Using Screencasts to Deliver Remote Lessons

Facilitator: Diana Benner

dbenner@tcea.org. Twitter: @diben

Discover strategies and digital tools for using screencasts to deliver remote lessons.

Direct Link: http://ly.tcea.org/screencast


screencasting

Screencasting is a digital recording of a screen.

  • It often contains audio narration.

  • It can contain video of yourself, if you have a webcam.

Ways to use screencasting:

  • Explain concepts

  • Create audio/visual tutorials

  • Share announcements

  • Give students feedback

  • Communicate information with parents

  • Share directions with students

  1. research

Before you start investing a lot of time and energy constructing videos, it’s important to understand what the research says.

Keep videos short

Ask yourself:

  • What is essential?

  • What is not?

  • Where can students discover the content for themselves without you walking them through the process?

Chunk content

  • A 10-minute lecture that is designed as part of a 60-minute lesson can be chunked into two 5-minute videos, each of which then becomes part of a 30-minute lesson.

Don't be afraid to make mistakes. It will make your video more genuine.

2. think about video design

Think about design principles:

  • Minimize text.

  • Use images.

  • Keep it simple. They don't need to be pretty.

  • Highlight important items in your screencast.

  • Personalize them. Include yourself in the video.

  • Make them interactive.

    • Create questions that accompany videos or build in quick checks for understanding.

3. plan & Create visuals

Put together your visuals

  • You can use Google Slides or PowerPoint

  • You can use animations to show lines of text or bullet points one at a time, as you’re speaking, rather than all at once. Keep animations simple.

Planning Resources:

Storyboard Resources:

Remember: You want your slides to be highly visual and include a nice balance of new information and examples, with as little text as possible.

4. Find the right screencasting Tool

Screencastify

  • Free for up to 5 minutes (Pricing)

  • Record screen or webcam

  • Autosave to Google Drive

  • Export as MP4, GIF and MP3

  • Publish to YouTube

  • Annotation tools available

  • Chrome Extension

Screencast-O-Matic

  • Free for up to 15 minutes (Pricing)

  • Download or record directly from the site

  • Record screen or webcam

  • Save to desktop

  • Publish to YouTube

  • Share to Google Classroom


Loom

  • Free for up to 5 minutes (Pricing)

  • Up to 100 videos & screenshots

  • Record screen or webcam

  • Send link to video

  • Autosaves to Loom's library

  • Export as MP4

  • Chrome Extension



QuickTime

To record a video on your Mac:

  • Open QuickTime

  • Tap “File” at the top of the display

  • Choose “New Screen recording”

  • Hit record


Flipgrid

To record:

  • Open the camera to Record a Response

  • Select the additional settings Options button

  • Select Record screen

  • Start the screen recording

Give it a try at https://flipgrid.com/cfe6c4a0

  • Code: cfe6c4a0

OBS Studio

  • Free open source software

  • Download for Windows, Mac and Linux at https://obsproject.com/.

  • Create scenes made up of multiple sources including window captures, images, text, browser windows, webcams, capture cards

Xbox

On Windows 10, use the pre-installed the Xbox App.

  • Type “Xbox” into the search box and open up the app

  • Click the "Record" button

  • Click the “Stop” button when you’re finished recording

  • Videos will be saved in “Videos/Capture” folder

iPad

  • Go to Settings > Control Center, then tap the green plus next to Screen Recording

  • Open Control Center, tap the record button, then wait for the three-second countdown

  • To stop recording, tap the red status bar at the top of the screen.


whiteboards

5. record

  • Find a quiet room

  • Try to get headphones with a mic.

  • Be mindful of your cursor.

  • Practice.

  • Turn off notifications.

  • Don’t have too many tabs open.

  • Never speak without doing something on the screen.

  • Review the video.

6. Make it interactive

Embed Questions

  • Edpuzzle allow you to upload your screencast and embed questions and comments at key points in the video that students have to engage with.

      • You can use closed-response (multiple-choice) questions so that students get immediate feedback on their responses.

      • You can build classes on Edpuzzle to track data.

      • Here’s our tutorial on how to use Edpuzzle.

  • Google Forms - Embed your screencast in a Google Form. Have students watch it and then answer the questions.

summary

  1. Keep videos brief and targeted on learning goals.

  2. Limit text. Use audio and visual elements to convey appropriate parts of an explanation.

  3. Highlight important ideas or concepts.

  4. Embed videos in a context of active learning by using guiding questions or interactive elements.