There are good reasons for changing the playback speed of educational videos.
- Slowing the video can be helpful if English is a second language, or if the material is complex.
- Speeding the video can save time, without loss of comprehension or retention.
Most people can learn video content at speeds approaching 2x normal, and even faster with practice. But this depends on the individual learner, the speed of the speaker’s speech, and the complexity of the material.
If you’d like to control the speed of the videos presented on this site, here’s how to do it.
Mac OS and Windows Based Desktops and Laptops – You have several options…
- Use Google Chrome as your browser. Go to the Chrome Webstore and locate the Video Speed Controller. It is a free, downloadable extension to the Chrome browser, and once installed, will insert a speed control button in the upper left corner of the video screen.
- Use Mozilla Firefox as your browser. Go to the Add-ons website for Firefox and install any of the speed controllers that look good to you. I’ve been using “Faster Video“ with good results.
Firefox Faster Video Add-on - Don’t use Safari as your browser. There is no simple, reliable and convenient way to use Safari with a built-in speed control for these Vimeo-based videos.
- Alternatively, you can download the video to your desktop/laptop by clicking on the link, “Download Video Here” or “Download Lecture Here.” As soon as you click that link, the video will immediately download to your computer. Once downloaded, play the file on a Mac using VLC, a free, downloadable video player that has speed controls built into it.
- If you are using Windows 10 on a PC, you can download the video, and then play it back with VLC, a free, downloadable video player, or with Windows Media Player ( Ctrl Click / Enhancements / Play Speed Settings )
iPad and iPhone…
- Install the app, VLC for Mobile, a free, downloadable video player. After highlighting and copying the Download Video Here link (just below the video on the webpage), open VLC and go to the Downloads page. Paste the link you copied into the address box and click “Download.” Once the download is complete, the file will appear in the “All Files” page of VLC. Tapping the file will start the video in the VLC player, which allows speed control.
- Apple’s operating system for the iPad and iPhone does not support browser extensions that would enable faster or slower playback of video without the downloading process described above.
Android Systems…
- Although there are a number of video player apps that will play at different speeds, I have found VLC to be the easiest and most stable. After installing VLC, tap on the “Download Video Here” link just below the video you want to watch.
Then, a window will appear asking you which of your video players you would like to open the downloading video. Select VLC.
The video will immediately begin playing. Tapping the extra features button (three white dots) will open a window that will allow you change the video speed.
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