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Screencasting in the Library

I love screencast programs. I've used screencasts in my music classroom as sub lesson plans, as directions in centers and when I'm having voice problems like strep and I need to be able to teach the same lesson every day of the week without putting strain of my voice. Today, I'm going to show you two different ways to use screencast using two different screencast programs.

Screencast-O-Matic

 Screencast-O-Matic is a web based screen capture program. You can find it here. You will need to download the record launcher, but once you do that, Screencast-O-Matic is really simple to use. A window pops up for you to select settings and once you do that, a small bar appears on your screen with controls while recording. Every time you press record, the recorder gives you a 3 second count down so you can get ready to go. You can pause, which is very useful. In addition, you can back up the recording and record over a previous mistake. I love this feature. There is a 15 minute limit on the free version, which is fine for most applications. When you are finished, you can review your recording and the choose to download the video or post it on your Screen-O-Matic account. It is a really simple tool that is super effective. The downside to Screencast-O-Matic is that it is web based so you can't use it if you are offline.



Jing 

 The next tool I'm going to highlight for screencasting is called Jing. Jing is downloadable here. It is a  program that you download and install onto your computer. Once installed, it creates a little orange dot on your desktop that you click to access the recording features and menu. Once again, fairly intuitive to use. The upside to Jing is that since you download it to your computer, you can work with it even if you are offline. Another downside to Jing is that I couldn't find a way to back up and record over mistakes. You can pause and start over, though.The link to my Jing screencast about Battle of the Books and how to access the information on our school library website about BotB.

http://screencast.com/t/NgobJ0cvHS

Overall, I found Screencast-O-Matic to be the easier to use option, even though it requires connectivity.

I also have a Vine & Instagram account to connect to my students. I went shopping recently for few books to add to my music book library and posted the covers to my Instagram account so my students can see what's new.
A photo posted by @pyrokleptic on

A photo posted by @pyrokleptic on



Comments

  1. PB the LibrarianMarch 19, 2016 at 5:39 PM

    I loved your screencasts. They were very informative and clear. I like how you have overdrive for students to check out audio. I will have to look into that. I am also interested how you do Battle of the Books. Do you write the questions? We have them from the company, but I desperately need to update the reading list. I like how your list incorporated Bluebonnet books also.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 20, 2016 at 2:58 PM

    I like the idea of using screencast-omatic for sub plans and recording lessons you know you have to repeat.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Elizabeth GrossMarch 23, 2016 at 6:10 PM

    Great work! It takes some preparation, but the result is worth it!

    ReplyDelete

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