If teachers had a dollar for every time a student asked "what are supposed to do again?" after just giving painstaking and well thought out instructions, we'd be RICH! If you've ever dealt with this frustration, there is a great solution! It is called screencasting. A screencast is a type of instructional digital video recording of your computer screen with audio narration (Simon, 2019). Screencast are used for tutorials, video lessons, and presentations. My favorite thing about screencasts is that students can access them at anytime and receive detailed instructions or information on their time frame. This is truly a game changer for teachers, or anyone who gives instructions, as it frees you of answering the same, commonly asked questions and allows more time for personalized instruction. I embedded below 2 similar videos on instructions which I share with my students. One video was created with Screencastify and the other with Screen-O-Matic.
The embedded video below was created with Screencastify, an extension on Google Chrome.
The embedded video below was created with Screen-O-Matic.
The embedded video below was created with Screencastify, an extension on Google Chrome.
The embedded video below was created with Screen-O-Matic.
Screen-O-Matic and Screencastify are two commonly used screencast sites that are free and easy to use. Let me break down the free features, as well as the pros and cons of each site.
Screencast Site
|
Features
|
Pros
|
Cons
|
Screencastify
|
·
Free Chrome
browser extension that records your screen, face, voice, and more
·
10-minute video
length limit
·
50 videos limit
per month
|
·
Allows, while
recording, to use the tools to write, draw, erase, keep time, restart, or
spotlight a section on the screen.
·
Option to play
the audio
|
·
Screencastify
watermark
·
Options to
share video only through Google Drive link
·
Using third
party site to download and embed video is cumbersome
|
Screen-O-Matic
|
·
Available on
Chromebook, Mac, and
·
Records your screen,
face, voice, and more
·
Narrate from
your selected microphone as you record
·
15-minute video
length limit
·
Limitless amount
of video created
|
·
Captions
available
·
Ability to download
to computer
·
Publish to
Screencast-O-Matic and YouTube
·
Embed Videos in
Your Site or Blog
|
·
Required to
download software
·
After downloading,
the file is not saved to the site anymore
|
While I usually always lean towards Google products, I found Screen-O-Matic to be the superior screencasting site. The site was so easy to use, while also giving great options for downloading and sharing your screencast, which Screencastify did not.
I am a huge fan of screencasts, and I know once you try it, you will be too!
Sources:
Simon, J. (2019, February 05). The Ultimate Guide: What is Screencasting and Why Use it? | Blog | TechSmith. Retrieved March 22, 2019, from https://www.techsmith.com/blog/what-is-screencasting/
Love, Love, Love your comparison chart! As a visual learning this makes my day and I am able to retain more of the information. I sure do wish that I had a dollar for every time a student ask me what to do after I poured out my guts and soul into giving them clear directions and examples, I could so retire. :-) Your post was informative and easy to grasp. Great Job!!!
ReplyDeleteI really love Screencasts too! It is a great way to show students something by being able to walk them through all of the steps. As an adult, I love to watch YouTube video tutorials for different things I am learning, because I get to SEE it and HEAR it. It helps those learners (like me) who are visual learners.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Raisha...I love the chart that you created. It is a great way to quickly compare the two options. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! :)
I really enjoyed the introduction to this post. I completely agree that screencasts are great for the simple fact that students have access to them at all times. I also liked that you used a chart to explain the differences, it makes it clear and easily understood.
ReplyDeleteScreencasts are a lot of fun! I can see so many uses for them in the library, especially to introduce new resources! Your chart was spot-on too.:) . Great job!:)
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