Screencasts-To record or not to record

 

Welcome Back, Readers!

I thank you for taking this blogging journey with me and I hope you are finding useful information or at least some entertainment! I want to take a few minutes to discuss Screencasts. Before COVID-19, I had no reason to even know what a screencast was, but since our lives have shifted screencasts have now become a HUGE part of my life!

Now there are many different types of screencasts available, for all different levels of expertise. After doing a quick google search I found an interesting article that offered guidance on some of the most popular types. You can read the article here.  Adeel Qayum, the author, really goes into detail about the variety in levels that are available. I am going to highlight two screencasts: Screencast-O-Matic and Screencastiy, these options are both what I would consider a beginner level of screencasting, for those of us who are new to teaching virtually or wanting to record ourselves teaching. I currently, I do not want to edit my videos, like with teaching; I want my viewers to get to experience my raw teaching, like that of a live class. This is also a great time to teach students that mistakes happen. In turn, students will see how we handled our mistakes, hopefully with courtesy and grace. If I want to edit my recordings, in the future, there are many additional options available or paid versions of the ones mentioned below.   

Screencast-O-Matic- I did like how you could record 15 minutes for free! There were not many other options out there that offered that long for free. I also like the dual  feature where you can show your screen and webcam, so students can see the “teacher” during the videos to make it more real life. The ability to clip the beginning and end of the video can be helpful when beginning as I usually make a mistake in the first minute of recording, so I can keep going and just edit instead of dumping the whole recording and starting over. Some cons to the program I found were that it does not record computer audio, just narration. They also paste their logo into the bottom left-hand corner of the video so you need to watch what you are displaying as to not cover up important information during the recording.  There is a paid version available in two price points $20 for the Deluxe version which includes: video editor, captions with speech to text, a green screen filter, plus the ability to record computer audio and import narration and music. Or, for $48 for the Premier version which gives you the luxuries of Deluxe plus custom video player and controls, the ability to share and collaborate with video hosting, ad-free site, and 100GB Bandwidth.

Below you will see I created a Screencastomatic for my Kindergarten students as they are learning about Johnny Appleseed. I showed the students how to log in using Clever and how to locate Pebble Go from our Library resources to conduct their own research.

 Screencastify-This is a google chrome extension that is easily added. I especially like that, uploads are automatically saved to your google drive in its own folder. Another positive is the fact they offer certification courses. This training walks you through the different aspects of the program and how it can be used. At the end of the training, you take a short quiz and upload a 2-minute Screencastify video you have made, if you pass the scoring process (usually takes about 24 hours) you are rewarded with a badge. The badges come in two levels, Master the Screencast and Screencastify Genius! I was very skeptical about recording any videos and had no clue how to even get started before the pandemic. But this program really helped, after going through the certification course which made me create a video, I learned so much and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. Some drawbacks are that the free extension only allows you to record up to five minutes of video, plus being an extension it does not work if you are an Internet Explorer browser fan. Also in order to get longer videos, you must pay the upgraded fee of $49 per year, which offers unlimited recordings. Below you will find a Screencastify for teachers on how to create an online assessment over the parts of a book. Here you will notice the five-minute time frame was not my friend. The end of my video was cut off, but what my teachers needed to see they were able to see. You will also notice that in a pinch for time, I showed them the first step then repeated the steps on pause as to not waste time. Again, Screencastify isn't perfect, but it is user friendly! 

 

I always get anxiety about having to record a lesson; something about watching the video playback and realizing that is what I sound like to other people! However, the students actually enjoy seeing and hearing their teachers teach the lesson. It is a great way to build a relationship with your students, even if they may be virtual. Another great thing about any screencasting you choose is if you know you are going to be absent, you can easily record a lesson or two so you students can still get the material you wanted to present to them and the substitute can be there to help answer questions. My biggest use currently is creating short videos for my teachers on quick “How To’s” of various topics. I keep a google sheet with all my “How To’s” so if they are looking for something particular they can quickly see, oh yes, video #7, how to search for a book in Destiny. For this purpose, using Screencastify works great, I am required to keep my videos short to stay within the five minutes, and I don’t want to take up too much of the teacher’s time. Having everything available on a google sheet also allows the teachers to request videos on certain topics. This has been a great communication tool for the whole staff as we hold all meetings virtually.

Screencasts could be a great way to do a book talk for your library readers, pick a book or two to preview for the students, and post to your Library Social Media page. Some students need a little extra persuasion to read and sometimes a book talk is just enough to get them interested in the book. Just be sure to have a list of other books that are similar, because word will spread and we don’t want the students leaving the library empty-handed!

There are many different types of screencast programs available, some are free, some are available for a small fee. My suggestion is to start with a free one, such as those listed above, to try them out and become comfortable with them. Decide if there is something else you are looking for or more perks you would like to have. Then search for other options to explore. Whatever method you choose, just know not alone! One piece of advice I can give is first recording is always the hardest, and do not delete the recording because you don’t like how you look! It is easier said than done, but you will make a 5-minute recording turn into 3 hours if you fret about the little things. As long as your message got across, you achieved your goal! Happy Screencasting!