Screencasts

This week I took a look into screencasts and how to use them in the library and what site was the most user friendly. Screencasts can be used in a variety of ways. I think their best use in the library is to use them to teach students how to use the resources and the online catalog. I find myself saying the same thing over and over again to explain how to use the different resources that are provided for the students. I think that the way I would use screencasts in the library is to create a different screencast for each resource that they will need assistance with and post them on my website. That way if they need help and I am not around or they are home they will be able to watch the screencast and know what to do. I also have a colleague that helps me when I am not sure about how to find a report on Renaissance Place or Destiny by sending me a screencast because she says that it is easier to watch over and over again then for her to explain it over and over again on the phone because we are at different schools.  So screencasts can be used to show someone how to do something on the computer without you having to be there. They are very useful for many things an can help you from saying the same thing over and over again. To make screencasts I looked into Screencast-o-matic, Screenr, Jing, and Explain a Website.

Screencast-o-matic: http://screencast-o-matic.com

This is a free site that just requires you to set up an account. It is very quick and easy to do. You can also purchase the Pro version for only $15 a year if you would like to ability to edit your screencasts. I chose not to upgrade yet but might consider it in the future. There are also tutorial videos to help answer questions or tell you how to get started. I found it to be very easy. When you are ready to record it guides you through. I did have to upgrade my Java settings but that didn't take very long and I am not really sure that I really had to do that, it was just recommended and so I did. I really enjoyed making this screencasts on this site and was so relieved at easy it was to do. I really had no trouble and was very pleased with this site and highly recommend it. Below is the screencast that I created to show my students how to access and search for books using the online catalog. Please ignore the part about my home screen. I am still working on that page, sorry.

Screenr: https://www.screenr.com/

When I went to look into the site Screenr I was unfortunately given the news that the website was no longer in service because their recording capability is based on Java which is becoming very outdated. A lot of browsers are no longer running Java so the screencasts that are created on Screenr will not be able to be played anywhere so they are shutting down. This is a picture of the screen you will see when searching for Screenr.

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

This is another great site that I think would be very user friendly. They offer great step by step tutorial videos that you can watch before you start. There are a lot of really neat features to this site as well. The only downside to this is that you have to download their program on to your computer and I can not do that at the moment so I was unable to really dig deeper and try one for my self. The videos though make it look very easy to use and something that I plan on looking into when I am able to download their program.

If you have an iPad and don't mind spending a $1 there is also an app called Explain a Website that you can download to make screencasts. I was unable to explore this app at the moment because I do not have access to my Wi-Fi due to moving and Comcast issues. I did just want to mention it though and let people be aware that there is an "app for that"!

Overall I feel screencasts will be used in the future in my library to help not only my students but me as well. It will save time and allow students to be able to understand how to use resources while they are at home or when a teacher is not available to help them. I feel that students can also make some really neat projects using screencasts and can teach their peers about different websites and resources. There are many ways to use screencasts!