Converting PowerPoint Into Video Files

Forgive my enthusiasm but YAHOOOOOOO! I've just quite accidentally discovered a tool I have longed for, but have never found...until today. Our Lower School Head prepared a Powerpoint for today's special Inauguration Day assembly. She uses PowerPoint the way it was meant to used, with absolutely no pages-full of bullet points. They're mini-movies, actually. This one was so great, I cried a little at the end. A few of the parents asked if I could make the PowerPoint available online and I cringed a bit because I have tried before. I could get the slides on, a la Slideshare, but that leaves out the touching narrative and music she included. I could try to upload it to Voicethread, but all the people who contributed audio would have to rerecord their sections. In a moment of "what the heck" I googled for PowerPoint to Video File and voila: Byte Scout. This somewhat sketchy looking site features a tool called PPT to Video Scout. I downloaded the free trial version of the product, somewhat recklessly given the site's appearance, but I threw caution to the wind and relied on my virus protection software to save me.

Turns out, PPT to Video Scout worked like A CHARM! It was easy to use and encoded the whole thing without a fuss to MPG, with several other file format options to boot. The PowerPoint was then uploaded to TeacherTube, so I could embed it on my school's Web site. The product's trial period ends in 28 days. If I want to buy it, which I do, it'll cost me $75. Not bad! Check the quality: