Screencasting allows for self-paced learning. Learners can pause, repeat or review at their own pace and schedule their own time. While I was searching on YouTube for an example of a good screencast I came across the Garageband Tutorial For Beginners video that I really enjoyed. After watching this video tutorial it helped me build my confidence to attempt creating my own music using the Garageband application.
The Garageband tutorial by Patrick gives an overview and the basics of the application. His approach during this straightforward video was to systematically go through the various options and built-in templates that are available and use them to set up a new project.
Patrick’s screencast tutorial was effective for several reasons. He started the video by stating the two main objectives for the video as well as highlighting them with large bold text on the screen. The script was well-rehearsed and stayed on track. The volume was good and his voice clear. Even though he has an accent, possibly Australian, it was understandable.
He kept the beginner user in mind and focused on the basics. Smooth fading transitions were used and there were no distracting animations. The audio was clear without any distracting noises. Although, I think the video’s intro music was a little loud. Closed Captioning was also available. The video was short, under 10 minutes, and kept my interest. I have confidence that I could create some of my own music after listening to his screencast tutorial.
The screencast video I created for the members of the NorthWest Sailing Association demonstrated uploading images to the Photo Gallery using the User Panel. They can follow along at their own pace as well as build their confidence in interacting with the User Panel to add their own photos to the gallery. I used Camtasia to record my on-screen activity and I noticed that I didn’t always say what I was doing in complete sentences. There were also longer pauses when waiting for the computer to go to the next screen. I did edit some of the really long pauses by cutting and trimming the clips on the timeline.
Screencasts are a valuable tool to use in education. For example, Khan Academy’s approach is that the instructor becomes the facilitator using a dashboard to monitor each student. They can intervene when a student is struggling with a concept or can ask another student who is proficient in a concept to tutor other classmates. It is a way that allows instructors to devote more time to individual students.
Classrooms are changing with the introduction of the flipped classroom. But in many educational institutions it still remains a lecture type of classroom, homework and then an exam at the end. Then the entire class moves on to the next topic. If a student didn’t fully understand a concept and then moves on to the next level, Salman Khan states that over time the effect is like, “Swiss cheese gaps that kept building throughout their foundation.” Khan Academy’s approach is stay on the concept until the student has mastery and then moves to the next concept.
There are many benefits of using screencasting in education. The ease of creating and editing useful educational resources frees up the instructors to devote more time to the learners. The availability of tutorial videos allows students to use their time efficiently. Motivation to learn is better with video based learning. Instructional videos help in building a comfort level that helps build their confidence in learning the presented educational materials. The future of education is to use technology to create an atmosphere where instructors can connect with the learner to give feedback, motivate and foster teamwork. Through creating screencasting tutorials, an instructor has the opportunity to personalize the learning experience.
Illustration by Peggy Draver
Created with copyright free clipart and a screen grab of GarageBand's interface.
The Garageband tutorial by Patrick gives an overview and the basics of the application. His approach during this straightforward video was to systematically go through the various options and built-in templates that are available and use them to set up a new project.
Patrick’s screencast tutorial was effective for several reasons. He started the video by stating the two main objectives for the video as well as highlighting them with large bold text on the screen. The script was well-rehearsed and stayed on track. The volume was good and his voice clear. Even though he has an accent, possibly Australian, it was understandable.
He kept the beginner user in mind and focused on the basics. Smooth fading transitions were used and there were no distracting animations. The audio was clear without any distracting noises. Although, I think the video’s intro music was a little loud. Closed Captioning was also available. The video was short, under 10 minutes, and kept my interest. I have confidence that I could create some of my own music after listening to his screencast tutorial.
The screencast video I created for the members of the NorthWest Sailing Association demonstrated uploading images to the Photo Gallery using the User Panel. They can follow along at their own pace as well as build their confidence in interacting with the User Panel to add their own photos to the gallery. I used Camtasia to record my on-screen activity and I noticed that I didn’t always say what I was doing in complete sentences. There were also longer pauses when waiting for the computer to go to the next screen. I did edit some of the really long pauses by cutting and trimming the clips on the timeline.
Screencasts are a valuable tool to use in education. For example, Khan Academy’s approach is that the instructor becomes the facilitator using a dashboard to monitor each student. They can intervene when a student is struggling with a concept or can ask another student who is proficient in a concept to tutor other classmates. It is a way that allows instructors to devote more time to individual students.
Classrooms are changing with the introduction of the flipped classroom. But in many educational institutions it still remains a lecture type of classroom, homework and then an exam at the end. Then the entire class moves on to the next topic. If a student didn’t fully understand a concept and then moves on to the next level, Salman Khan states that over time the effect is like, “Swiss cheese gaps that kept building throughout their foundation.” Khan Academy’s approach is stay on the concept until the student has mastery and then moves to the next concept.
There are many benefits of using screencasting in education. The ease of creating and editing useful educational resources frees up the instructors to devote more time to the learners. The availability of tutorial videos allows students to use their time efficiently. Motivation to learn is better with video based learning. Instructional videos help in building a comfort level that helps build their confidence in learning the presented educational materials. The future of education is to use technology to create an atmosphere where instructors can connect with the learner to give feedback, motivate and foster teamwork. Through creating screencasting tutorials, an instructor has the opportunity to personalize the learning experience.
Illustration by Peggy Draver
Created with copyright free clipart and a screen grab of GarageBand's interface.