Developing educational screencasts: practical tips and pedagogical issues

Damien Raftery

Teaching and Learning Centre

Institute of Technology CarloweLearning Development Officer

http://elearn.itcarlow.ie

Developing educational screencasts

• What is a screencast?– Potential uses– Examples and exemplars– Word of caution

• Screen capture process• Screen capture software

– Recording with Screenr.com– Publishing

• References

What is a screencast?

• A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen activity, often containing audio narration

– Budgett et al (2007)

• … a “look over my shoulder” effect similar to one-on-one instruction

• … access whenever and wherever it is convenient

– Educause Learning Initiative (2006)

• … appeals to different learning styles • … more approachable than glitzy packaged

instructional videos– Kanter B (2008)

• Podcasting is Dead. Long Live Video!– Cann A J (2007)

• Builds on existing teaching expertise

What is a screencast?

Potential uses

• introducing a module• providing guidelines or giving an overview• reviewing a difficult concept• previewing a forthcoming lecture, reviewing or

summarising a previous lecture • supporting an activity or project• revising for a test• answering frequently asked questions

Software example using Jing

Potential uses

• demonstrating a software or website feature (particularly useful for software that students have limited access to)

• illustrating the steps to solve a problem• explaining a technical diagram or picture• correcting or giving feedback

– Raftery D (2010)

• handwriting a solution using a tablet with voice-overs (mathcasts)

– Bonnington et al (2007), Budgett et al (2007), Fahlberg et al (2007)

Mathcast example using Screenr

Some examples

• Screenr.com– downloaded MP4– http://screenr.com/user/damienraftery

• Jing & screencast.com– http://www.screencast.com/t/BrtTyut5

• Adobe Captivate– http://elearn.itcarlow.ie/bb/blackboard.htm

Exemplars

• http://demogirl.com/ – a blog with short screencasts explaining new internet applications and services, useful to

see some good screencasts and Molly McDonald explains how she makes a screencast (http://demogirl.com/2008/01/14/want-to-see-how-i-make-a-screencast/)

•  http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/ – Russell Stannard's website is a collection of screencasts to help teachers incorporate

technology into their teaching. It demonstrates the usefulness of screencasts, and has a series of screencasts on using Camtasia

•  http://scraster.com/– a website of a professional screencast creation company, including examples, a blog and a

short screencast overview of the company approach to creating screencasts (http://scraster.com/82/scraster-professional-screencasting-a-3-minute-introduction-2/)

•  http://www.lynda.com/ – website of provider of educational materials on using technology. Many of their courses

comprise of a series of screencasts and it provides an opportunity to review some high quality screencasts.

– Raftery D (2010)

Word of caution

• Watching a screencast can be passive• Need to think about

– where your students will use the screencast?• computer lab v. online (Articulate example)

– how your students will use the screencast?– what your students will do before watching?

whilst watching? after watching?• Need to be SHORT, also

– student-focused rather than teacher-focused– pedagogically-led rather than technology-led

Screen capture process

- Raftery D (2010)

Prepare

• Plan carefully• Create a

storyboard (optional)

• Keep short (split if necessary)

• Decide when to record audio

• Create a script (optional)

• Incorporate cues to encourage active learning

Capture

• Use computer, screen capture software and microphone

• Record important part of the screen at low resolution

• Chunk and minimise cognitive overload

• Record and review a rough run-through

Produce

• Edit video• Edit narration

(or record audio at this point)

• Add captions, highlights and other elements

• Add pauses with instructions

• Add interactivity and quizzes

Publish

• Create final files in desired format and quality (e.g. MP4)

• Upload to VLE, blog or webpage

See also Mount N & Chambers C (2008) and Oud J (2009)

Screen capture software

Screenr.com Jing Adobe Captivate

Free Free (commercial upgrade) Commercial

5 mins maximum 5 mins maximum Unlimited

No editing No editing (can bring into Camtasia to edit)

Powerful editing suite including interactions and quiz

MP4 SWF (commercial also MP4) SWF

Unbranded MP4 Branded (commercial not)

Record from browser (no software to install, integrates with Twitter)

Install Install

Easy YouTube upload No YouTube upload(commercial can)

Difficult YouTube upload

Learn in 5 minutes! Learn in 15 minutes! Learn in 6 hours!

Also Techsmith’s Camtasia and many more

The Rapid E-Learning Blog

• How to Use This Free Screencasting Tool for E-Learning– overview of using screenr with tips

• How to Create Screencasts You Can Be Proud Of– full of useful tips on creating screencasts– links to 100 eLearning tutorials created using

Screenr

Screenr.com

• Go to http://twitter.com– create a twitter account

• Go to http://screenr.com – watch the 1-minute tour– record a 15 second screencast– upload (using your Twitter account)– embed your screencast in Blackboard

Jing and screencast.com

Alternative free tool• http://jingproject.com/

– install Jing (download or files in H:\elearn\Jing)• http://www.screencast.com/

– create a screencast.com account

Publishingsharing your screencast

• Upload to screenr.com or screencast.com

(or upload to YouTube)– link to or embed from Blackboard

• Or upload MP4 or SWF file into Blackboard

Embedding in Blackboard

References• Bonnington C P, Oates G, Parnell S, Paterson J and Stratton W (2007) ‘A report on the use of

tablet technology and screen recording software in tertiary mathematics courses’ 6th Southern Hemisphere Conference on Mathematics and Statistics Teaching and Learning http://www.bonnington.org/publications/TabletLectureRecording.pdf

• Budgett S, Cumming J and Miller C (2007) ‘The role of Screencasting in statistics courses’ Paper presented at the International Statistical Institute conference (Lisbon)

• Cann A J (2007) Podcasting is Dead. Long Live Video! www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/journal/vol10/beej-10-C1.pdf

• Costello E (2008) “Developing Educational Resources Using Camtasia Studio” NDLR workshop presentation http://www.ndlr.ie/mshe/

• Educause Learning Initiative (2006) “Screencasting and education” http://www.ourmedia.org/node/255213

• Fahlberg T, Fahlberg-Stojanovska L and MacNeil G (2007) “Whiteboard math movies” Teaching Mathematics and Its Applications 26(1)

• Kanter B (2008) “Screencasting Primer” http://screencastingprimer.wikispaces.com/primer • Mount, N. & Chambers, C. (2008). Podcasting and practicals. In G. Salmon & P. Edirisingha

(Eds.), Podcasting for Learning in Universities. (pp. 43-56). Berkshire: Open University Press.• Oud, J. (2009). Guidelines for effective online instruction using multimedia screencasts.

Reference Services Review, 37(2), 164-177. • Peterson E (2007) “Incorporating Screencasts in Online Teaching”

http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/viewArticle/495/935• Raftery, D. (2010) ‘Developing educational screencasts – a practitioner’s perspective’ in

Donnelly, R., Harvey, J., and O’Rourke, K., eds., Critical Design and Effective Tools for E-Learning in Higher Education: Theory into Practice, Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. [In progress]

• The Rapid E-Learning Blog, http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/