Screencasting is a recording software tool that captures all of the action on a computer screen while you are narrating. Screencasts can be made with many tools and are often used to create a tutorial or showcase student content mastery. This page provides links to information, ideas, rubrics, and tools for the creation of screencasts by both teachers and students.
Type of Material:
Reference Material
Recommended Uses:
Teachers can examine linked screencasting tools and applications. They can design a learning activity based on the resources consulted. Teachers can use the instructions/tutorials of a screencasting tool they like, and ask students to create a screencast of a process, for example. Students can start in class and then continue at home if they can access the same tools and materials outside of school, or finish at school outside of classtime. Alternatively, after a brief overview of screencasting in class by the teacher, grad students can independently explore a screencasting tool as an assignment, and share their findings/experiences in the following class.
Technical Requirements:
Any web browser available to any operating system and in any mobile phone device.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Create educational screencasts.
Target Student Population:
Middle School, High School, College General Ed, College Lower Division, Professional, Education technology majors, Library and information professional majors, Pre- and in-service teachers
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Basic instructional design and ICT skills
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This website consists mainly of links to screencasting information, tools, and rubrics; these resources were selected by a top-notch school librarian who updates the links regularly. The resources give basic, accurate information. A couple of videos help the novice screencaster understand the concept and process. Links are labelled and linked appropriately.
Concerns:
The overview is minimal, so the novice learner might feel lost, and not know how to proceed efficiently. Videos are not ADA-compliant. When the video ends, it goes to a completely unrelated video (in the reviewer's case, a video about an entertainer). Somelinked information sheets are unrelated to screencasting.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Screencasting is a useful ICT literacy skill, and the listed resources help one to learn those skills. The listings are clustered by topic (and subtopic) for easy access and connections; most of the concepts/information are interconnected. Because the site includes a video presentation on how to do screencasting, students can create screencasts that demonstrate knowledge across academic domains. With the wide variety of resources, teachers can easily find an activity to incorporate, as well as appropriate screencasting tools with accompanying guidance.
Concerns:
Each resource is a separate entity, so viewers need to make the connections and progressions themselves. Moreover, the resources may vary somewhat in quality.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
With its simplistic graphic user interface (GUI), the website is straightforward, clean-looking, and easy to navigate independently. Little technology skill is needed to access the materials. The website includes a blog, and invites users to comment and contribute materials. The site is somewhat ADA-compliant.
Concerns:
The website itself is largely text, and is not very exciting to look at. Videos are not ADA-compliant, and some of the resources are not ADA-compliant.
Creative Commons:
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