As educators, we are some of the busiest professionals around. I know personally, I am constantly searching for updated and easier ways to reach my students and differentiate for everyone. I have recently discovered screencasting. Screencasting allows me the opportunity to use technology to demonstrate a skill, concept or a process on the computer. Once I record myself walking my students through a process, students are able to use an ipad or laptop to view the screencast and apply their knowledge to what we are working on class. I fell in love instantly with screencasts because I am able to work with groups of students separately without being disturbed by student questions. They are able to play the Screencast as many times as they want and revisit the video at a later date.
I am sure you are thinking at this point sign me up right?! Well let me explain how to get started! First of all, there are a variety of apps and screencasts to use. Knowing which screencast to use depends on the type of device and program you have available such as a chromebook, MAC, Windows, etc. If you are using a chromebook, A few possible screencasts you might consider are Screencast-o-matic, Jing, Screencasting, Loom. These are not the only types of screencasts you can use, but they are the most popular. With a few of the screencast programs, you have to download the application first and sometimes input personal information which I am not a huge fan of. I have a chromebook so I decided to go with screen cast programs that were not only popular, but were compatible with my computer.
As I began to research by asking my school librarian and other educators about which screencasts programs were their favorites. I quickly compiled a list of some of the most popular screencasts to use with my Chrome book. The list included, but not limited to: Microsoft Expression Encoder4, Screencast-o-matic, Ezvid Video Maker and TinyTake. Below I will explain each of these and their advantages and disadvantages so you can decide on your own the one that is easiest for you and meets the needs of your students.
The first one I created an account for was Microsoft Expression Encoder4. Since this is a Microsoft program, I thought that this might be the easiest to use. There is a free trial for this program, which..WOOHOO who doesn't love free??!! Even though this program is compatible with Windows, it wasn't the easiest to follow. There was a two step process involved when recording and then editing. The editing was very difficult to figure out and seemed to be time consuming.
The second screen casting program I created an account for and tried was Ezvid Video Maker. This by far was my favorite program! It was super easy to follow and very user friendly! Once you create an account, you are allowed to record you video and capture your screen as well as add slides, pictures and edit. I highly recommend this one for first time users who are just trying out screen casts.
Then I created an account for TinyTake. This screen cast is a two in one tool that allows you to not only video record but also screen capture as well and then share easily with your students. The only feature that I was not fond of is if you remember the keyboard shortcuts to record and video if you remember the shortcuts. I don't know about you, but I want an application that is easy to use where I don;t have to remember shortcuts in order to use the program. Plus I was not fond of the fact that you can save the recording in the icloud only if you have an account.
The last screen cast that I created an account for and came across after interviewing a computer teacher that works collaboratively with our school librarian was the screen cast called Screen cast-o-matic. First and foremost it is FREE!! Secondly it was so user friendly and easy to set up! Once I was ready to set up, I downloaded the recorder and was able to start recording. There was a countdown to let me officially know when the recording would begin and then I was able to edit the video when I finished recording. I highly recommend this program for educators and even older grades to try out as well.
As I worked on this screen cast, I began to think about the different areas where my students would benefit from this Screencast-o-matic. Right now I currently teach 3rd grade and I have a very large class. My students have access to ipads and are able to use them in anchor stations and throughout our school day. One area students could benefit from this program would during stations when I am working with a guided reading group. This would be soooo helpful because I would be able to devote my full attention with the group instead of being disturbed by other students with questions on how to work a program independently. Students would be able to log in and review the video as many times as they would like and even pause the video whenever need be. This would also be helpful with such a large class to be able to complete research projects. Students love to do research online but I am always bombarded with questions on how to access the sites and what to do. With Screencast-o-matic, students would be able to listen to my recording on appropriate and safe online websites and follow me as we maneuver through the site.
These are just a few screen casting programs that are out there and are highly recommended. If you are thinking about trying out screen casting to use in your classroom or in your library, start with these and then research others if you would like! I have included my Screencast-o-matic video in case you want to see just truly easy and amazing it is! Happy screen casting!!
I am sure you are thinking at this point sign me up right?! Well let me explain how to get started! First of all, there are a variety of apps and screencasts to use. Knowing which screencast to use depends on the type of device and program you have available such as a chromebook, MAC, Windows, etc. If you are using a chromebook, A few possible screencasts you might consider are Screencast-o-matic, Jing, Screencasting, Loom. These are not the only types of screencasts you can use, but they are the most popular. With a few of the screencast programs, you have to download the application first and sometimes input personal information which I am not a huge fan of. I have a chromebook so I decided to go with screen cast programs that were not only popular, but were compatible with my computer.
As I began to research by asking my school librarian and other educators about which screencasts programs were their favorites. I quickly compiled a list of some of the most popular screencasts to use with my Chrome book. The list included, but not limited to: Microsoft Expression Encoder4, Screencast-o-matic, Ezvid Video Maker and TinyTake. Below I will explain each of these and their advantages and disadvantages so you can decide on your own the one that is easiest for you and meets the needs of your students.
The first one I created an account for was Microsoft Expression Encoder4. Since this is a Microsoft program, I thought that this might be the easiest to use. There is a free trial for this program, which..WOOHOO who doesn't love free??!! Even though this program is compatible with Windows, it wasn't the easiest to follow. There was a two step process involved when recording and then editing. The editing was very difficult to figure out and seemed to be time consuming.
The second screen casting program I created an account for and tried was Ezvid Video Maker. This by far was my favorite program! It was super easy to follow and very user friendly! Once you create an account, you are allowed to record you video and capture your screen as well as add slides, pictures and edit. I highly recommend this one for first time users who are just trying out screen casts.
Then I created an account for TinyTake. This screen cast is a two in one tool that allows you to not only video record but also screen capture as well and then share easily with your students. The only feature that I was not fond of is if you remember the keyboard shortcuts to record and video if you remember the shortcuts. I don't know about you, but I want an application that is easy to use where I don;t have to remember shortcuts in order to use the program. Plus I was not fond of the fact that you can save the recording in the icloud only if you have an account.
The last screen cast that I created an account for and came across after interviewing a computer teacher that works collaboratively with our school librarian was the screen cast called Screen cast-o-matic. First and foremost it is FREE!! Secondly it was so user friendly and easy to set up! Once I was ready to set up, I downloaded the recorder and was able to start recording. There was a countdown to let me officially know when the recording would begin and then I was able to edit the video when I finished recording. I highly recommend this program for educators and even older grades to try out as well.
As I worked on this screen cast, I began to think about the different areas where my students would benefit from this Screencast-o-matic. Right now I currently teach 3rd grade and I have a very large class. My students have access to ipads and are able to use them in anchor stations and throughout our school day. One area students could benefit from this program would during stations when I am working with a guided reading group. This would be soooo helpful because I would be able to devote my full attention with the group instead of being disturbed by other students with questions on how to work a program independently. Students would be able to log in and review the video as many times as they would like and even pause the video whenever need be. This would also be helpful with such a large class to be able to complete research projects. Students love to do research online but I am always bombarded with questions on how to access the sites and what to do. With Screencast-o-matic, students would be able to listen to my recording on appropriate and safe online websites and follow me as we maneuver through the site.
These are just a few screen casting programs that are out there and are highly recommended. If you are thinking about trying out screen casting to use in your classroom or in your library, start with these and then research others if you would like! I have included my Screencast-o-matic video in case you want to see just truly easy and amazing it is! Happy screen casting!!
https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cqe03s0Ka7
Amber, It was informative to read the software you used to screencast with a Chromebook. It’s true that some software is best used with specific devices. I attempted to screencast with an iPad and then transfer the file over to my Windows operating pc. My computer did not recognize the file, after many attempts, I was unable to transfer it. Honestly, for time reasons, I gave up. That will be a challenge for another day. Thanks for the tips on Ezvid! I’m going to give that software a try. Informative blog post. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI was excited to hear about some new options that were new to me that you mentioned, like Microsoft Expression Encoder4 and TinyTake. Even though they didn't seem to be the best options, they might have another great purpose for the library and I am looking forward to checking them out! Thanks for sharing!
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