Vmaker

Vmaker is one of the best online tools around I've seen for creating educational screencasts.  What sets Vmaker apart from other similar sites is the abundance of features that is included.  An educator not only has the ability to record their screen, they can add narrations, add backgrounds and filters, highlight mouse clicks, annotate and draw on the screen and more.  This is a great way to introduce a topic or even "flip" a lesson or classroom.

I highly recommend Vmaker by clicking here!!!

Thanks to Larry Ferlazzo's blog for for the tip.

ShowMe

ShowMe is an excellent free mobile (iOS, Android, Chromebook) app for creating beautiful looking screencasts, or "flipping" a lesson/classroom.  ShowMe provides an interactive whiteboard to allow educators or students to create lessons, presentations, etc. while recording and narrating their own voiceover.  Best of all, a finished product can then be shared online in ShowMe's educational community where other users can find, share, or embed, other screencasts.

Below is a brief video...



I highly recommend checking out ShowMe by clicking here!!!

VideoClass

VideoClass is a great site for educators and students to find educational videos on any number of subjects.  Also, teachers can upload their own videos and even charge others to download their videos.  Best of all, VideoClass provides a tool to allow users to record their own computer screen to create their very own screencasts.

I highly recommend checking out VideoClass by clicking here!!!

QuickCast

QuickCast is a nice free screen casting app for Mac (10.7) that I just found out about from Free Technology 4 Teachers.  It allows users to record up to 3 min and then share via unique URL or embed into a site/blog.














I highly recommend checking out QuickCast by clicking here!!

Display Recorder

Display Recorder is probably my new favorite app for recording a screen cast on an iOS device.  This wonderful inexpensive app ($1.99) is very user friendly and allows a user to record anything from their screen (audio/video) w/ the simple press of a button.  Once the video is recorded a user can then export the video to YouTube, iPhoto Library, or open in other apps.

I highly recommend checking out Display Recorder by clicking here!!!'

For my educational iOS board on Pinterest click here.

Pastevid

Pastevid is a great site for taking a screencast (recording) and then sharing it w/ others via a unique URL.  This is free and offers a lot of features such as YouTube integration, etc.  However, there is a paid version which offers even more.

I highly recommend checking out Pastevid by clicking here.

For another similar site check out Screenjelly.

For a more detailed review check out David Andrade's wonderful blog.

Explain Everything

Explain Everything is a great paid ($2.99) app for the iPad that is wonderful for creating screen casts. This application adds a lot more features then ShowMe or Screen Chomp and allows the user more options in exporting their finished product. A movie can be uploaded to a number of different sites, such as Dropbox, Evernote, or YouTube and even emailed. Other great features are the different ways one can import a photo, type text instead of just draw, and create multiple slides (a la PowerPoint).

I highly highly recommend checking out Explain Everything by clicking here!!!

Screen Chomp

Screen Chomp is a nice free app for the iPad that is ideal for creating a screen cast. A user has the ability to upload a photo into a background and then draw all over the image/screen. Once the recording of the movie is done it will be uploaded to Screen Chomp's site. A url can the be shared w/ others for viewing. While still not ideal, as it would be nice to "own" your own movie for embedded/sharing, it is better then ShowMe which only allows a user to upload to their site.

I highly recommend checking out Screen Chomp by clicking here!!!

ShowMe

ShowMe is an app for the iPad I just learned about from the award nominated blog, Langwitches. This is a great site for creating a screen cast because of its simplicity. It is very user friendly, and a user has the ability to draw or upload an image. However, one critical feature I think is missing is the ability to export a movie into something that can be downloaded. The only feature available is to upload the movie onto ShowMe's website.

I highly recommend checking out this free app by clicking here!!!

Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is a great site for creating screencasts for all platforms. All a user has to do is click start recording and then adjust the size of their recording window. The finished product can be downloaded, uploaded to YouTube or shared on SOM.

I highly recommend checking out Screecast-O-Matic by clicking here!!!

Below is a demo video...



For my top 10 sites/apps for screencasts click here.

Top 10 Sites/Apps for Creating Screencasts

Creating screencasts has been one of my favorite things to do when working w/ technology. I have used this as a tool for teachers or students to help them w/ troubleshooting or even professional development. Wikipedia states, "Educators are now using screencasts as another means of integrating technology into the curriculum. Students can record video and audio as they demonstrate the proper procedure to solve a problem on an interactive whiteboard."

Top 10 Sites/Applications for Creating Screencasts

1. Screen Flow - Quite simply the best, most robust application for creating screencasts at an affordable price.
2. SnapZpro - While not as many features of Screen Flow, more affordable and easy to use.
3. Jing - One of the more popular free applications for recording screencasts (unpaid version saves as a swf file).
4. Screenjelly - Probably the most user-friendly site to use for recording video and uploading to a number of sites.
5. Camtasia - Great application for Windows that is similar to Screen Flow.
6. Screenr - Excellent free site for recording screens w/ an iMovie type interface.
7. ScreenCastle - One of the best and easiest ways to record a screen and share/embed w/ others.
8. Sequence - Very affordable Mac application for creating screencasts w/ the ability to draw or comment.
9. Screenium - A nice Mac application at a nice price w/ lots of features.
10. Screen Flick - A Mac application w/ lots of export features.
    

Screenjelly

Screenjelly is a great site to use for creating screencasts. It is very user friendly and has the ability to upload to a number of social networking sites, such as: Facebook, Twitter, Stumble Upon, etc. Users of Jing will feel right at home w/ how simple it is to record what's happening on your screen.

I think what makes SJ such a great solution for people who don't want to spend a lot of money on a screen recording app, is how simple it is to use. Just click the record button and select which way you want to share your video, Twitter, email, etc.



The one aspect missing from SJ which I think would make it a huge success is the ability to generate an embed code, so users can add it to their site/blog. However, that being said, I think Screen Jelly is a great app for what it does and definitely worth a look.

Screencasting (Re-Blog)

I found this fascinating quote today:

Creating screen casts or online tutorials are such a great way to use technology in your classroom. It can be used to show a student “how to” do something, or used to record what is actually happening on a users desktop.Dkapuler, Technology Tidbits: Thoughts of a Cyber Hero, Feb 2009You should read the whole article.

First off, I'm testing out this re-blogging feature on Blogger using Zemanta. That being said the reason for this re-blog is because I have had the great pleasure of discovering Don McAllister.

He is the creator/genuis behind the amazing screencasts on Mac Heist. After seeing his work he totally made me re-think the way I should go about creating my own screencasts. He truely has become a huge inspiration for me (and a really friendly guy-responding to my email right away).

I highly suggest checking out his work-flow on how he exactly creates his screencasts by clicking here, it's a combination of Screenflow, Final Cut, Motion, and so on.

BTW, to see his work click on any app on Mac Heist and check out their latest bundle, a lot of great apps are on there for only $40.00 ends tomorrow. I can't wait to get my hands on BoinxTV which reminds me of Wirecast. Now, if only I can scrape up the 40 by tomorrow ;-) For more info click here.

Below is an example of a video intro I made for our screencasts thanks to the tips from Don!!

Screen Casting

Creating screen casts or online tutorials are such a great way to use technology in your classroom. It can be used to show a student “how to” do something, or used to record what is actually happening on a users desktop.

For example, if you wanted to show what a student is doing in Google Earth, you can use a screen recording application to do just that. Basically, anything that is happening on your screen can be recorded and then turned into a video to post anywhere (blog, website, etc)

Below is a list of my favorite screen recording apps:

1. Screen Flow - Far and away my favorite screen recording app. It can create spotlights, add sound effects, and zoom in/out. It is worth it’s hefty price tag due to the amazing things it can do!!

2. SnapZpro - Snapz is probably the most popular of the screen recording apps and very affordable. While it doesn’t have some of the robust features of Screen Flow, it is very user friendly and the easiest app to use.

3. Jing - What is so great about Jing is that it is open source and free. It has a very nice GUI to it and is rather easy to use, after the long install.

4. Screen Mimic - This is another great app w/ a lot of cool features such as audio dubbing and mouse control. It’s shareware so can be downloaded to test out before buying.

5. Flow Gram - By definition Flow Gram is not a true screen casting application. However, it does have some very unique features which make this one of the best Web 2.0 applications around.

6. Screenium - What I like about Screenium is that you can animate your screen casts, and even do movie in movie captures!!

7. Screen Flick - Nice app for $25.00.

8. Dream Capture - A nice little app for $9.95.

9. Sequence - Great app for $25.07

10. Screen Castle - free and easy to use just one click of a button