Is it frustrating when you have to repeat the same step-by-step directions over and over again, when introducing new technology to your students or to your colleagues? Not only is it frustrating to you, it might also be frustrating to your other students who want to go ahead. There are ways to avoid that, by using screen capture tools. By using screen capture tools, you can create annotated screen captures of the tools you're introducing or create screencast videos in which you explain each step of the process. Here are some of the tools that you can use to create the annotations and screen videos.
- Jing
- Screencast-o-Matic
- Screenr
- Sketchcast
- Aviary
- Talon
- Awesome Screenshot
- Bounce
Screenr is great to use to create "How To" guides for staff and students. Some teachers also use Jing along with Google Docs to give students personalized feedback on their writing assignments. And to make the student have interactive feedback and not just receive a graded paper with red mark and comments they may not understand. With Jing you can record your comments and the students can listen to them. Here is comments from a teacher who has experienced this.
http://alytapp.com/2011/09/26/days-like-this/
Here is the website for Jing:
http://www.techsmith.com/Jing/?gclid=CN-TyKLL_6sCFQ8q7AoddxhokQ
Here are some other ways to use Jing. I think this is a great software.
Collaborate on a design project
Share a snapshot of a document
Narrate your vacation photos
Capture that pesky bug in action
Show Dad how to use iTunes
Comment on students' homework
Post tidbits on Twitter or Facebook
I like the idea of personalized feedback and handwriting comments, while sometimes informative, are often times not directive. The Days Like This link/blog was quite a success story with using these tools to not only help students learn but develop communication between student and teacher. I am a primitive googledoc user but learn something new all the time. Your post will be very helpful in moving forward with great ideas. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou're definitely right that students like having video explanations, especially when it comes to new technologies. The time it takes to make an instructional video is NOTHING compared to the time you would have spent answering the same questions over and over again.
ReplyDeleteOne problem I've found with Jing is that it has too be downloaded so, while it's good for teachers, students have a difficult time using it. I like the online screen capture tools for students because there's no download required. Of course, my favorite was screenjelly but it seems to have disappeared. I haven't used it in a few months and now it's gone. :-( I hope it's just some kind of black hole in the universe that has opened today and screenjelly will be back soon!!
Thank you for posting the link to the teacher's blog who used Jing to provide feedback on her students' writing assignments. I'm going to try that myself with my ESL Writing class. It is a small class, so downloading Jing onto the computers shouldn't be too much of a hassle.
ReplyDeleteI may also have them record themselves reading their papers as a way to practice their oral fluency. They can record their voices as they read and play them back to self-assess the key elements of oral fluency.
"NAEP [National Assessment of Educational Progress] defines fluency as the ease or "naturalness" of reading. The key elements include (a) grouping or phrasing of words as revealed through the intonation, stress, and pauses exhibited by readers; (b) adherence to author's syntax; and (c) expressiveness of the oral reading-interjecting a sense of feeling, anticipation, or characterization" (White, 1995).
White, S. (1995). Listening to children read aloud: Oral fluency. NAEPfacts, 1(1), Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs95/web/95762.asp
In a study for the American Society of Engineering Education, it was noted that given the choice of learning materials, only 10% opted for textbook usage and 43% of the students preferred screencasts (Ashdown, Doria,, & Wozney, 2011). Another place screen capture tools are being tested is for library research. Librarians create and share instructional videos to demonstrate accessing library and information resources. In virtual reference, librarians can quickly create and share instructional videos rather than type detailed instructions for accessing library and information resources (Carr and Ly, 2009). I like the idea of personalized feedback. Handwriting comments while sometimes informative are often times not directive. The Days Like This link/blog was quite a success story with using these tools to not only help students learn but develop communication between student and teacher.
ReplyDeleteAshdown,, Doria, D., & Wozny, M. (2011, January 12). Teaching practical software tools using screen capture. Retrieved from http://stl.asee.org/papers_2011/Ashdown.pdf
Allison Carr, Pearl Ly, (2009) "“More than words”: screencasting as a reference tool", Reference Services Review, Vol. 37 Iss: 4, pp.408 – 420. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.shsu.edu/journals.htm?articleid=1823964&show=abstract