According to the Oxford
Dictionary, a screencast is a video
recording or transmission of the data displayed on the screen of a computer or
mobile device, typically with accompanying audio. Screencasts have been very useful during this
current state of online learning. There
are several different screen recording tools that can be used. Most have free versions. We are going to take a look at two screencast
tools and compare their performance.
I created
a lesson for my 2nd-5th grade library classes in which their product is a book review. They are going to use a website called
Storyline Online. This site features
many children’s books read aloud by famous actors complete with illustrations
of the book and closed caption so that students can read along. In my screencasts, I demonstrate how to
navigate from the school library website to Storyline Online and how to select
a book.
Screencast-O-Matic is a screen recording tool for Windows, Mac, and Chromebook. It captures the screen, webcam, or both. There is a free version which does not capture sound from the device nor does it allow editing. The free version allows recordings to last up to fifteen minutes which is great because research suggests that any lecture more than twelve minutes will not hold the attention of most adolescents. It is user friendly, however I had a problem saving my video to my YouTube channel so I had to save it to my Screencast-O-Matic
Screencastify is a recording tool that is a Google Chrome extension. There is a free version that does not allow you to edit however, there is a free three day trial going on right now.
The free version also permits five minutes maximum per video. Just like Screencast-O-Matic, the free version does not capture sound. There is a count down that starts the last 30 seconds of the time frame. I did not dismiss the count down so that you can see it on the video above. The tool captures the browser tab, desk top, or webcam only. I chose to use the desk top and webcam so on the lower right of the video you see me. When I navigate from one website to another, there is a bit of lag time that you will see in the video. The transition was not smooth and instantaneous. Drawing tools are available on live websites.
Overall both tools were easy to use and navigate. I prefer Screencast-O-Matic becasue the free version gives you a longer recording time and there is not lag time between websites. Screencastify would be more beneficial to use if you are using the drawing tools.
References
Screencastify
Tutorial Part 1: Installing the Extension. (2020, March
20). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WLqmKtNOW8&feature=youtu.be
Screencastify
Tutorial Part 2: Recording Video. (2020, March 18).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB1witVhshk&feature=youtu.be
Screencast-o-Matic
Setup for Teachers 2020. (2020, March 20).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PlKBhHbLAU&t=1s
I really liked your insight on your screencast. The way you were able to show how to write on the screen, will help further instruct students, colleagues, or any other person. My kiddos love Story Online, it is always their downtime at the end of the day to relax them and get them ready to go home or whenever it lends itself for instruction as well. Great job on your examples and on your screen cast!
ReplyDeleteI was impressed by the videos that you found with famous actors reading on the screencast. I think this would be a great researching assignment for students to look for. I also felt that screencastify was simple to use, but my sound worked perfectly. The cost on some of these programs would not be feasible with my school budget, but they could be a great way to get students engaged.
ReplyDeleteYour critique on each screencast option available are very informative and I enjoyed reading through them. Also your screencasts on Story Online were awesome, they very detailed and easy to follow. Great Job!
ReplyDelete