may require 2 or 3 types of software to convert one file

8. 8 Error… Have you ever gotten the error message “Unable to open file…” Have you been sent a picture by email that just won’t open on your computer Do you use a PC and have to collaborate with somebody who uses a MAC Did you ever wish you could edit a pdf file Have you ever wanted to save a video you saw on You Tube

9. 9 Solution - Zamzar Online tool easily converts common files in a few clicks of the mouse Just follow these step by step instructions…

10. 10 Go to Zamzar.com

11. 11 Type your file name or url in the box At Step 1 specify if you are converting a file or url (web address)

12. 12 In the box at step 2 choose the file type you want

13. 13 In the box at step 3 type the email address where Zamzar can tell you how to retrieve your converted file

14. 14 In the box at step 4 just hit convert, and verify the information that pops up by clicking OK

15. 15 In an hour or 2, you will get an email like this: Click on the link they send to download and open your converted file

16. 16 Tips for Teachers You can use Zamzar to download and convert videos from TeacherTube, the teaching video resource siteTeacherTube You can convert downloaded video into a variety of formats, including avi, mpg, wmv and mov – helpful if you need to use the video as a resource in a classroom without internet access. If your school blocks You Tube, you can convert a video from home, email it to yourself or burn to a CD to use in classroom

17. 17 More Tips for Teachers Make classroom documents digital and accessible Screen Reader or language translation software will often be limited to Word documents or other specific files Use Zamzar to convert document files to a format that your Screen Reader or translator can use

18. 18 Examples I quickly became proficient in Zamzar Click on the icons to see what I did - Example of audio file I converted from an au file to mp3 sound file so that I could burn it to a music CD - Example of an image I converted from jpg to gif which is smaller, better for web pages - Here I converted a pdf file into a word document so that I can edit it

19. 19 Instructional Videos How to convert a webpage or online video How to convert a webpage or online video or on icon How to convert a file from your computer How to convert a file from your computer I converted these two Zamzar instructional videos from You Tube flash video flv file to an avi video file that I can save in case there is no Internet access Click on hyperlink to view videos online, on icon if not or on icon

20. 20 Self Assessment Go online, see if you can convert a video 1. Go to You Tube and find a video you want to save, and copy its url addressYou Tube 2. Go to www.zamzar.comwww.zamzar.com 3. Go to step 1 click on the words “url to convert” 4. Paste the url address of your video here 5. In step 2 choose convert to avi for PC, mov for MAC, 3Gp for smartphone 6. Go to Step 3 and type your email 7. Go to step 4, hit convert, and click OK on the information box that pops up 8. Wait for an email from Zamzar, click on link they send and follow instructions to download your video, save it and you are done

21. 21 Conclusion Zamzar is simple to learn and use No downloading or joining required Zamzar is free and has numerous cost effective uses for file conversion in classroom

22. 22 Where to Get More Information EdTech Solutions - Teaching Every Student: Zamzar - Not Just for Video EdTech Solutions - Teaching Every Student: Zamzar - Not Just for Video How to use “Zamzar”