Tag: Screencast

Chromebooks are getting their own screencasting app!

đŸ“ș Check this out in video form on TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts. đŸ“ș

Once upon a time, the market for screencasting on Chromebooks was a 1-app game – Screencastify. But later others came on the scene, Screencast-o-matic, Loom, Flipgrid, and way too many for me to list here.

Well, better late than never, Google has joined this party! I’m not sure what took them so long, but Google is adding a Screencast app, built into Chrome OS in M103. 🎉

It will let you record your entire screen or a portion of your screen along with your webcam and your voice. Like most screencast solutions, it also lets you annotate on the screen while recording. Up to that point, it’s pretty similar to the other Chromebook screencasting options. What sets Google’s native option apart are a few things. 

First, the recordings are automatically stored in your Drive and, therefore, are easily shared with your colleagues and students. Likewise, it’s easy for your students to record things and submit them to you, plus it means student data is going to fewer servers since it’s staying within the Google ecosystem. 

My favorite part, though, is the automated transcript created with your recording. 📝

It is auto-generated but you can edit the text as needed.  The viewer sees that transcript alongside the video, they can use the transcript to jump to specific spots in the video, and they can even search the transcript for certain words.

You can also translate that transcript into any Google Translate-supported language. The UDL (Universal Design for Learning) here is off the charts. But, my favorite part, is that you can also edit out parts of the recording by clicking on parts of the transcript and clicking “skip.”  That edits them right out of the video.

Now, the catch here is that’s as far as your editing can go. If you want to fine-tune your video and become a YouTuber, this is not the tool for you. But if you want a screencasting tool for your classroom this may be the right one for you.

I should note that the transcript is only there for viewers who are also using Chromebooks. You can share the video with a non-Chromebook user. They’ll be able to see the raw video, but it won’t include the transcript and it won’t skip any sections that you opted for to skip. 

⭐ This tool is really only optimized for people recording on Chromebooks for viewers who will watch on Chromebooks, so keep that in mind.

đŸ“č Here is Eric Curts’ video demo of the tool which does a great job showing what it can do. This feature, by the way, should be available in all Google accounts when using a Chromebook that’s on Version 103.

đŸ“ș Check this out in video form on TikTok, Instagram Reels, or YouTube Shorts. đŸ“ș

[Video Source: https://youtu.be/hHyPcIHvlxo , Header Image Source: https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/theanywhereschool-overview/]

Continue reading Chromebooks are getting their own screencasting app!

EdTech Tool Comparison: Screencastify VS Loom

Screencastify or Loom? Trying to decide which of the two big dogs in classroom screencasting to use? Well, I’ve got your back. And not only do I have your back, but I have it in 4 formats: text, infographic, video, and podcast. Choose your flavor and get your learn on!

If you decide to use one of them, check out my Screencastify and Loom tutorials!

🍩 Flavor 1: Infographic

To access this Infographic in a screen-reader friendly version, please click the link to the Google Slides project in the description.
To access an up-to-date version of this infographic or to use it with a screen reader, please access it at as a Google Slides presentation at this link.

🍩 Flavor 2: Podcast

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/15243647/height/90/theme/custom/thumbnail/yes/direction/forward/render-playlist/no/custom-color/ffab40/” width=”100%” height=”90″ scrolling=”no” class=”podcast-class” frameborder=”0″ placement=”top” use_download_link=”” download_link_text=”” primary_content_url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/eduducttape/EdTech_Tool_Comparison-_Screencastify_VS_Loom.mp3″ theme=”custom” custom_color=”ffab40″ libsyn_item_id=”15243647″ /]

🍩 Flavor 3: Video

🍩 Flavor 4: Text!

Continue reading EdTech Tool Comparison: Screencastify VS Loom

Audio in the Classroom!

This is a sponsored post. All opinions and ideas (unless otherwise cited), however, are my own.

It seems like we are in a renaissance period for audio. Despite the dominance of videos and pictures (hello, TikTok, SnapChat and Instagram…), people are increasingly turning to audio for communication, learning, sharing and entertainment.

Podcast listenership continues to grow (some stats here and here), audio tools like Voxer are becoming increasingly popular for PLNs, educators freaked out when the addition of audio in Google Slides was delayed last spring and, lastly, “podcasting in the classroom” sessions at education conferences are becoming increasingly prevalent.

So, how can you use it in your classroom?  Before we get to that, let’s talk about how to create the audio files.

Audio Recording Options

There are lots of options out there, all of which have pros and cons.  I’ve discussed some on my podcast (here and here) and other educators have shared about options on their blogs (Eric Curts, John Sowash). As long as you identify your goal and think through the pros and cons, you’ll probably have multiple options to choose from.

One thing that I like to consider when selecting a tech tool for a new endeavor is: Do we already use a tool that can also do this effectively? Not only does that reduce the learning curve, but it means that we’re potentially connecting our students’ login and information with 1 less app or website.

If you like that line of thinking, Screencastify may be the option for you when it comes to audio in the classroom!  Did you realize that you could export Screencastify recordings as mp3 audio files? Check it out!

This animation shows the process of recording with Screencastify and then exporting the recording as an audio file.
Pausable version of this #EduGIF available here.

If you’re already using the tool in your classroom for screencasts and other video projects, it might be a great option for you.  This is available in the FREE version of the app.  Your files are limited to 5 minutes in length, but you can record as many videos (or, in this case, audio files) as you’d like.  The paid version provides unlimited video (or audio file) lengths.

21 Uses of Audio in the Classroom!

Continue reading Audio in the Classroom!

#EduDuctTape Episode 32!

In the 9th episode of Season 2, I talk with Sethi De Clercq of eduflip.net about effectively sharing new technology information with teachers, using video in the classroom and tools for students to create video with.  We talk about EdPuzzle, screencasting tools (Nimbus & Loom), Flipgrid, Explain Everything, Backchannel Chats and more!

Sethi De Clercq Episode Promo

 

#EduDuctTape Episode 31!

In the 8th episode of Season 2, I talk with Jornea Armant of Flipgrid about video creation tools and connecting students with the entire learning community. We discuss Flipgrid, WeVideo, Seesaw, Adobe Spark, screencasting tools and more. Also, in my Soapbox Moment, what we do when a tech tool goes away.

Jornea Armant Episode Promo

 

15+ Tools for Student Voice

In episode 28 of the Educational Duct Tape Podcast, Mike Mohammad joined me for a chit-chat.  One of the topics that we discussed was student voice.  I posed the question, “How can educators provide opportunities for student voice?”

Mike promptly made the distinction between student voice and student choice.  While both are powerful things to leverage in the classroom, they are very different (though we often lump them together, as Mike pointed out).

I think that educators’ definitions for the term student voice are inconsistent – some seem to believe that it simply means
– hearing each student’s answer or thinking
– while others believe that it means empowering the students to have a voice in some (or all!) aspects of their education.

Mike made it clear in his response that he subscribes to the 2nd “definition” of student voice.  His response fits with the description that Edutopia uses: student voice involves letting “students’ input and expertise … help shape their classroom, their school, and ultimately their own learning and growth.”

I definitely believe that that is the type of student voice that we want to strive for.  In a recent #EduDuctTape chat, educators shared their favorite tool for empowering student voice.  It’s important to note that simply using the tool doesn’t provide opportunity for or empowerment of student voice.  It’s all about how you use it.

Here are some of their responses:

Continue reading 15+ Tools for Student Voice

A Google Slides Hack to Replace ChatterPix or Blabberize

This idea–a true moment of educational duct tape (using technology to solve a classroom problem or goal)–actually came to me while recording an episode of my Educational Duct Tape Podcast!

In Episode 5, I played a question that Linda Hummer shared to the Educational Duct Tape Community FlipGrid along with Abbey Thomas’ answer.  Linda’s question was, essentially, what is an alternative to Chatterpix that works on Chromebooks?  Abbey’s answer was Blabberize. And the question was answered!  Or, so I thought…

After the episode aired, Dan Gallagher shared on that same grid some words of caution: Blabberize’s Terms of Service indicate that it’s not appropriate for all ages.  So, in Episode 6, I shared this and then, on the spot, found a hack for a solution:

I’ve posted about #StopMotionSlides a number of times (here are my tips for making them) and they make a pretty good solution for this.  Put a picture into a slide, use some careful cropping and then leverage a stop motion technique.  Not only can you make the mouth move up and down, but you can then publish the animation (#13 in these tips) and then record them with Screencastify (or your screencasting tool of choice) with a voiceover (#14 in these tips)!

Voila!  Not as easy as Chatterpix, but at least it eliminates the need of adding another tool and another set of terms of service to what you use with your students: you likely already use Google Slides & Screencastify!

Plus, unlike ChatterPix or Blabberize, you can have multiple characters, your characters can move, the scene change…  You–and your students–can get super creative!

Here’s an animated GIF of the process, followed by a step-by-step breakdown.

Google Slides ChatterPix Blabberize Hack Animation

Continue reading A Google Slides Hack to Replace ChatterPix or Blabberize

3 Screencastify Features You (Probably) Didn’t Know About

Screencastify is my favorite “lightweight” screen recording tool. I prefer it because 1) it works on Chromebooks, 2) it syncs to Drive and 3) it has all 3 important options (webcam, screen and webcam + screen).  Recently, I discovered 3 features that I hadn’t realized were there – and I’m guessing you hadn’t either.  So, here we go!

 

1. Move, Resize & toggle the webcam

I believe that including webcam video in a screencast is best practice.  However, it doesn’t need to be there for the entire video and sometimes it gets in the way.  So, in Screencastify’s Tab Recording mode, it’s super convenient that you can toggle the webcam off, resize it and move it – mid-recording!  You can also flip the camera, which is nice if you need to hold up something with text on it or, you know, if you have a non-symmetrical hairstyle. đŸ€Ș  Note that (currently) you cannot customize your webcam in Desktop Recording Mode.

Screencastify Tab Recording Webcam Features Animation

2. Cursor effects

If you’re recording a tutorial on your computer, cursor effects–like click animations or highlighting the cursor–are essential.  They’re available in both Desktop and Tab Recording Mode.

Screencastify Cursor Effects Animation

3. Switch tabs

Tab Recording Mode is nice for a number of reasons: it lets you reference things “off camera,” lets you customize the webcam window (see above), creates smaller file sizes and lets your computer run more smoothly. But, what if you realize that you need to record a different tab mid-video? Just click on the extension and select “Record This Tab.”

Screencastify Switch Tabs Animation

Note: I learned of many of these features on Screencastify’s blog.

Comparing GIF Creation Options

**Originally posted in December 2017, edited in August 2018 and then editing again in October 2019 to reflect new options that have become available or that I have discovered.  Also in October 2019, I added the new table format below.**

In February of 2017, I found my niche in the online #edtech world – and a new passion – creating #eduGIFs.  In the time since then, I’ve been asked dozens, if not hundreds, of times how I create them.  Here I’ll dive into 1) a little background on what I do & why I use the tool I use, 2) other options to consider and 3) my advice on what to use (feel free to skip to there). Continue reading Comparing GIF Creation Options