What is Screencasting?
From the TechSmith (makers of Camtasia and SnagIt) blog post, "What is Screencasting?":
"A screencast is a video recording of your computer screen, and usually includes audio. Screencasting is also referred to as video screen capture, and is a great way to teach or share ideas. Think about your digital life. All that time sitting at your desk. Think of your apps, websites, IMs, emails, and everything that makes up your digital world. What if you had a camera in your pocket, ready to capture and record in full, crisp HD at a moment’s notice? What types of videos would you create? Would you ever want to share what’s on your screen? How could it help you work better?
Common examples of screencasts are onscreen tutorials, video lessons, or slideshare presentations. A major benefit of screencasting is that the viewer can watch the screencast at a time when it’s best for them, because learning doesn’t always take place in an academic setting. Additionally, the viewer can absorb the information at their own pace by pausing and rewatching portions. Screencasts add a personal touch in ways that other methods (I’m looking at you PowerPoint decks and written proposals!) simply cannot." |
Screencast samples
Screencasts can be used to share anything you can see on your computer screen - you can walk your students through documents, assignments, or websites; I have used it for all of these, AND for video grading & feedback, and modelling how to approach project work:
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EXAMPLE#1:
Canvas Course Tour |
EXAMPLE#2:
Modelling the assignment |
EXAMPLE#3:
Screencasting for Assessment - Grading by Video!
Screencasting for Assessment - Grading by Video!
Here is an example of the type of video feedback that I would give a student on their project - what's working, what's not, how they can improve, and reiterating that they have a chance to make changes before the end-of-semester project, which is an instructor & peer evaluation of the end product:
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Not that this is the norm, but here is the response that I got from this particular student (students are not required to give me any kind of a response) - I was actually surprised to get such positive feedback, because he did NOT do well on the assignment!
Dear Dr. McGlasson,
Thank you so much for the feedback you gave me on my project. I thought everything you said was 100% correct and I feel terrible that I didn't do as well as I should have on the assignment. I never had a teacher that cared as much as you do on an assignment in my entire life. I respect you so much more now, not that it was ever in a bad way :) I can not thank you enough for the video that you sent me. It was amazing, and I love this kind of feedback. I know it is a lot of work, and takes a lot of your time outside of class, but I am astonished. I will definitely change my website to be up to par. Thank you |
Recommended Tool: Screencast-O-Matic
There are MANY screencasting tools out there, but Screencast-O-Matic is FREE and it's also EASY!! With a free account, you can record up to 15 minutes of video (although keeping it closer to 5 minutes is more in keeping with a viewer's attention span), which you can then save online (account required), offline (no account required), or send straight to YouTube (account required).
On the left is a listing of the Free vs Pro features (as of January 2018). |
What's New with Screencast-O-Matic?
Screencast-O-Matic (SOM) has undergone some serious changes/improvements since I first looked at it 10 years ago! This free and simple screencasting tool now allows you to choose:
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Resources:
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