Screencasting for Communication and Supporting a Flipped Classroom

In our modern world, there are many resources available to teachers for instructional videos; YouTube, Khan Academy, and Vimeo all provide teachers with seemingly endless options. However, sometimes it can be very difficult to find a video that specifically meets all of your needs. Screencasting is a simple creation and communication tool that teachers can use to provide individualized instruction. Many teachers find screencasts beneficial because they capture your voice and activity on a computer screen rather than just a lecture on a video. This allows teachers to easily explain procedures and processes or show a slide deck that accompanies a class lecture. The opportunities for screencasting are endless for classroom use.

Screencasting can be a valuable tool to help teachers flip their classrooms. This paradigm shift is based on a learning model where direct instruction happens outside of the classroom during individual learning time and space. Students consume content at home and then come to class prepared to engage. The classroom then becomes an interactive learning environment where the educator provides individualized guidance through deeper learning of concepts. Screencasts allow teachers to provide students with direct instruction on demand, freeing up class time for deeper learning.

The following short screencasts will show you how easy it is to create a screencast using a free tool, Screencast-o-matic and upload to YouTube. The free version of Screencast-o-matic allows you to create a screencast up to 15 minutes in length with basic editing capabilities. The paid version ($14.99) of this tool allows you to record videos up to 2 hours in length, gives you more editing capabilities, and eliminates the Screencast-o-matic logo on the bottom of your screen. Camtasia is another great option for screencasting software with greater editing capabilities. This software costs $299, however, the company offers a 30 day free trial.

Creating a screencast:

Uploading your video to YouTube:

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Schoology: Your New Features Roundup

Have you ever created a Schoology test only to find that you have a couple of students who need a paper/pencil accommodation? Or maybe the test session is closed and you have a student who was absent needs to take it? One of the new features in Schoology is the ability to print assessments. Watch the video below to see how to do this:

Do you have multiple sections of the same course? Course linking is a great way to manage them more efficiently. When sections are linked, they all share the same set of materials and grade setup. This means you only need to create materials and set up your gradebook once, even when you teach multiple sections of the same course. Find out how to link your course sections here.

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Welcome to our Ed Tech Blog: We Make Ideas Click!

Welcome to our Ed Tech Blog: We Make Ideas Click! Each Tuesday the Ed Tech team will post an integration idea that could be used to support your instruction. Each post will show you how technology can connect to the ISTE Standards, the JEFFCO teacher rubric, and will provide you a variety of resources or CAP materials. On the last Tuesday of each month, we will spotlight a JEFFCO teacher who demonstrates exemplary technology integration in his or her classroom.

Our team is eager to come out and support you in your work with technology integration in your classroom. Here are some great ways we can help!

"We build capacity in technology integration to increase communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking."

Techie Tuesday Tip:

Schoology allows teachers to embed videos for students and gives them the ability to watch from anywhere they have access to their Schoology course. They can then complete a task in response to the video, which is a great feature to add to your toolbox. If you are beginning to blend your classroom, providing students with some online and some face-to-face work, then using Schoology is an easy way to start this transformative practice. Watch this video to see how easy it is to create a page in Schoology and embed a video:

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