Digital Learning at Grant Wood AEA
  • Home
  • Learn
    • Summer Summit
    • ITEC 2019
    • Iowa 1 to 1
    • Green Screen
    • Stop Motion
    • Physical Computing
    • Free Media
    • AR/VR in Schools
  • Think
    • Blog
    • BrightBytes
    • Tech Coaches
    • Blended Learning
    • Think Make Innovate
    • Edtech Take Out
  • Grow
    • Pear Deck Resources
    • Makerspaces
    • Google Expeditions
    • GWAEA Online Resources
    • OER
    • Computer Science
  • COVID19
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Learn
    • Summer Summit
    • ITEC 2019
    • Iowa 1 to 1
    • Green Screen
    • Stop Motion
    • Physical Computing
    • Free Media
    • AR/VR in Schools
  • Think
    • Blog
    • BrightBytes
    • Tech Coaches
    • Blended Learning
    • Think Make Innovate
    • Edtech Take Out
  • Grow
    • Pear Deck Resources
    • Makerspaces
    • Google Expeditions
    • GWAEA Online Resources
    • OER
    • Computer Science
  • COVID19
  • Contact

Set-up Your Seesaw Classroom Blog and Get Connected!

11/15/2018

0 Comments

 
Mindy on a soapbox saying,

When I share all the great things about Seesaw, I still hear experienced users say, "I had no idea I can create a classroom blog through Seesaw." What's even better? You can connect and navigate to other classroom blogs so students can get real-life, authentic experience with communicating and creating online with even our youngest students--all inside Seesaw. Check out the video below for a 10 minute tutorial of how to get started!

Find a Seesaw Blog to Connect With!
~Mindy Cairney
@TeamCairney
​mcairney@gwaea.org
0 Comments

Screencasting Tips for Teachers

11/5/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Click play to listen to this blog post
A screencast is a video recording of the screen on your computer or mobile device. In education, it is typically used to create how-to videos, but it can also be used for grading student work, showing student knowledge on a given topic, or narrating a slide deck. The ability to do this well is quickly becoming a core competency for teachers, especially in the age of blended and flipped classrooms. It's also a really useful skill if you are involved in any kind of professional development at your district.

To create a really good screencast, you need to break it up into three distinct parts. In this blog post we will look at some simple changes you can make before you record, while you record, and after you record, in order to maximize the impact of the screencasts you create at your school.

Before Recording

  • Choose a quiet place to record. This minimizes distracting sounds in the final video.
  • Clean up your desktop. It can be distracting for viewers and can make for a bad impression.
  • Mute notifications on all devices, not just the one you are recording on.
  • Open all the tabs and apps you need for the recording so they are read to go.
  • Close tabs and apps you don't need for the recording. This frees up extra memory on your computer and helps ensure things run smoothly while you record.
  • Have a script or outline to help you remember what to say and what order to say it in. Some people like a word for word script. Others prefer bullet points or a list.
  • Do a practice run. This is important for finding out what works and what doesn't when you come to record later on.

During Recording

  • Use a USB Mic. The quality is better than the mic that is built-in to your computer. It will make your screencast sound more professional and can cut down on background noise.
  • Don't stop...even if you make mistakes. If you trip over a word or phrase, pause for a few seconds, then say it again. You can edit this out later.
  • Try not to exceed one minute per grade level. If you are making a video for 4th graders, try to keep it under 4 minutes. Shorter is always better. You can always make multiple videos if you have to.
  • Use text, images and video to add variety to your screencasts. For instance, some tools let you add a webcam recording of yourself.
  • Be yourself. Record with energy and humor. Try to engage your audience. Talk as if they were right there listening to your record. It improves your chances of keeping people watching to the very end.
  • Try recording with a partner. If you have a stage or content partner, experiment with a two-person screencast for more variety in voice and in personality. Treat it like a podcast or radio show.
  • For inking, try a Wacom tablet or a mobile device. Don't subject people to the writing you do with the touchpad on your laptop unless you are very good at it!

After Recording

  • Remember those mistakes you made while recording? A video editor can help you edit those out.
  • Video editors are also great for trimming website loading times. Just because you had to wait for the website to load, doesn't mean your viewers have to. If you can, don't speak while a website loads, then you can cut it out later and not miss any of the instructional content.
  • Some editors will let you add annotations on screen. This can be great for calling attention to things on the screen or for adding information that you forgot to include during the recording.
  • Cite your sources. You would expect your students to do it, so make sure you set a good example for others by doing the same. If you used music or images from other places, add a slide at the end of your video to say where they came from.
These are some of my favorite tips for creating a really good screencast. Do you have tips for screencasting that you would like to share? What about your favorite screencasting tool? Leave a comment below if you would like to share that with others.

Jonathan Wylie
Digital Learning Consultant
@jonathanwylie
0 Comments

    Connect



    Blog Feed

    RSS Feed


    Like Us on Facebook

    Digital Learning at Grant Wood Area Education Agency

    Promote Your Page Too

    Our YouTube Show

    Picture

    Our Podcast

    Picture

    Our Tweets!

    Tweets by @DLGWAEA

    Authors

    Stacy Behmer
    Jonathan Wylie
    Gina Rogers
    Amber Bridge
    Beth Swantz

    Mindy Cairney
    Lynn Kleinmeyer
    Corey Rogers


    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014


    Categories

    All
    3d Printing
    4Cs
    Assessment
    Augmented Reality
    Best Of The Web
    Blogging
    Board Games
    Coding
    Collaboration
    Communication
    Computer Science
    Connected Classrooms
    Creativity
    Device Deployment
    Digital Citizenship
    Digital Classrooms
    Elementary
    Flipped Classroom
    Formative Assessment
    GAFE
    Google
    Google Apps EDU
    Google Expeditions
    Green Screen
    Hattie
    Innovate
    Ipad
    ISTE
    Literacy
    Make
    Makerspace
    Office 365
    Pear Deck
    Personalized Learning
    PLN
    Podcast
    Professional Learning
    Research
    Service Learning
    Student Choice
    Think
    ThinkMakeInnovate
    Update
    Video
    Virual Reality
    Wakelet
    Web 2.0
    Youtube

Grant Wood Area Education Agency extends equal opportunities in its employment practices, educational programs and services, and does not discriminate on the basis of color, gender, race, national origin, religion, creed, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, veteran status or as otherwise prohibited by law. If you believe you or your child has been discriminated against or treated unjustly, please contact the Agency’s Equity Coordinator, Maria Cashman, at 319-399-6847 or 800-332-8488. Grant Wood AEA, 4401 Sixth St SW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52404.

It is the goal of Grant Wood Area Education Agency that the information on our website be accessible to individuals with visual, hearing or cognitive disabilities. Good faith efforts have been made to ensure that our site complies with the world wide web consortium’s web content accessibility guidelines. Learn more here.