Trying a new educational tool

This week I used a new educational tool called Screencastify! Screencastify is a Chrome extension which allows you to screen cast which lets you use both your microphone and webcam. I had only screen shared on Zoom before so I was curious to try using a new tool to both screen share and screen record at the same time. I don’t usually enjoy my voice on recordings but I want to become more comfortable with sharing my voice on videos. This tool was super user friendly, all you have to do is hit “start recoding” then “stop recording” and Screencastify will automatically upload your video for you to edit and crop. After I was done screen casting, I uploaded the video directly to YouTube so I could easily find my video for future uses. This would be a great tool that I hope to use in my future classroom.

Screencastify is a great educational tool fitting into the SAMR model which promotes the use of technology in the classroom. This tool is great for online lessons since it allows students to directly follow along on their own screen while also making the experience personal since you are able to share your face and voice. Screencastify allows you to save the videos you have made which is ideal for students who may need to go over the lesson however many times they would like. Using screen casting tools would be a great tool for educators to use during Covid-19 lockdowns since you can screen cast from anywhere with WIFI at anytime of the day so it can fit into your schedule.

Here is my first Screencastify video, coding a quick Pong game on Scratch using Blockly as the coding language!