Screencasts

Screencast

Screencast-o-matic

http://v2.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/coXlbeho4m

The registration process was very easy to sign up for screencast-o-matic. The process of creating a screencast is very easy. The user simply has to press record and the program gives the user the opportunity to record. I really enjoy how the user is able to search for the content to include in the screencast. The user is able to expand or collapse the screenshot to capture the images that will be used in the screencast. This program allows the user to simply point at the areas that are going to be emphasized in the screencast. Then the program automatically highlights the areas with a yellow circle demonstrating the key points of the screencast while recording the user’s voice that explains the screencast. Once the user is satisfied with their screencast, the user then uploads the recording and the user is able to share their screencast with others. I really enjoyed using Screencast-o-matic and I feel this is an excellent resource to use both in the library and the classroom.

Screenr

No registration was necessary for Screenr. After looking around the webpage I noticed there was nothing that needed to be downloaded. I proceeded to click record and I was taken to a page that was detecting my computer’s Java software. Unfortunately, my computer didn’t have an updated version of Java so I was unable to access the program. A message indicating that Screenr would no longer be available after November 11, 2015 also appeared due to the fact that the Java software that is required has become outdated.

 

Jing

http://www.screencast.com/t/Trr4sdQKqWX

 

http://www.screencast.com/t/Gba6fhd0

This program requires the user to download the software to their computer before being able to access it. The great thing about Jing is that it offers the user a tutorial explaining how to create a screencast through Jing. Once I downloaded the program I watched the tutorial and proceeded to the website that I wanted to use in my screencast. I decided I would be explaining how to use our district databases. I took a shot of the homepage and the page that lists all of the databases. That process of creating the screencast was fairly simple. However, I was unclear on how to put it all together. I was looking all over the place trying to figure out how to upload images to Jing when I realized after searching and finally clicking on the Help icon that another download is required. It took me a good 20 minutes to figure out that I needed to download the downloader to upload anything. On my first attempt, I was able to upload my images but I did it in the wrong order. I tried changing the order but was unable to do so. At that point, I decided I would delete everything and start over. Well after finally getting the downloader to launch I was able to upload the images but I was unable to place them both together in one folder. Wow! This was a lot of work! I personally would not recommend using this with children because it is very challenging to actually use. Not to mention all the space that the program takes up on my computer. Overall, I found Jing to be a difficult program to work with and I feel students would have some difficulty creating screencasts.

After exploring the different programs, I really enjoyed using Screencast-o-matic because the program was very easy to use. I was able to begin recording my screencast immediately without having to download a lot of additional things to my computer. The main difference I have noticed with the other programs is the large amounts of items that need to be downloaded in order for the program to work. I was surprised when Screenr wouldn’t work because the Java software on the computer was outdated. A person who is not very computer savvy would have a lot of difficulty trying to download this program and would probably give up once they encounter the Java software problem. The reason I didn’t like Jing is because the user must download the software to their computer before being able to utilize the program. The main difference I noticed was Screencast-o-matic is easier to use and doesn’t require a lot of additional items to be downloaded in order for the program to work. The other programs require the user to download software to the computer which might create problems for the user if there is not enough storage space to actually save the program to the computer’s hard drive. Overall, I really enjoyed using Screencast-o-matic because the program is very easy to use. The user is able to create an account and start recording screencasts immediately. I feel this is an excellent resource that can be used to share important information with others both in the library and in the classroom.