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Screencasting: Petersen and Gelfand

Page history last edited by kmgelfand 15 years ago

Screen-casting!

Created by Katrina Gelfand and Amber Petersen

What is Screencasting???

A screencast is a video that allows you to take the images from a computer screen along with someone talking about what’s being shown. This might take the form of a formal narrated Powerpoint presentation, a software demo, or an informal walk-through of a particular concept. A video that combines demos of some of the key tasks with an overview of the concepts around the software could provide a compelling introduction.These kinds of videos, called screencasts, can be powerful tools to demonstrate technical tasks, or to illustrate technical concepts that are hard to explain in words. The video and audio components can make a topic more engaging than written instructions or static images, while also appealing to different learning styles. Software also allows you to add audio narration to a Powerpoint presentation, and integrate real-life video, photos, and music. Once completed, screencasts can be easily distributed via blog posts, RSS feeds, tags, and social media video hosts like OurMedia or Blip.tv. These channels allow you to share training screencasts with a distributed audience, or put your ideas out onto the Social Web to open the door to collaboration. Some of the best screencasts are folksy, intimate experiences that feel as if you were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a friend. As screencasts often contain impromptu discoveries by the narrator, or even small mistakes, they can be more approachable — and thus more effective — than glitzy packaged instructional videos. A good screencast projects an image of transparency, trust, and authenticity. For more information about Screencasting follow this link http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/training/page6885.cfm

History

Jon Udell, the lead analyst for the InfoWorld Test Center, invented the word “screencast” in 2004. As a product developer and manager, he had used the software Lotus ScreenCam and Windows Media Encoder for over a decade. While he used Lotus ScreenCam to create video demonstrations of software, Windows Media Encoder not only gave him the capability to record screen actions and audio voiceovers, but it could act as a transcoder too. This means that Windows Media Encoder can change other media formats into Windows Media. Jon Udell is the one who put together the famous early example of a screencast. His video shows the evolution of a Wikipedia site called “Heavy Metal Umlaut” over time. This was made in order to visually demonstrate to people how a Wikipedia website works and can be edited continuously by the public.

Jon Udell

How can it be used in the classroom?

There are several ways for teachers and students to use screencasting:

Parents can use it to view what the students are doing in the classroom.
Students who are absent can still get the same directions and visual as students that were present.
It can allow students with disabilities watch it til they get or slow it down enough for them to understand.
When there is a sub in a classroom it can be a way for the teacher to explain how to use software that they may have to use while in your classroom.
Teachers can exchange different software advice.
Students can make presentations that they can visually show their classmates.
Demonstrate a topic.
Explain a website.
Analyze a concept through a software on the computer
Teach parents how to navigate certain software and websites
Narrate presentations in powerpoint
Narratedemonstrations of how to use a program
Video of technical problems to send to technical support

What do you need?

Microphone
Screencasting software
Webcam (optional)

Seven Steps to Screencasting

Content is king.
If you don’t have something to present, you don’t have a screencast! In most cases, a screencast is produced to teach a process or technique, or get a set of ideas across to an audience. If you cannot keep the attention of the audience, the screencast may be rendered useless. When choosing a topic, start with areas that are within your knowledge base, and can be covered in the time allotted to complete the series.
Planning.
A script may or may not be utilized in preparation, but it is good practice to complete a dry run of the presentation before actually hitting the record button. Practice makes perfect, and the more familiar you are with your content, the more polished the final recording will be.
Push the red button.
It’s time to shine, and if your preparation went well, this step should be relatively easy. Remember to move at a pace that is comfortable for your audience and speak clearly so as to avoid any confusion. Audio can be added in post production instead of being recorded during the presentation, but this will require an extra editing step and can break the flow of the delivery if not done correctly.
Review the video.
Be sure that no steps were left out and that the flow of the presentation makes sense and will be easy to follow for your intended audience. If imperfections are found, you may choose to edit or re-record the video altogether.
Editing.
If necessary, edit the video according to your standards. Include any transitions, intros, outros, or other post production items.
Produce.
Export your video with the settings that best fit your intended output, whether that will be streaming from a webpage, downloadable media or delivery on a disc.
Distribute the videos.
There are several options from hosting your own weblog site and leveraging an RSS feed, to using a service such as screencast.com, YouTube or revver.com.