The second artifact I chose to reflect on for this class is
my Screencast project for Module 7. I chose this artifact for a few reasons.
One reason I chose this artifact is that I feel it shows my understanding of
really two different projects I completed for the class. While creating the
screencast, which shows my knowledge of this multimedia tool, I was also demonstrating
my knowledge of WeVideo, which I had used to create my book trailer for Module 4.
I feel that the screencast was a great way to show how my understanding of
these multimedia tools had improved through this course. Another reasons why I
chose to share this artifact is that I feel that is shows how I have pushed
myself beyond my comfort zone and used a tool that I thought was too
challenging in the past. Prior to this class I had seen many screencasts, but
had always been intimidated by this tool. I felt that I was not tech savvy
enough to create something like this, nor did I have information that needed to
be shared in this way. However, I feel that through creating this screencast
for this class I really pushed myself and can really see the value of making screencasts
in the future.
While creating the screencast project for Module 7, I found
the experience to be very different than I had anticipated. The elements of the
screencast that I expected to be challenging turned out to be much more user
friendly than anticipated. However, the elements that I expected to be easy,
turned out to be the most challenging. Prior to becoming more familiar with screencasts
through the resources provided in Module 7, I worried about the technical aspects
of actually creating and editing the screencast. However, this turned out to be
incredibly easy using ScreenCastify. This app is incredibly user friendly and
easy to navigate. It only took me a few quick experiments to feel comfortable
with this tool. However, I found the content and the timing of the screencast
to be much more challenging than I anticipated. I originally had planned on
covering much more content in my screencast about using WeVideo. However,
midway through my first recording I had exceeded the ten minutes provide by
ScreenCastify. I was shocked by how long my screencast had run! I did not
intend to make such a long video. I knew that a longer video would struggle to
hold the attention of my students. I had to modify my outline to include less
information to fit better into the time constraints. Additionally, having been
sick with a cough and cold for the last few weeks, I found it frustrating that
I could not pause and restart my screencast. There are several times when I
cough during the screencast. However, as I was sick and can’t seem to go more
than 5 minutes without coughing, this seemed inevitable for the time being. I
wonder if I had a different app to create the screencasts if I would have been
able to edit this. However, with the free app I was using I did not have that
option. However, despite all the challenges involved I was proud that I was
able to step out of my comfort zone and make a screencast that my students can
use.
I made this screencast because I felt that it really
responded to a need I had seen in my classroom. My students had been exploring
WeVideo and had used it in a few different projects. They have become much more
proficient than I in using the various features of WeVideo. They have created
some amazing videos and book trailers. However, the problems seemed to arise when
they were finishing the videos and moving them out of WeVideo. They also
struggled with sharing them so that others could view them. I had reviewed how
to save the videos to Google Drive and how to open up the sharing aspect.
However, each of these concepts required multiple steps and students struggled
to follow through. This is why I chose to create a screencast that would help
students to share their videos to Google in a way that they could utilize them
and share them. I felt that screencasting would be a great way to do this
because students could pause the video as they were working. They could
complete one step at a time without becoming overwhelmed. I shared the screencast
on our Canvas site so that they can access it whenever they need to.
I feel that this artifact really shows how I have grown
through this course work. Prior to this class, a screencast really seemed
outside of my abilities as an educator. I really felt that I did not have the technical
experience or ability to create a screencast. Nor did I think that I had
technology knowledge valuable enough to share in this manner. However, this
class taught me how technologically easy it is to create a screencast. Also, it
showed me that screencasts can be created for a variety of reasons. I learned
that if I saw a need I could create a screencast that would help me to share
information with my students. I look forward to improving my screencasting
skills and using screencasts in the future to continue to support the learners
in my classroom.
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