7 Tips for Successful Screencasting You Can Do

Last week, I wrote about 4 reasons why screencasting has greatly helped me. And from looks of it, I wasn't the only one who was talking about screencasting last week! 


You can read last week's here ↬ Screencasting You Can Do.

Another EdTech guru I follow - Jake Miller - shared "3 Screencastify Features You (Probably) Didn't Know About". He's right! I didn't know about these 3! You definitely should read this.

Today, I want to share some tips if you've not started, or are new to, screencasting. Screencasting is a great tool for teachers for the reasons I shared last week, but it's also a great tool for students to use, too! They will most likely take to it easier than you or I!

Here are a few suggestions & tips:

When setting up your account (or setting up accounts with students), make sure you set it to automatically save to Google Drive. To do this, click on the extension, select  "Options" & on the new browser window, the top option is saving to Drive or on local device. I LOVE the Drive option. It will create a Screencastify folder for easy access with ALL your recordings in one place.

Learn and think through the potential uses for the recording options. You can record the browser tab, the entire desktop, or just the webcam (meaning what your camera sees). Each option has it's pros & cons. If you just choose the browser tab, you have to stay in just the open tab. The desktop will capture everything you can see on your screen. The webcam can capture outward images.

There's a time and place for your just your webcam to record. There's a time and place you don't want the webcam at all. There's also a time and place to have the webcam AND your screen being recorded. 

Be sure to point out specifically to your students the little black circle IS their camera! Some may not make that connection without it and be unsure where exactly to look.

The microphone. One more great tool to think about it. Make sure you notice if the microphone is on or off. I've made the mistake of recording and not checking - only to find out I forgot to turn it on! 😂 In a classroom setting, make sure your students understand they can record, but there will be a extra noise. Students can go a long way in being considerate of others by leaning in and talking quietly into their devices. It's all about sharing classroom space - not competing to see who is the loudest.

Rest assured - it might feel weird to record yourself! I know it felt awkward to me! Then to listen to myself ... let's just say I say I deleted quite a few recordings because I didn't like how I sounded! Then I realized ↬ everyone is used to hearing me ... except me!

This is super important ... name the ones you want to keep and don't be afraid to delete! If you mess up - DELETE. If it's a "keeper", NAME the video. Otherwise, your folder will be full of screencasts and you won't know which one is which. Students need constant reminders about this. It is incredibly tough to find the right video when you have a bunch a videos that all look the same.

Last one ... 

Keyboard shortcuts. SUPER helpful. I have them written on a post-it note with my computer. The most basic are the start/stop/pause. At the very least, write these down for handy reference.

to Start or Stop recording

to Pause & resume recording

Here is a LINK to Screencastify's collection of shortcuts. These are good for those who are ready to take screencasting to the next level.

I hope this helps you feel a little more confident in your screencasting adventures! Enjoy!

Please reach out if you have questions. You can comment below, or find me on Twitter @kiefersj -- or Google+ +SarahKiefer .