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=What is screencasting?=
 * Screencasting** is the process of capturing video of a computer screen while providing a voiceover. Screencasts are a popular way of creating tutorials, instructional videos, and lectures for home or distance learning. In fact, there are many screencasts you can watch to learn the basics of how to screencast yourself:

[|Using Jing software to create a screencast]

Teachers have also used screen capture software like Jing, Camtasia, and CamStudio to excerpt their own digital video and online materials. Using screen capture software to excerpt online videos from sites like YouTube is not only an easy way to excerpt, it is //legal// for classroom instruction [|according to the Copyright Office in 2010]. (For more information about teachers' rights to use copyrighted materials in the classroom, see the Copyright Confusion Wikispace and other resources at the [|Media Education Lab]).

However, screencasting's potential as a tool for //student analysis and critique// remains underexplored in K-12 and university environments. We will acknowledge the many ways that educators can use screencasting for instruction, including lecture, tutorial, and excerpting online clips for off-line viewing. But we will also discuss two ways that the power of screencasting might be used as a production, analysis, and critique tool in a variety of learning contexts.



=Screencasting for media analysis= Viewing and discussing is a standard media literacy practice to improve comprehension, abstract thinking, and transferring intellectual learning to "home" media use. But view and discussion can be a difficult practice to document and assess. Screencasting offers two strengths in this regard:

(1) //Students practice pausing, pointing, and re-viewing//. When students can document their re-viewing of video texts, they also have an incentive to revise and re-record. Get your students in the practice of frequently pausing video to point out particular features, or to elaborate on a point before the video moves on. We re-read, underline, and elaborate on print text constantly -- images and video should be no different.

(2) //Students can incorporate multiple forms of media into screencasting//. Want to compare a scene from //Romeo and Juliet// to one of the film versions of the play? Students can create screencasts that highlight text from a print source on their screen as they explore a scene from the video shot by shot.

Check out the Student Analysis section to see or **share** some examples of students of all ages strengthening their media analysis skills through screencasting.
=**Screencasting for critique of student work**= Critiquing student work can be difficult when this practice is spontaneous and, too often, "shoehorned" into the end of a production activity. When students use screencasting to critique their own and their peers' media work, they are given the space and flexibility to make meaningful comments about particular components of the work.

Often, participation grades measured in critique rely heavily on written feedback and in-class dicussion. But students who struggle writing their critique, or have not had the chance to intently re-view peer work, may find screencasting an easy way to articulate their feedback for work.

Check out the Student Critique section to see or **share** examples of students critiquing one another's work in reflective screencasts.
=What programs can I use to screencast?=
 * Screen capture software** programs for Mac, PC, and other hardware formats are rapidly developing as more and more internet users have fast and easy access to high-quality video files. The following is a small selection of current screencasting tools. These tools are subject to change in availability, cost, and features at any time. It will be edited as frequently as possible to reflect new tools available for screencasting.

[|Camtasia Studio] is a pay program offered by Techsmith. Originally a PC-only software, Camtasia Studio is now available for **PC and Mac**. Unlike many other screencasting programs, Camtasia Studio Pro offers an editing timeline, similar to the interface of Windows Media Maker, that allows you to edit or excerpt your screencasts. Free trial available.

[|CamStudio] is a free, open-source **PC-only** program that offers basic screencasting features, including screen video capture and voiceover capabilities (microphone required).

[|Copernicus] is a free **Mac-only** program that can create a screen video capture but does NOT record audio.

[|Jing] is a pay program offered by Techsmith available for **PC and Mac**. Available in both free and pay versions. Be aware that the free version of this program ONLY records to SWF, a Flash format that is difficult to export to other media players. Jing Pro, the pay version, can record to both SWF and MP4 formats.

[|Quicktime X], the standard video player for **Mac Snow Leopard**, has a built-in screen video capture component. However, this program will not record sound.

=Other tips= Screencasting is one way for teachers to capture online video, but another, easier option for teachers are **direct capture** programs or websites. Direct capture allows you to convert streaming online video from sites like YouTube to a file format that you can save onto your computer.

[|KeepVid.com] (online) is a free, quick and easy tool that will convert a YouTube video into another file format. Just cut and paste the YouTube URL (in the "share" tab on YouTube) in the KeepVid search bar and click the "Download" button.

[|MPEG Streamclip] (PC/Mac software) is a free editing software tool that also provides direct capture capabilities for certain streaming video websites.

=Glossary of terms=
 * --Screencasting**: A screen video capture of a computer screen with accompanying voiceover.
 * --Screen video capture**: A continuous video of a computer screen.
 * --Screen capture software**: Any online or computer software that allows you to record what's happening on your screen.
 * --Direct capture**: Any online or computer software that converts online streaming video into another file format.
 * --File formats**: Video file formats vary according to specific screen capture software. Common video formats include SWF (Flash-based, difficult to share), FLV (Flash-based, easy to share), MP4 (standard for Mac), and AVI (standard for Windows/PC).