“Most students are comfortable with technology, and the creation of videos engages a number of learning styles (audio, visual).”²

Learning Intention

Using screencasting allows students to learn at different paces and grasp content they previously struggled with by “rewinding” or revisiting the material. When class closures occur (such as during inclement weather), screencasting allows students to learn from a distance.

Overview

Screencasting involves capturing your screen (including Powerpoints, web pages, or other software) and adding audio recording (even podcasts) to create multimedia lectures.

Instructions²

• Outline or write out, your “lecture” notes to organize your ideas. Identify key points as well as supporting examples that could be supported visually.

• Effectively design slides that use visual (image and/or video) representations of ideas, rather than lists of bulleted text.

• Choose a screencasting tool. You could simply add voice-over narration to a PowerPoint presentation, or use a program like Screencast-O-Matic to capture the use of software or longer video clips.

• Publish or distribute the screencasts to students via Canvas or a website for students to access it.

Considerations

• Consider adding interactive elements or activities, such as pause-point quizzes, to increase student engagement. (See Idea for Interactive Learning Materials)

• Make screencasts available in standard, cross-platform formats (e.g., .mov, .mp4, .wmv) so they are viewable by students using a variety of devices or locations.

• Provide captions to be sure the screencast is accessible to all learners. Many programs can create captions automatically; the speech-to-text translations may not be accurate but are often editable. Or you can import a script or create captions yourself.

• Make sure you are following copyright if you are screencasting other materials you did not create, especially if they are made available on publicly accessible websites instead of classroom systems like Canvas. For more information, refer to the Code of Best Practices for Fair Use in Media Literacy Education.¹

Tips³

1. Use Frontal Light: Record so your face is illuminated

2. Be aware of what is behind you: Use a good background that isn’t distracting.

3. Get a good microphone: Sound test your microphone before recording.

4. Be real: Don’t read from a script. It’s okay to make mistakes and record them. This allows students to see you are also human.

5. Keep it tight: Have a solid plan and keep it as short as possible.

References

1. Code of Best Practices for Fair Use in Media Literacy Education. Center for Social Media, American University, School of Communication. Available online: https://cmsimpact.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/CodeofBestPracticesinFairUse_0.pdf

2. Miller, D. B,. & Zhao, A. (2017). Opening Up Higher Education with Screencasts. In: Jhangiana, R.S. & Biswas-Diener, R. (eds). Open: The Philosophy and Practices that are Revolutionizing Education and Science. Pp. 125-138. London: Ubiquity Press. Doi:https://doi.org/10.5334/bbc.j License: CC-BY 4.0.

3. Pacansky-Brock, M. (2017). Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies. New York, NY: Routledge.