Creative Screencasting - Powerful Teaching and Learning Tools

"Creativity is characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions. Creativity involves two processes: thinking, then producing." - Linda Naiman

When you think of screencasts, you typically think of tutorials connected to a piece of software or an app. Screencasting can also be a powerful way to share resources with students. One of my favorite uses of screencasts is when students can record their learning experiences. Students can use screencasts to visually and verbally demonstrate learning.

Screencasting in the Classroom

• Students record how they use the web to research a concept. 
• Students create a presentation based on a web resource. 
• Students can create flipped tutorials to share with classmates. 
• Students can review key concepts presented by a teacher in a blended learning model. 
• Teachers can use screencasts to provide feedback on digital activities. 
• Students can review a website or online reading. 
• Students can explain their thought process as they create a diagram or mind map. 
• Students can record and narrate a traditional slide-based presentation. 

There are many great screencasting tools, here are a few of our web-based favorites for Chromebooks and Chrome

• Screencastify
  Screencastify is a simple video screen capture software (aka. screencast recorder) for Chrome. It is able to record all screen activity inside a tab, including audio. Just press record and the content of your tab is recorded. So you can easily create a screencast for video tutorials, record presentations etc. It also supports desktop capturing, allowing you to record anything on your screen (not just tabs). 
• Viewedit
  ViewedIt breaks down communication barriers by allowing you to simply communicate with anyone through video. To make this as easy as talking to a friend, we have one-click screen recording, easy video sharing in email and social, and notifications when people watch your videos. 
• WeVideo
  WeVideo makes video editing easy for everyone and accessible from anywhere. 
• Explain Everything
  Explain Everything™ Interactive Whiteboard brings together an interactive screencasting whiteboard and a content discovery portal. Dynamic and easy-to-use interactive screencasting whiteboard 
• Screencast-O-Matic
  Use their world famous recorder to record on-screen activity for short tutorials, visual presentations, and communicate while you demonstrate! 
• Nimbus
  Capture the web page, either part of it or the whole browser window, edit your screenshots in a very user-friendly interface. Record screencasts - record video from your screen. 
• SoapBox
  You can record your screen and your webcam simultaneously, then take advantage of a unique “split-screen” view, where the webcam feed is side-by-side with the screencast.
  
  If you are looking for addtional resources to whiteboard or create visuals while sceencasting, please explore this post.

Creativity Resources on the Web

Additional Screencasting Resources

• TeachHub Screencasting in the Classroom
• Screencasting and Screen Recording in the Classroom
• Flip Your Classroom with Instructional Screencasts

How would you use screen casting to support learning in your classroom?