Screencasts

Screencasts are great ways to connect with students at anytime.  You can create almost any kind of video that students can access anytime day or night. As always, it is important for you to check out both before deciding which one suits you best.   For this post, I used two sites, Screencast-O-matic and Jing.

Screencast-O-Matic (http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/)

Here is a link incase the embedded video doesn't play: http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/coXfD0hXzR

Inital Setup - Screen-O-Matic was easy to register for.  Registration is typical for web applications in that you use your email and create a password for your account.  A free account allows for a 15 minute screencast.  You can opt to use your webcam, publish to YouTube or download your screencast is several different formats.  If you want more editing features, then I suggest you opt for a Pro account that costs $15 per year.

Recording - Recording is quick and painless.  You just click "Start Recording" and you set the screen outline to record.  Hit record and your off.  Once you are done, you can hit to the stop button and review your screencast.  You  have three options once your video is ready: publish the video to YouTube, publish to screencast-o-matic, or download your video.

My Thoughts: I have used Screen-O-matic before and I like it.  I think it is easy to use. I really liked how it highlighted my cursor and mouse click on the screen.  You also have the option to use your webcam.  My only complaint was a Java script that kept making it difficult for me to view my video.  I could never get my video to download, but at this point, I don't know if it is related to the Java script or my Mac workstation being stubborn.  However, I definitely feel I will use this in future.

Jing (https://www.techsmith.com/jing.html)

Destiny Quest

Initial Setup: Like Screen-O-Matic, Jing allows you to capture images and videos on your computer screen and share them via the web.  Jing is a free download and no registration is required.  I used Chrome as my internet browser and I was able to easily install Jing and launch it through my Applications.

Recording: Once I launched the application, the Jing symbol appears and quickly moves to the top right hand side of the screen.  I selected "Capture" and then set what part of my screen I wanted to use.  You have two options at this point: to capture an image or video.  I chose video.  After a three second countdown, my recording began.  Once I was finished, I clicked Stop and I was able to review my video.

My Thoughts:  I've used Jing before and I've noticed that the Technology department at my school will send Jing links out periodically.  Like Screen-O-Matic, I think Jing is easy to use and would be a great option to create online videos.  My one complaint is that Jing did not give me an embed code to use for this blog.  It only gave me an embed link.  While not a huge drawback, it does require my readers to leave my site in order to view the video.  I would rather them stay on my page and view the video from my blog.

NOTE:  I also tried to use another recording web application called Screenr.  Unfortunately, due to a Java component,  I was not able to launch the application.  Chrome, Safari, and Firefox web browsers would not accept the Java installation.  Screenr will no longer be available after 11/11/2015.

Which will I use?
I think I will use both applications and it depends on where I'm putting my video.  I do really like that Screen-O-Matic gives me an embed code and I can use my webcam if I want to .  This would probably sway me in using it more than Jing.  However, if I'm sending an email, Jing would probably be the application I use.  I've already embedded my NoodleTools screencast on my LibGuide for my 4th graders.