Screencasting

I can't believe I haven't gotten to respond to screencasting before "Thing 3" was released. That is partly due to the fact that we have been traveling for the past 2 weeks, and it is hard to find a quiet place to record with three kids on vacation. :)  

Oh well, I was able to get here finally.  Screencasting isn't the topic I was most excited about, as I have used Screen-Cast-O-Matic a fair amount, and have developed a comfort level with it.  I had hoped to find something to do Screencasts from the iPad, but wasn't surprised to find that there is not a free tool yet.  We have a teacher in our Classroom 21 group who has flipped her 7th grade math class to a large extent, and has been looking for a tool to use with a tablet.  I will bring the tools for App-Casting to her attention though, as it may be well worth it for her needs.  

I did play with Jing, as a new tool to learn, and found it very simple to use.  Once I had it downloaded I pulled out my planning sheet (a nice tool to use with kids!), and had my Screencast recorded and uploaded in under 15 minutes.  It is always nice when things go smoothly!  This was good motivation for me to do something to promote the new library website, and now I have my Screencast all set for orientations in the fall, which feels great.  

In the past some teachers had a difficult time posting their screencasts, but Jing seems to have worked very well, so it will be a good option to share.  Of course those who are using it to Flip lessons, may not  find the 5 minute time limit enough for them.

I really appreciated Kathy Schrock's page of resources, she does great stuff!  I particularly like the labels on her Rubrics: "Awesome Screencast", "Cool Screencast", "OK Screencast", and "Re-do Screencast".  I particularly like that a One on the Rubric= "Re-do", because I think we need to do this more often, so our students learn how to improve their work rather than accepting below satisfactory products.  Her language makes expectations very clear for students.