A screencast is a video made of the activity on your computer screen for the purpose of  demonstration or communication.

How can you use screencasts in your classroom?

• How to videos
  • Show a process or series of actions and are often easier to follow than written instructions.
  • Show students your own thought processes as your read and mark-up a text
  • Show how to determine if a website or article is a quality source
• Student feedback
  • You can use a screencast as a way of commenting on an electronically submitted student paper, highlighting and adding notations on your screen at the same time. (saving paper too!)

Are there more possibilities?

There are a lot of creative ways to use screencasting software to teach and engage students and parents. I especially like the Get Inspired! web page on Tech Smith’s website.

Screencasting Tools

Jing (free, small download) http://www.techsmith.com/jing/

SnagIt (record your screen and yourself!) http://www.techsmith.com/snagit-customer-stories.html

Camtasia (can be expensive, but is very detailed) http://www.techsmith.com/camtasia/

Screencast-o-matic (free, no download) http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/

Adobe Captivate (high cost, very detailed) http://www.adobe.com/products/captivate.html

Screenr (free! really easy to use as an online tool) http://www.screenr.com/

SO MANY MORE…

Hosting videos

Screencast.com http://www.techsmith.com/screencastcom.html

Screenr http://www.screenr.com/

YouTube

DropBox

TeacherTube

Videos I have made

Screenr http://www.screenr.com/user/LarissaWE

Jing – a video I made for my master’s portfolio http://screencast.com/t/A4x9sjQ8dLZ3

A few great presentations