Nafham Educational Videos

During 2015-2017, while in my preparatory and high school years, I created educational videos for “Nafham” platform, covering various subjects like Arabic grammar, mathematics, science, and review sessions for primary, preparatory, and high school levels. I gained significant experience and learned many skills during the explanation and video production process, and I still use and benefit from these skills to this day.

Explanation and Production Methods

The explanation methods varied depending on the topic - explaining on a whiteboard, using paper and pen, PowerPoint presentations, or a mix of these approaches. Recording methods also varied between camera recording, screen recording, and separate audio recording. In some cases, I would write scripts and record audio separately, then synchronize it with PowerPoint or screen recordings.

Sometimes I processed audio using Audacity to remove noise or trim unnecessary parts, and I experimented with audio effects. In some clips I added Echo effects which were honestly annoying and I never repeated that 😁, while in other clips I used Reverb which was less annoying than Echo.

Evolution and Tools

The early videos were made on Windows while the later ones were on Linux, and you’ll notice significant improvement in slides design and explanation in the newer videos.

I experimented extensively with PowerPoint design - most designs were made from scratch, I didn’t use templates. I remember in the early phase on Windows and PowerPoint, there was a design that looked like a computer program or question bank, and people in the comments were asking “what’s this program?” when it was just regular PowerPoint 😁

When I switched to LibreOffice Impress on Linux, the designs became more detailed and I paid more attention to design precision and polished them further.

In one of the PowerPoint videos, there was a part that needed pen explanation, so I used my Galaxy Note 2, opened Samsung Notes, recorded the screen, and embedded that video into the PowerPoint where I needed it. The point isn’t this specific incident, but rather that this experience of explaining and producing educational videos developed my resourcefulness and problem-solving skills in various situations, and I still benefit from everything I learned during this period to this day.

Tools Used

Recording: Camtasia Studio (Windows), Vokoscreen (Linux), Camera
Audio: Audacity
Editing: Camtasia Studio (Windows), Flowblade (Linux)
Design: Microsoft PowerPoint (Windows), LibreOffice Impress (Linux), Inkscape