Screencasts

 For my screencasts, I used Screencast-O-Matic and Screencastify. Here are my thoughts on both.

Screencastify

I used Screencastify to record lessons for my virtual social studies classes this past school year. It is really easy to use and allows you to record an endless number of screencasts as long as they are 5 minutes or less. For longer videos, you need to purchase a subscription, which my school did. You can record the browser tab, desktop, or webcam. I like how easy it is to save and share your screencast. It automatically saves it to your Google Drive which is then easily uploaded to YouTube for sharing. I recommend Screencastify because I am more comfortable with it and I love how easy it was to save and share.

Here is my screencast using Screencastify: How to Create a Popplet - YouTube

Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic was new to me and was a little tricky to use at first. After launching the site you can choose to record the screen, webcam, or both. A recording window pops up and you can shrink it or make it larger depending on what you want to capture for your screencast. Once you set it up, it's as easy as punching the Record button. After recording, I was a bit lost as to how to save and share it. I was finally able to save it to my Google Drive, then upload it to YouTube from there. Overall it was simple enough to use and with more practice, I am sure saving and sharing will become easier. 

Here is my screencast using Screencast-O-Matic: Screencast-O-Matic (Google Slide How-to) - YouTube

Both of these sites were simple enough to use with practice although I still prefer Screencastify. As I stated before, I used this for my classes this past school year. I was a virtual teacher all year and in my district, virtual teachers did not have substitutes. On days that I needed to be out, I created a screencast of my lessons by sharing my PowerPoint presentations, our online textbook readings, and an explanation of the assignments. I pretty much just "taught" the entire lesson sharing my screen. I also created screencasts at the beginning of the year to show students how to maneuver through Class Link, Google Drive, and Canvas. I was able to add these videos into my social studies Canvas so that students could come back and rewatch if needed. My partner math teacher was able to create screencasts of herself working through math problems which was a great resource for the students AND parents. Parents sometimes struggle with helping their kids but screencasts enable them to see and understand assignments. Screencasts could also be used to share important dates or events with parents who may not read a newsletter or seek out a website. Students could also use a screencast to present information. Instead of having to stand up in front of the class for presentations, they can record a screencast to share. This could help all students but especially those shy ones that struggle with presentations. Another great use is "how-to" videos. I not only showed my students how to maneuver through some of the tools they needed for class, but I was also able to demonstrate things like their African mask project. I could show them step-by-step what was expected. Screencasts can be used in so many ways and are a great tool!