I think screencasts provide a great opportunity to engage students in their learning by allowing them to utilize technology in order to show their understanding and to teach others. There are several screencast programs that are free to use and are easy to learn. In my own classroom I will use screencasts as an option for student made presentations, reader’s theater, and a way for students to publish their writing. The screencasts made in the classroom or in the computer lab would then be placed on the class website so students could listen to their peers’ presentations and for parents to view/listen to their child’s work.
Another way I plan to incorporate screencasts into my teaching is by using screencasts to review a new concept that students can view at home if they are struggling with their assignment or project. I will also use screencasts to give specific directions for assignments or projects.
Free screencast tools:
- Screenr
- Screencast-O-Matic
This is an example of a student made screencast about finding the area of a trapezoid.
Lauren Nixon 