When a class is assigned to do a presentation for a subject, students groan. Maybe screencasts can bring back the magic?

Not only do they have to stand in front of the class and present, they have to sit through 25 other presentations of students, done in the exact same manner. What if you mixed it up a bit?

Screencasts to the rescue

Instead of just presenting to the class, why don’t the students record their presentation as a screen cast? They can easily practice multiple times, and then record, saving their best production. To share the screencasts, break the students up into groups, where they will view and rank the presentations. The best presentation will then be view by the class.

In this scenario, students will get immediate feedback from the peers, and will have a motivation to complete something that their peers will enjoy.

Slideshow narrations

Of course it is possible to use dedicated software to record a slide show, such as Movenote, but a screencast doesn’t limit the student as much. They are free to use any presentation software they choose, whether it’s Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Prezi, they’ll be able to record their presentation. I don’t like limited student’s tools that they can use, and with screencasts, it allows me to give students more freedom in the creation of their work.

Creating for other classes

Another use for students and screencasts could be to create content for other classroom. For example, a middle school science class could create a life cycle of the frog screencast for Kindergarten students. The middle school students would get to reinforce science methodology while the Kindergarten students would get a movie tailored to their teacher and the curriculum.

Lasting impact

Video has an impact on its viewers, and by giving staff and students a way to easily create engaging video, they are not only helping themselves, but also others.