Screencasting Basics

Let me start off with a disclaimer, I am not a teacher, in the traditional sense, but rather a trainer. I know little about lesson plans however having some sort of plan, or an outline, for a workshop/training I feel is in the same ballpark. With that being said, I feel that we can proceed with the example I found detailing how to create a screencast. A screencast is a video of recorded on-screen actions that may incorporate recorded audio and live video footage which is used, in most cases, to instruct others which is growing in popularity in academia.

Below is a screencast, from Paul Anderson, about what is needed to teach via screencast, also posted here on sharemylesson.com.

Although the video is short, it covers a lot of good topics that the viewer can take note of as they venture into the world of screencasting. The some of components I would say are not critical to creating a screencast, a laptop already features a camera and microphone. Paul explains his preference for including an external microphone, a drawing tablet and additional software which compliments his teaching style.

I believe this is an excellent example of how to screencast because he shares his take on screencasts and how he creates each one. I feel that anyone that explains and demonstrates their secrets, truly wants others to learn, and in my book is what an instructor should be. Also, he's doing an Inception-like demonstration (go to 7:57 in the video), he's recording a screencast of a screencast! If you've attempted screencasts before you may understand the complexity in the demonstration.

I also think the process of creating a screencast is an exercise in constructivism. The recording of the screen isn't really the significant part of the process, editing is the part where the user really starts to apply knowledge. However, before you can edit you need to record, but before you record you need to plan. It's at the planning stage where users start to test their knowledge based on past experiences. Let's take our video as an example. Paul uses a variety of software for his screencast but I want to focus on his presentation software, Keynote. I'm assuming he had prior knowledge of Keynote--or maybe even experience with PowerPoint prior to learning Keynote which is another constructivist moment--before he created his first screencast. Paul had to map out, perhaps by illustrating a storyboard, and write up a script or outline all of which are skills based on previous knowledge that he applied towards this new experience.

Lastly, is this topic equitable? On the surface, Paul's set up isn't what I would call simple and it definitely adds to the cost of creating a screencast. The extra components, as explained before, are not necessary to create the video. The software itself, while not as expensive as other video editing software, is also not critical in simply recording you screen. If your goal is to create short (less than 5 minute) videos, Jing is a free screencast/capture software that will allow you to do just that. There are drawbacks to using Jing as it does not have the ability to edit videos nor can you save the video in a format that you could edit easily. When it comes to equity and technology, they have an inverse relationship. As the cost of the technology barrier increases, equitability declines. I believe screencasts can be an equitable solution as low to no cost options exist.