Screencasts

    A screencast is a video which can record any actions that are being done in a computer as well as yourself. It is an awesome tool for education as it takes it up a notch. Educators like ourselves can give instructions while also giving students a visual as to how exactly it is supposed to be done. I had never had the opportunity to do one and now I am glad I can. One of my professors, for a previous class, had used this program and I though it was just amazing! Screencasts are extremely helpful, especially if you are a visual learner. There are so many benefits when using a screencast not just for students, but for parents as well. Some parents might need extra help navigating through school websites or with homework assignments and this is the perfect tool to use as it personally guides the viewer through practically any process.

    For my first attempt at a creencast I chose to make an account with Screencast-O-Matic. I registered and was able to use it for free but it does offer more versions with more options. The free version was sufficient for this assignment as it gave a great amount of options to choose from as well. The limit is 15 minutes and that was more than I even needed. I did have to run the program through my computer but I did not have to download any software. I was able to pause and continue and that was great because I was interrupted several times but Screencast-O-Matic let me pause the video I was doing and continue as need be. Perfect for those who have little ones running around, we all know how many times we get interrupted in one day.



   For my second screencast, "Citing Your Sources" I opted to use Screencastify, which is awesome, because it is an extension of google. There are a few packages to choose from but I chose the free version, which gives you the ability to create 50 videos a month which is more than enough. It is extremely user friendly and a great tool to use. I love how it is associated with Google because I can save my videos on my google drive and manage them as I choose.
  The program is extremely user friendly, today is the first day I make my own screencasts and I really enjoyed the process.



   I was able to make two different screenscasts with two different programs and I have to say it was quite an experience. I had experienced several screen casts before in other classes but making my own was by far the best experience. As a teacher and future librarian,I believe Screencastify can serve many educational purposes in the classroom and in so many other ways as well. Both programs were great and extremely easy to use, but Screencastify would be the one I would prefer to use personally and professionally. I work in a school district where there are a lot of Spanish speaking parents who sometimes have trouble helping their children  with homework. I believe I can use screencasts to clarify topics and lessons for parents as well as students. Screencasts can also be used for professional development trainings for teachers as well, a lot of the programs and licenses that are bought for educational purposes are sometimes not used because teachers don't know how to use them. Oh the possibilities!