Screencasting

PHOTO CREDIT: SIEMENS PLM SOFTWARE VIA COMPFIGHT CC

What is screencasting?

Screencasting is a digital recording of yourself or the computer screen. You can also add audio to these recordings. Screencasting is a great tool for explaining something.

Why use screencasting tools in the classroom?

– Create extra tutorials for students to watch on their own time

– Screencasting could be used to develop a flipped classroom

– A different way to have student explain a concept

– Would be great for students to create their own narrative

– Get students working with video editing

 

What are some FREE screen casting tools?

Jing – Jing is a simple way to take pictures of your computer screeen. Jing is allows located on your desktop which makes taking pictures quick and easy. Jing also does recordings and can record your screen as well as audio to create a video. Personally, I always use Jing to quickly take screen shots. It is a really easy tool to use and you can save everything right to your computer. Watch the video below to learn more about Jing.

 

Screencast-O-Matic – Screencast-O-Matic is a very easy to use screencasting tool. It allows you to record, pause and continue to record which makes creating a video easier. I like Screencast-O-Matic because it is the first screencasting tool I worked with. Before I worked with various forms of technology I needed really basic tools. Screencast-O-Matic was the most basic tool I found. This tool would be great to use in the classroom because it wouldn’t require students to learn how to use the software. Watch a quick tutorial below to see just how easy Screencast-O-Matic is to use.

 

Screenr – Screenr is similar to Screencast-O-Matic in that it is very simple and basic to use. It also allows you to record, pause and continue to record you video. However, I often find that my computer won’t let me run Screenr because it claims my Java isn’t up to date (which it is). Therefore, I have not been able to use Screenr but I still recommend it because of its simplicity. Below is a short tutorial about Screenr.

 

Movenote – Movenote is probably one of the best screencasting tools to use in the classroom. With Movenote you can:
– record yourself and the screen at the same time
– bring in PowerPoint, Word Documents, etc.
– use the laser pointer to highlight certain points
– can download Movenote presentations onto computer or onto social media sight
– works with Gmail
– there is a free app

I really like Movenote because it allows me to more easily bring in present information using other forms of presentations (PowerPoint). I also like Movenote because my students can download the free app on their own device and use Movenote in class. During my pre-internship I found that a lot of the extra help videos I was providing my students used Movenote. I think Movenote would be the best tool to use when implementing a flip classroom because it is more interactive than the other screencasting tools. Check out the video below to see all features of Movenote.

 

Check out the 4 Most Popular Screencasting tools being used by educators and students today.