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
- 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:
Screencasting Planner by Matt Bergman
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
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
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
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
To record a video on your Mac:
Open QuickTime
Tap “File” at the top of the display
Choose “New Screen recording”
Hit record
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
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
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
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
Web-Based Whiteboards
iOS-Based 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
Keep videos brief and targeted on learning goals.
Limit text. Use audio and visual elements to convey appropriate parts of an explanation.
Highlight important ideas or concepts.
Embed videos in a context of active learning by using guiding questions or interactive elements.