Screencasting

There are many uses for screencasts in the classroom both for teachers and students, and there are also several websites/programs you can use to create them. Here are a few:

1. QuickTime Player
QuickTime comes loaded on all Macbooks.  Hit command+space bar and search "QuickTime" to open it.  While there is no menu that opens, you should see the "QuickTime Player" menu in the upper right of your screen.  Choose File --> New Screen Recording.  Push the record button when you are ready to start.  QuickTime will record your entire screen, so make sure you only have up and open what you want to be recorded.  Test your volume and make sure that, if you want audio included in your recording, you can hear it sufficiently.

2. Screencastify
Screencastify is a free Chrome extension that has a few more features than QuickTime.  Add the extension from the website or Chrome Web Store.  This extension allows you to record your entire screen/desktop or just one tab.  Turn on your microphone access by choosing "allow" and adjust the slider to see if your voice is being adequately picked up.  Screencastify will also automatically save your recordings to Google Drive!

3. Screencast-o-matic

While this site allows you to choose only certain portions of your screen to record, it also requires a download.  Unless you're a serious, frequent recorder, I would suggest one of the above two.

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How do I use screencasts in the classroom?

I will highlight some ideas provided by a blog I follow, but you should check out his post on screencasting for lots more info including tutorials and lesson ideas:

1. Instructional videos

• Flipping - Students can watch these instructional videos outside of traditional class time to prepare for the more hands-on application work they will do in class.

• Remediation - Students that need extra help can watch videos to gain more instruction, with the option to rewind and rewatch as needed.

• Enrichment - Students that are ready for additional content or challenges can use your recorded screencasts to extend their learning.

• Differentiation - There is only one of you, but there can be loads of videos you have created, allowing students to explore different content as needed or desired.

• Independence - With recorded screencasts students and teachers can get help on their own initiative and on their own time, without having to get face to face help for everything.

2. Narrating Google Slideshows

• Recording your voice while giving a traditional slideshow presentation.

• Adding narration to a storybook or ebook you created in Google Slides 

• Adding narration to a digital comic strip you created in Google Slides 

3. Explain student understanding
Have students record:

• Sharing their thoughts on the latest chapter they read in the class novel.

• Working out a math problem on a virtual whiteboard while talking through the steps.

• Summarizing what they learned in today’s lesson.

• Explaining the main points of the essay, story, or report they wrote.

4. Dub a video

• Practice translation - Students can take a video in a foreign language and speak the dialog in their own language, or vice versa they can take a video in their native language and speak it in a language they are learning.

• Interpret a story - Students could act out a scene from a movie or show verbatim. This would give them the opportunity to act out the text to express their understanding of the story.

• Reinterpret a story - Or students could rewrite the original dialog in more modern language, or in simpler terms, or just in a new style. Again this would allow them to show their understanding of the purpose and themes of the original story. For example, they could write contemporary dialog for Hamlet.

• Tell a whole new story - Or students could be totally creative and make up a completely new story, replacing the original dialog with a new narrative that fits the actions being shown on screen.

• Create commentary - Finally students could make their own commentary track for a video. This could be them describing what is happening, or offering their critique, telling a historical backstory, or explaining a scientific concept that can be seen in the video

5. Give a speech or performance

6. Practice fluency

7. Provide feedback
"This can be a teacher giving feedback to a student, or it could be students giving peer feedback on student work. Feedback is such a critical part of the revision process, but often gets left out due to the amount of time it can take.
However, by using a screencast, you can simply record the screen with the student’s work displayed, and then talk as you explain the strengths of the work and what needs improvement, pointing things out with the mouse or by highlighting. When done, a link to the recording can be pasted into the student’s document so they can simply click the link to view your personal video feedback."