As educators we have to keep up with 21st century technology in order to 1) reach our students, 2) make life easier, 3) not appear old 😉.

For ten years I have gotten sub notes ready at the beginning of each school year, and tweaked them for whatever the actual day is that I was going to be absent. They have changed a lot over the years, but one thing remained-they were all on paper. Flash forward to the end of this previous school year where I started to do Zoom meetings with my parents. Zoom is like an online video chat for free if under 30 minutes). I thought this was a fantastic way to meet with parents who worked but wanted more of a connection than just email. Then I found a way to show my colleagues AND students how to log in to Padlet without having to write anything down for them to keep up with or add pictures…I used a screen recorder! It was brilliant! Even though I just discovered this option, better late than never, right?? I was able to show them my screen as I went through the log in process and talk them through it. I was also able to make it personable with a small video in the corner of myself! You can check out my first screen recording for Padlet here.

Recently I created another screen recording for my students on how to log in and post to Kidblog. I used the same software tool that I used to make my video over Padlet earlier this year. This video was created with my students in mind so I made it shorter to hold their attention and spoke very clear for them to understand. I also tried breaking down the lingo a bit just in case they forgot what a web browser was for example. Screencast-o-matic is the downloadable software I used for these videos. I really have enjoyed using this and have even used it to record and talk through a slide show for another post on my blog. It’s free as long as the video is under 15 minutes and it gives you the option to record either just your screen, you and your screen or just you. You do have to download it and save it to your hard drive, but it’s safe and I have had zero problems with it. Below is the recent video I completed over Kidblog.

After I created this hopefully handy resource, I decided I would try to create one for a substitute. I am a super visual person, so I figured showing is better than telling, especially when it comes to software in the library. I started small with something easy such as how to check in and out books in the school library. I created this without a scanner around (it’s summer, I’m home and the scanner is at school), but still think it turned out awesome. I did attempt to use another software. I was told about one called Jing, but the site said that pretty soon their video formats wouldn’t work on the net, so I began to look elsewhere. I found a site called Movavi that has screen recording downloadable software. It looked great with all the options to add text, images, editing, etc. So I downloaded it. After doing so, I realized that the free trial only lasts 7 days as opposed to Screencast-o-matic which allows you to use the free version for unlimited time. It also only allows 5 minutes of recording time vs the 15 Screencast-o-matic gives. Lastly, the watermark it leaves on it makes it unusable and unprofessional in my opinion. I’m good with a watermark in the corner somewhere, but not one that takes up the whole screen. Ugh. I will be deleting this since it is taking up valuable space on my Mac. I will say, the positive note is that they have an education purchase deal where a teacher can purchase it for $49.95 for the year as well as licenses per machine use for an additional $10 per machine. This might be neat to have for students to utilize also, but honestly, I think the free version of Screencast-o-matic still would fit those needs just fine. Below is the video I created using Movavi.

I so love learning about new gadgets, software, tools, apps, etc. Anything technology related that can make my life easier while also reaching my students, colleagues or peers better, is such a plus in my book. I might be a novel librarian, but I can already tell it’s my jam!

Have any other screen records you would like to share with me? Feel free to comment! Any questions about how to start using a screen record, feel free to ask!