Tired of repeating the same thing umpteen times? Stop straining your voice then! Don’t waste time any more and start recording the screen! Let’s have a quick look at the benefits and the best tools to do it.
Recording the screen boosts students’ engagement and promotes learner autonomy and ownership. It encourages self-study at the student’s own pace.
Flipped classroom, blended/hybrid teaching and mobile learning are all put into practice.
It combines a range of intelligences and learning preferences by using a mix of audio-visual elements.
And finally , it lets teachers save their precious vocal cords and equally precious time
BEST SCREEN RECORDING TOOLS
There are a lot of fantastic programs – web and desktop based, which can be easily downloaded on your laptop or used as an app. All of them have free versions which you might find limited if you want to produce longer videos. Use EXTENSIONS if you want to use the tools on a work device but don’t have administrator’s rights. They can be downloaded in no time. They are simple and easy to use. Below, are three screen recording extensions I have tried and can wholeheartedly recommend. Please, remember, you will need access to the internet if you want to use them.
LOOM
Free version is basic but enough. Very quick and simple. You can record a 5-minute clip (including audio). Trimming possible in a free program. You can share a clip as a link (public or password protected) so no need for a lot of space. You can download a video in mp4.
SCREENCASTIFY
Free version is enough but has a watermark. Records the screen and the voice if needed. Save in Google Drive or YouTube. Can’t download as an mp4. 10 minutes of recording (more than enough). Pointer tool available. Editing only in paid version so you can’t trim a clip.
SCREENCASTOMATIC
A fantastic tool. For some reason, I couldn’t use it on a college device but it’s definitely worth trying on your own machine. Instant sharing via Youtube. 15 minutes of recording in a free version.
It was really difficult to choose the best tool. All three are absolutely fantastic but none is perfect. You can trim a clip or download as an mp4 in Loom, but the program allows only for a 5 minute recording. With Screencastify you can record up to 10 minutes, but you need a paid version to download a clip. Screecastomatic seems almost perfect, but it is very sensitive to ad or institutional blockers.
LOOM – I like its simplicity and a password protected sharing option.
SCREENCASTIFY – I love its nice interface, simplicity and the fact that it stores the videos in G-Drive.
TRY YOURSELF AND CHECK WHICH ONE SUITS YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS BEST!
SCREENCASTOMATIC
wins for the length of recordings, robust editing options and linking with Google Classroom which I am using as a VLE.
