This week I purchased a low price video camera to create small video segments for various e-Learning courses I am developing.

I had heard about the Flip Video Camera, and also the Samsung FlashCam. A promotion on the latter had me in a lather and ready to go. NZ$188 lighter I brought this little beauty home and began to play.

So what is it with these devices that will change e-Learning. Well there are 2 ways I can see right away.

The first is from the perspective of the teacher. A small simple instructional video can be easily made and uploaded into your LMS. No need for expensive equipment and more importantly experts to film and edit the software. The devices all come with their own basic software to download and convert the video to a reasonable file size. Video, just like standard camera images need some processing to keep the file size respectable.

The second is from the perspective of the student. The little cameras can be used for blogging, journals, recording work being done, or completed. It is easy to have an audio narration, and with a little effort, titles can be added to give it that movie feel.

Small enought to fit in my top pocket, I can even use it hands free.

Next time you're at a camera store, have a play with one of these. You'll become an addict like me, very fast.