University of
Tennessee Knoxville
School of Information
Science
Laura Angilee Murray,
MBA, BFA
Link to PureChat PodCast:
Link to Ten Minute Website Screencast:
Implementation
Plan: Creating a Screencast
Teaching individuals is a rewarding part of being a
librarian. But, we cannot be everywhere
at once and sometimes will need to rely on tutorials for our patrons who need
to learn how to do something when we are unable to be there. Today, many patrons are accustomed to
learning from a video or screencast. In
order to accommodate your patron’s time and preference for learning, you can create
a screencast. This paper will outline
the implementation plan for creating a screencast for someone who has never
made one before.
Screencast Subject
First, you need to decide what your screencast will help
with. Your topic should take into consideration
what your patrons needs are, or what they may need or want to know. For
example, if your catalog is complex, a screencast tutorial could make doing an
advanced search much easier. (Incidentally, if your catalog is complex, you
need a better one.) If you notice your patrons are curious about creating
something or using technical tools that are now readily available. The screencast
in this implementation plan shows someone how to create a website in just a few
minutes. This subject was chosen based on a list of frequently asked questions
collected about things patrons would like to learn.
Screencast Tools
Once you have determined the subject you wish to cover,
you need to consider what type of tool you will be using. The tool chosen
should be something relatively easy to use, but also affordable, and one that will
allow you to edit the audio and video enabling you to create a compelling
tutorial. There are many options for creating a screencast out there including
paid tools like Camtasia or Adobe Captivate.
Adobe Captivate costs about $299 per license for educators (Adobe, 2014)
and Camtasia is $179 for educators (Techsmith, 2014). Both of these programs
are complex and unless you are a professional screencast creator, and will be
creating screencasts regularly, you may not need this much screencast power, at
least initially. As a new creator, my
recommendation is to choose something relatively simple and free. There are many free choices, but two that
stand out are Jing and Screencast-O-Matic.
Jing offers only 5 minutes of screen time at one time, and thus limits
your tutorials to a fixed time. While short tutorials are popular they also
require more skill to write a succinct script and cover enough information to
address the needs and skill levels of your patrons. Because practice is the
best way to learn to use tech tools, I recommend using Screencast-O-Matic. Screencast-O-Matic is free, simple, and allows
for 15 minutes of time to record. Plus,
if you decide to upgrade, the pro version is only $15 per year (Screencast-O-Matic,
2014).
Screencast-O-Matic
Screencast-O-Matic offers many features that make
screencasts extremely useful. Screencast-O-Matic records both the webcam and
screen at the same time, allowing multiple options for display. Screencast-O-Matic
shows mouse movements by showing a circle around the mouse that flickers when
you click on an area or option. Screencast-O-Matic is an online tool, meaning you
do not have to download anything; rather you can just work from a Java applet. Screencast-O-Matic saves videos in mp4
format, which can be easily uploaded to YouTube or you can use the Screencast-O-Matic
server to share your videos (Screencast-O-Matic, 2014). The free version of
Screen-O-Matic offers a maximum recording time of 15 minutes, free hosting, record
screen and webcam, publish to YouTube HD, and publish to MP4, AVI, FLV movie
(Screencast-O-Matic, 2014). The paid
version includes unlimited recording time; free hosting (up to 15 minutes) in
HD; recording screen and webcam or webcam only without a watermark; publish to such
places as Google Drive, Vimeo, and YouTube HD, using MP4, AVI, FLV movie
formats; publish screen shot; password protected uploads; editing, scripts, and
screen shot tools; record system audio (Win Vista/7/8); and draw & zoom
while recording (Screencast-O-Matic, 2014).
Design and Recording
Before you actually start recording, it is a good idea
to create a script of what you will be recording. Using a word program or Google Drive, write
out what you will be teaching. This will
help keep you on task and decrease the amount of editing you will need to do on
the finishing end. If you are a very visual person, you may want to create a PowerPoint
presentation with screen shots to use for a storyboard and print it out to use
while recording.
Once you have your script and a good idea of what you
will be recording, visit Screencast-O-Matic.com (Figure 1) and click on Start
Recording. If you are working on a Mac
or Windows computer, you can begin recording immediately.
Figure 1. Screen-O-Matic
homepage.
Once you click on Start Recording, you will see a dotted
line, boxed in area (Figure 2). You will
also see a camera image of yourself (I have edited myself out of this view). You
can include your own image and record yourself as you talk or you can squeeze
to resize or drag the dotted area around only the area you wish to work on. This flexibility allows for you to record
only in one window or in multiple windows at once. Everything inside the dotted frame will be recorded. You can pause your recording by clicking the
red record button near the bottom left. Once
you are finished recording, your work will automatically be saved as an mp4 to
your computer.
Figure 2. Screen-O-Matic recording area.
There are a few things to keep in mind while you are
recording. Using a great mic in a quiet
room helps immensely to create a professional sounding recording. Speak slowly
and clearly. Practice what you will say several times before you record so that
you will be very familiar with your material and you will be able to speak
naturally. Also make sure that your computer screen area is not cluttered. Do you have lots of tabs open? That may distract your viewers, so have open
only what you will need.
Finishing and Editing
Once you have recorded your video, you may need to edit
it. Because Screencast-O-Matic costs so
little you may want to go ahead and pay for the Pro version so that you can
edit using this tool. But, if like me, you do not even have that amount of
money to pay for the Pro version, you can upload your video to YouTube (Figure
3).
Figure 3. YouTube upload
screen.
Use the editing tools such as enhancements, audio,
annotations, and subtitles (Figure 4). At this point, it is a good idea to
create your closed captioning content.
If you followed the script you made earlier, this part will be easy.
Figure 4. YouTube
editing tools.
On the right side
of the video in YouTube, you will see an option to upload closed
captioning. You can type it in one line
at a time, drop it in all at once, or type it as the recording is playing.
Closed captioning also shows the timeline of recording, allowing you to match
the captions with the timing of the spoken words and screenshot.
You can also add in background
music, photographs and text inside the video editing tool in YouTube (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Screenshot
of music files in YouTube.
Some video editors include a transitions editor. These help create smooth transitions between
takes, and editing between parts of the video.
YouTube has this tool and you will only need to click on a transition
and drag it onto your timeline.
Figure 6. Transition
tools.
Summary
Creating a screencast
does not have to be a daunting and overwhelming task. The best videos will be entertaining, interesting
to look at, and important to your users.
They will also be the videos that are created by taking the time to
create a plan to make them. By using an
outline, a script, a great microphone and good tools, you can create a video
that your patrons will love to use.
References
Adobe.
(2014). Buying guide: Education discount.
Retrieved from www.adobe.com/products/captivate/buying-guide-education-discount.html
Murray,
L. A. (2014). The ten minute website.
Retrieved from www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4aH4aSBOmQ
Murray,
L. A. (2014). Pure chat. Retrieved
from www.youtube.com/watch?v=x800BJoDMkI
Screencast-O-Matic.
(2014). Screencast-O-Matic. Retrieved
from http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/
Techsmith.
(2014). Purchase Camtasia Education
Version. Retrieved from shop.techsmith.com/store/techsm/en_US/buy/productID.289738300
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