I have been a fan of screencasts since I discovered that anyone with the tiniest bit of computer savvy could make them. Why spend hours trying to type up a detailed explanation of how to do something on the computer when you can just demonstrate it instead? Not only does screencasting save you time, it makes it easier for your audience to understand what you are trying to get across.
My inaugural experience of making a screencast came early in my first semester as a library science student. Blackboard is not very user-friendly when it comes to adding hyperlinks, so once I finally figured out how to do it, I recorded a short screencast to share with my classmates. It was immediately obvious to me that this was a great tool for teachers and librarians. Teachers can pair screencasting with a Google slides presentation to deliver flipped instruction, keep things running smoothly during a planned absence, or provide a review for students who were absent or need extra help. Librarians can use screencasts to deliver professional development on Web 2.0 applications or help students understand how to use the online catalog or databases.
One of the best things about screencasting is that there are lots of free options for recording them, and most of them don't require downloading software or purchasing additional equipment. My earliest forays into screencasting were with Screencast-O-Matic. In addition to the free version, Screencast-O-Matic also has an extremely affordable premium version (only $1.50 per month!), so this could be an attractive option for those who want access to the extra features but have limited funds to spend. I never really enjoyed the user experience with Screencast-O-Matic, however, because of the way their recorder functions. It felt clunky to me because of the way you launch the recorder as a separate window and then toggle back to the screen you wish to capture, and I always had trouble figuring out how to stop recording.
My next experience was with Screencastify, which is an extension for Google Chrome. (Being a 1:1 campus with Chromebooks, this is a big positive.) Compared to Screencast-O-Matic, I loved the ease of being able to launch the recorder by clicking on the Screencastify icon to the right of my Chrome address bar. With their Lite plan, users can record up to 50 videos per month, and videos can be up to 10 minutes long. If you want to record longer videos, more videos, remove the watermark (which inconveniently covers up a small portion of the screen), or edit your videos, you will need to upgrade to a Premium account. Fortunately this is almost as inexpensive as Screencast-O-Matic's plan ($24 per year). I used Screencastify to record the following video which tells my students how to access the databases from our website.
Although I found Screencastify easier to use than Screencast-O-Matic, I still wasn't satisfied. Like Goldilocks looking for the "just right" bowl of porridge, I needed to try out a third option, and Loom turned out to be my baby bear screencast recorder. Like Screencastify, it has an extension for Chrome that makes launching the recorder as simple as clicking the mouse and is equally user-friendly in its settings. Unlike Screencastify, however, the free version lets you record videos with no time limit, there is no watermark, and you can perform basic editing to trim out parts of your video that you aren't happy with. Users are only allowed a maximum of 100 videos, but that limit just applies to active videos. You can always create more space by archiving older videos or downloading and then deleting them. Honestly, I was blown away by how superior Loom was to the other screen recorders I tried. Here is the screencast I made with Loom to explain to students how to use Flipgrid.
My inaugural experience of making a screencast came early in my first semester as a library science student. Blackboard is not very user-friendly when it comes to adding hyperlinks, so once I finally figured out how to do it, I recorded a short screencast to share with my classmates. It was immediately obvious to me that this was a great tool for teachers and librarians. Teachers can pair screencasting with a Google slides presentation to deliver flipped instruction, keep things running smoothly during a planned absence, or provide a review for students who were absent or need extra help. Librarians can use screencasts to deliver professional development on Web 2.0 applications or help students understand how to use the online catalog or databases.
One of the best things about screencasting is that there are lots of free options for recording them, and most of them don't require downloading software or purchasing additional equipment. My earliest forays into screencasting were with Screencast-O-Matic. In addition to the free version, Screencast-O-Matic also has an extremely affordable premium version (only $1.50 per month!), so this could be an attractive option for those who want access to the extra features but have limited funds to spend. I never really enjoyed the user experience with Screencast-O-Matic, however, because of the way their recorder functions. It felt clunky to me because of the way you launch the recorder as a separate window and then toggle back to the screen you wish to capture, and I always had trouble figuring out how to stop recording.
My next experience was with Screencastify, which is an extension for Google Chrome. (Being a 1:1 campus with Chromebooks, this is a big positive.) Compared to Screencast-O-Matic, I loved the ease of being able to launch the recorder by clicking on the Screencastify icon to the right of my Chrome address bar. With their Lite plan, users can record up to 50 videos per month, and videos can be up to 10 minutes long. If you want to record longer videos, more videos, remove the watermark (which inconveniently covers up a small portion of the screen), or edit your videos, you will need to upgrade to a Premium account. Fortunately this is almost as inexpensive as Screencast-O-Matic's plan ($24 per year). I used Screencastify to record the following video which tells my students how to access the databases from our website.
Although I found Screencastify easier to use than Screencast-O-Matic, I still wasn't satisfied. Like Goldilocks looking for the "just right" bowl of porridge, I needed to try out a third option, and Loom turned out to be my baby bear screencast recorder. Like Screencastify, it has an extension for Chrome that makes launching the recorder as simple as clicking the mouse and is equally user-friendly in its settings. Unlike Screencastify, however, the free version lets you record videos with no time limit, there is no watermark, and you can perform basic editing to trim out parts of your video that you aren't happy with. Users are only allowed a maximum of 100 videos, but that limit just applies to active videos. You can always create more space by archiving older videos or downloading and then deleting them. Honestly, I was blown away by how superior Loom was to the other screen recorders I tried. Here is the screencast I made with Loom to explain to students how to use Flipgrid.
If you've been curious about screencasting, then download Loom today and give it a try! Your students (or fellow educators) will thank you.
I love your blog title! It is so creative! I am excited to learn more about Loom. I hadn't heard much about that before we entered this module. I am looking forward to using it soon and testing it out! :) Thanks for the info!
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