Screencasts

Want to teach someone how to use a particular tool on the internet without actually having to be present?  Consider making a screencast.  It records what you are doing on the computer, along with your voice as you "walk" through the steps.

Screencast-o-matic is very easy to use.  You simply connect your microphone and click start.  I show how to create a comic strip using MakeBeliefsComix.com.  The only tiny problem I had was that the recording of my voice was somewhat grainy, with a loud buzzing in the background that drowned out my voice.  I didn't know if it was because I was using an ancient computer at my school to record my screencast or if there was a problem with the microphone. Also, I didn't realize it, but I went slightly over the allowed 15 minutes and was cut off.  This is probably due to my slow Southern drawl.  Luckily, I was about finished with my demonstration when it cut me off.  It was almost eight o'clock in the evening and the custodians at my school were beginning to turn out the lights, so I went on home. The next morning I listened to my screencast from a laptop computer, and found that I could not hear it at all...only some loud static.  Alas!  I decided to start over and record another one.  I sought help from our computer technology person.  She loaned me another set of headphones to use.  Here is my second attempt.  Click the play arrow next to the title: Dating Glitches.This second time I had no problem.  Well, I did have a problem keeping it to the 15-minute time maximum.  I had to know pretty much ahead of time which characters I was going to choose for my comic.  I was using my laptop, which has a weird mouse which triggers at any slight hand movement. This caused me some delay.  I actually recorded it during a class, with my computer projected on a screen.  Because most of the students were very interested in the proceedings, I knew that this would be a successful tool to use in a class setting.  The students are also eager to make their own comic strip.

Next, I used Screenr.com to make a screencast of how to combine text and pictures using ReciteThis.com. Screenr is almost identical to Screencast-O-Matic in that you simply hit play and it counts down from 3 to begin recording. However, the free account only allows five minutes of recording time.  As I had struggled to limit myself to 15 minutes with Screencast-o-Matic, I was nervous about the time limit.  I was glad I had decided to use ReciteThis because it is quick and easy.  I remembered seeing a scene with trees, so I decided to use a verse from a song I wrote a few years ago.  Here is my screencast:

If I was speaking quickly, it was because of the 5-minute thing. The first time I attempted to record, it didn't work because I navigated away from the page when I typed in ReciteThis.com.  The second time, I simply opened a new window.  When I finished, I had forgotten which control key combination to enter to stop recording and was not on the page with the DONE button, so I had a moment of pause and indecision there, but it's not evident in my recording, ha ha. Oh, and just in case you were going to beg me for more of my song verses, here are two more:

Comrades and strangers pass through time
Oft faced with the same choice;
Some follow the throng
Whether right or wrong,
Some heed their inner voice.

Sojourners, we in this earthly realm
All rocked by an unseen force;
Claim ordained dance,
Blame happenstance,
But we each plot our own course.

I prefer Screencast-O-Matic over Screenr for two reasons.  First, the time limit.  Five minutes is simply not enough time to teach much of anything, especially in the South. With fifteen minutes, I could teach a mini-lesson, followed up by subsequent recordings of additional lessons.  Second, I like being able to use the same window and still see my tool bar with play, pause, and stop as I record.  I would definitely consider buying the PRO package if I were to use this regularly for my classes.