Digital Resources: Screencastomatic

A screenshot from a student's screencast about a map
of Washington

Flipping instruction is a hot topic in education today. The basic premise is that rather than provide students with instruction during class time and then asking them to apply what they've learned on their own, teachers record their instruction, students take notes on that instruction at the own pace and on their own time, and then application happens while teachers and students are together and students can get the guidance they need in order to be successful. Although a lot of presentation software has build-in recording capabilities, it can limit presenters to just one program as they record. Screencastomatic does exactly what it says: it captures what is on your screen automatically in order to broadcast it. All you need to use this software is web access and a microphone; you can give your lecture as you move through slides or through different programs and Screencastomatic will put it all together and publish it as either a .MP4, .AVI or .FLV file that you can then post wherever is convenient. The paid upgrade allows you to do a lot more with your recordings (such as edit them, publish them in other formats, etc.), but the free software is definitely sufficient for an entry-level or occasional user.

Where: www.screencastomatic.com

Cost: Free (with paid upgrades)

What: Web-based screen capturing software

Students! Try Screencastomatic if you want to...

create personal videos for YouTube

record a presentation (rather than present it live in class)

Teachers! Try Screencastomatic if you want to...

flip instruction

create videos of presentations for a class page or YouTube

create a tool that students can use to follow step-by-step instructions