EdTechTeam

Global Network of Educational Technologists

Chromebooks

How to record video on your Chromebook with Screencast-O-Matic

 

For today’s teachers, it’s no secret that video increases engagement and retention among students. The best part is, you don’t need any fancy equipment or special training to bring the benefits of video to your classroom. Below, we’ll show you step-by-step how to create engaging videos right from your Chromebook with Screencast-O-Matic’s free Chromebook screen recorder. 

How to Record Video on Chromebooks

There are two ways to get started using Screencast-O-Matic on your Chromebook. You can either download the app or install the browser extension.

Using Screencast-O-Matic 

  1. Download Screencast-O-Matic’s free screen recorder.
  2. Launch the program and choose what you’d like to record (your screen, your webcam, or both) from the menu.
  3. The frame can be dragged or resized to show any part of your screen that you want to record. You can also choose from preset sizes (e.g. fullscreen or 720p) from the drop-down menu. If you are using the webcam, you can drag the webcam window anywhere within the recording frame.
  4. Choose the microphone you want to use for narration. You can use the internal microphone on your Chromebook or use an external microphone if you have one.
  5. Hit record to create your video. You’ll see a countdown (3,2,1, go!) and your video will start recording. You can pause, play, or start over using the control buttons at the bottom of the frame.
  6. When you are finished, click Done. You can then trim the beginning and end of the video by dragging the time bar at the bottom to adjust. Trimming the video will make your screencast seem more polished because you can remove false starts or awkward silences.
  7. If you’d like to add music to your video, click on the musical note to see a list of royalty-free music options.
  8. To save your video, click on the timestamp at the end of the video. You’ll have the option to save the video file to your desktop, upload it on Screencast-O-Matic, or publish it to YouTube. If you upload your video on Screencast-O-Matic, you can later download it to your desktop as an mp4 and upload it to YouTube.

Using the Chrome Browser Extension

  1. After getting the extension from the Chrome store, launch the recorder from your browser.
  2. Choose the option to share ‘Your Entire Screen.’ This will give you the option in the next step to record your screen, webcam, or both.
  3. Decide what you want to record (the screen, webcam, or both) and select it from the menu.
  4. If you’re recording both your screen and the webcam, a second icon (camera icon) will appear on the Chromebook shelf. Clicking on the icon will minimize or restore the webcam window. This feature is helpful while you are recording because you can make the webcam window appear and disappear from the video.
  5. You can make the webcam window larger or smaller by dragging the corners of the window with your mouse.
  6. Clicking on the camera icon will pause the video. You can then preview the combined recorded video (which shows both your screen and the webcam). From there, you can save the video or start over.

Tips for Making the Best Screencast

Once you’ve learned how to use Screencast-o-Matic to record video on your Chromebook, we have some tips for making the best videos possible.

  • Use a script. There’s no need to worry about forgetting what you wanted to say, or skipping an important part of your lesson. With Screencast-O-Matic’s Scripted Recordings feature, you can create easy-to-use scripts to follow along with as you record. You can type your script directly into Screencast-O-Matic, or import a script as a text file. From there, you’ll be able to record your narration section by section, so you won’t have to stop and think about what you wanted to say next.
  • Include visual aids. Adding extra visuals to your videos can keep students interested, and help them better understand complex topics. For example, if you’re explaining a difficult math problem, instead of simply filming yourself, you could share your screen as you work through the problem. You can even add arrows, text, and highlights to call attention to a certain step. Not only does this add depth to the lesson, it also allows students to rewatch later if they need more help.
  • Make a few quick edits. You can record great lessons in Screencast-O-Matic without any editing at all, but a few easy tips and tricks can give your videos a big leg up in holding students’ attention and increasing comprehension. With Screencast-O-Matic’s Video Editor, you can add animations, images, music, and much more to your videos. You’ll also be able to make cuts and edit out awkward pauses. If your students are struggling with a particular lesson or subject, a visually interesting video may help them learn it. 

Ready, set, go!

Dr. Shannon Doak, an educational technologist in Hawaii, says he’s noticed more engagement and creativity from students who learn from classroom videos. He feels that video encourages important skills like collaboration, critical thinking, and communication. 

Now that you know how to make attention-grabbing videos with Screencast-O-Matic’s free Chromebook screen recorder, you can help your students develop these skills too. You may even inspire them to try making their own screencasts.

You can use the screen recorder on Chromebooks, Mac, and PC, or any computer with the Chrome browser installed. 

From video lectures to real-time feedback, there are no limits to the power of video in the classroom. Discover the exciting new ways educators are using video technology in the classroom on our blog.

Quick Links:

Improving education with videos and Chromebooks

Educator shares how video technology plays a role in the four ‘C’s of education

Professor uses flipped learning to spark passion in her students

 

Guest post by Screencast-O-Matic Guest post by Screencast-O-Matic

We Jammin’! Redefine Learning Tasks with Google Jamboard

This blog post is sponsored by Acer Education, a partner of EdTechTeam. 

“A whiteboard on every desk” is the way Google’s collaboration tool, Jamboard, has been described – and it certainly is redefining the way that students interact with each other and the teachers in the classroom.

Steven Hope, Head of Independent Learning at Leeds City College, commented, “The Jamboard has no equivalent in any other learning tool. It allows learners who ordinarily might not be able to be physically in attendance – single parents, those with caring responsibilities, those with long term absences – to engage in learning because there is real-time collaboration through the cloud capabilities built into the tool.”

The Chromebook app that I use on the Acer Tab 10 is perfectly designed for stylus interaction; just like a student might have used a traditional whiteboard and pen to respond to a task or answer a question, this digital substitution allows for quick engagement, and with multiple ‘jam screens’ open, there is no need to wipe off the answers before using them again. If that was all this tool offered, it would be adequate as a free alternative (no more grubby plastic I hear you say!). 

However, this is barely scratching the surface of the capability of Jamboard and it is in its interactivity that the true value is found. Moving beyond substitution, tasks can be totally redefined in how students can work together and develop ideas. For instance, as part of a revision session, I used the sticky notes feature to ask students to list a topic they had found difficult in that term and add their name. Each student ‘wrote’ on their own device through the app and these sticky notes appeared on every other student’s screen in real time. This mesmerised many of them but the magic was in the next step – asking them to group common themes together, add thumbs up and down in terms of their confidence levels on topics, and then partner themselves with someone who felt more confident in that area. The peer coaching that emerged has been amazing and it shows a truly blended approach – using the technology as a means rather than an end in itself.

Likewise, the usability of Jamboard and the fact that you can create new jams right out of Google Drive (Click ‘New’ and then ‘More’) means that students can intuitively create and curate their resources. Simple tasks like ordering events on a timeline or an opinion continuum allows students to all be working on the same document simultaneously without the need for copy and paste! Moreover, the auto-save nature of all Google tools and the idea that these planning or brainstorming ideas are saved electronically means that students and teachers alike can refer back to these at a later date.

One of the most impressive uses of the Chromebook app I have seen has been in how it allows those groups from disparate places to develop ideas and save them in the cloud so they can be accessed on any device. Some of the marketing apprentices I look after worked on a project with a multinational company, planning their social media ideas and developing a campaign around a particular event the company was attending. No longer did this company need to travel the length of the country (or further) to meet with the students but using Google Hangouts, they held a video conference whilst the learners used a shared jam to record ideas and interact with the client. This meant that multiple users could be editing the same document and the company could see this in real-time despite not being in the same room. They added images and annotations using the stylus, creating a brilliant mood board that could be signed off immediately, leading to a greater efficiency.

Whatever the age of the students you work with, the Jamboard app can create a whole host of opportunities for collaboration, engagement and interaction. Check out First Day of Jamboard resources for more ideas.

Want to be part of the evolution of the 21st skills generation and be inspired about best practices? Visit Acer for Education blog and subscribe to our newsletter at: http://eu-acerforeducation.acer.com/

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Ben Whitaker is a certified Google Educator, Trainer and Innovator and former Assistant Principal, who has led training around the UK and beyond. He is a passionate speaker who engages and inspires all those he works with. He has a background in leading sixth form, senior leadership and school governance. Ben’s teaching speciality is 11-18 Religious Education and Philosophy. Ben recently moved from his role as Chief Education Officer at Project Digital, in Lancashire, to take up a Curriculum Manager position at Burnley College. He is a Director at Edufuturists, where he hosts a number of educational podcasts and oversees the annual Edufuturists Summit & Awards. He tweets at @itsbenwhitaker.

Innovation and Creativity in the Classroom with Chromebooks

You may have noticed the device of choice for many school districts and students is the Chromebook. We see them everywhere! At school, in homes, at Starbucks… So, what are they and why are they so popular?

Chromebooks are, simply put, devices that connect to the Internet with keyboards attached. They connect to the Internet with the Chrome Browser. If they connected with Firefox, they’d be called Firefoxbooks. If they connected with Safari, they’d be called Safaribooks. However, because they connect with Chrome, they are called Chromebooks.

Why is connecting with Chrome pretty awesome? Chrome allows users to add what Google calls, “extensions” to the Chrome browser that enables customization and efficiency experiences. For instance, do you want to split your screen in half to display two websites? They have an extension for that. Do you want to add your Bitmoji to a document in Drive? They have an extension for that too! The Chrome Web Store has thousands of extensions that help accessibility, efficiency, and creation.

Chrome itself has a lot of features as well. Teachers can help new ELLs and foreign language students change the displayed language to their home/studied language. It can also enable users to change the size and look of font in Chrome, customize the Google homepage and more.

But what about the Chromebook device itself? Chromebooks can be easily provisioned by districts to enable system-wide rules and push out extensions and services with the click of a button. IT Departments love the simplistic and easy management of district devices.

In addition to thoughtful device management, Chromebooks also have built-in accessibility features such as zoom in for screens, contrast changes, and even text-to-speech capabilities.

One objection we hear a lot is that users can’t download software onto a Chromebook to help with creation projects. We say, this shouldn’t be a limitation! There are hundreds of web-based applications that are compatible with Chromebooks.

The sky’s the limit for students who want to get creative. Students can create, edit and publish videos, images, documents, projects and more. The best part? Everything is stored in the web. It doesn’t matter if a device gets lost or damaged, their work will always be available!

We’re really excited about Google’s Chromebook App Hub announcement recently at SXSW. The new App Hub will help district leaders locate and suggest apps for teachers who are looking for specific needs. Stay tuned for that to go live soon!

Even better? EdTechTeam has partnered with Google to offer FREE PD with your Chromebook purchase! What’s the saying? “Give a man a fish you’ll feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, you’ll feed him for a lifetime.” We want to make sure your schools are equipped and ready to use these new devices to their full potential. Click here for all the details and how to redeem your free PD!

Kate Petty spent ten years as a high school English and ELD teacher. She fell in love with inquiry-based learning and made her way to her district office first as an EdTech TOSA and then as the district Instructional Technology Coordinator. Kate has a BA from the University of Nevada, Reno and a MA in Teaching from the University of California, Irvine. Prior to coming to EdTechTeam Kate was the CUE Blog Editor and CUE’s LeRoy Finkel Fellow. Kate is a Google Certified Innovator and Trainer and is a Certified PBL Teacher in Project-Based Learning from the Buck Institute. Kate’s passions in education are Genius Hour and Alternative Assessments.

Kate serves as the Director of Professional Learning for EdTechTeam. She primarily coordinates and develops custom workshops, and custom summits and events.

Kate currently lives in Irvine, CA with her husband and daughter.


Getting Creative with Chrome

My first interaction with Book Creator was their iPad app. Our 1st graders used it each year for a small project. It was pretty cool, but it’s use was isolated to the iPads. It’s a wonderful app – we really did love it! But for it to be widely used, it was tough. We had one cart for the entire building.

Fast forward a couple of years and Book Creator now has a web-based version … for Chrome … and it’s FREE!!!

My district is lucky enough to be 1:1 with Chromebooks from 1st through 12th grade. Book Creator allows all of our students to let their creative juices flow in an e-book format and it’s great! Book Creator also continues to be more and more robust offering additional features like an easier way to include images and allowing you to embed videos and other media.

Recently, a 3rd grade teacher in one of my buildings asked me to help a few of her kiddos present their “passion projects”. Three of them wanted to make books. I showed them Book Creator and after about 45 minutes, they are well on their way to writing some pretty amazing books!

To begin with Book Creator, we started off discussing the best layout for their topic — they had great questions — and were a little timid to make their selection! When we “presented” their cover and first 2 pages, they lit up! It feels a lot like a real book turning pages.

I encouraged them to look at the mountains of books in their classroom to help them make any of the decisions they came across for their book. I loved the seriousness in their eyes when they evaluated whether or not to include an inside title page or not. Shortly before my time with them was up, I ‘teased’ the idea of including a video in their books … at first, disbelief, then excitement! Book Creator is a very user-friendly program and these 3rd graders were able to pick up on it quickly.

I can’t say enough how rewarding it is to show students an idea, watch them make it their own, and then they dig in for more!!! From the very beginning, I could tell they were hooked! And I kept reminding them THEY are the authors so every decision is the right one ?!

Did I mention they are in 3rd grade???

Here are a few resources for Book Creator:

  • Book Creator Teacher Resources [LINK]
  • 50 ways to use Book Creator in your classroom [LINK]
    • literally packed with ideas for use in ANY/EVERY classroom!
  • Common Sense Media:

I look forward to continue this adventure with them and see what they create! I hope you enjoy seeing your students create as well!

After graduating from The University of Dayton, Sarah taught 5th grade for 7 years, followed by 7 years in 7th & 8th grade Social Studies. Sarah is currently a Technology Integration Specialist for Ross Local Schools where she thoroughly enjoys supporting 2 elementaries of energetic teachers and students. She is also a Google for Education Certified Trainer and Educator, Levels 1 and 2.

Sarah writes a blog “Tech You Can Do” where she shares tips & activities any teacher can do with their students. You can also follow her at
@kiefersj.

Want to find more activities and ideas using Chrome? Learn more about Google for Education’s Chromebook App Hub..coming soon!

Chromebooks as Tools for Creativity

 

Chromebooks have come a long way in eight years and our most recent webinar shows just that. The focus this month was Chromebooks as Tools for Creativity and our three panelists showcased a variety of ways that the Chromebook can be used for much more than document processing and research.

You can view the Youtube Live Event at https://youtu.be/EZEx0gz9vus and the resources from the panel at http://edtech.team/creativechromebooks.

Here are just a few of the ideas and strategies our panelists shared:

Austin Houp shared Book Creator’s new web-based application. Formerly only available on the iPad, it is now on Chromebooks and better than ever! Each teacher can register for a class for free and can have up to 40 books in his/her library. When a student is finished with a book, they export it as a PDF and then start over! His favorite super trick is “app smashing” Google’s AutoDraw tool with Book Creator. Check out the resources to see how he does it.

Did you know that Google Slides and Drawings have identical toolbars? That is what I, Amanda Taylor, shared during my part of the webinar. There are so many creative ways teachers and students can use just these two simple applications to create on the Chromebook. My favorite super trick is using Google Slides for animation. You will find a link to my sample in the resources.

In Chris Moore’s class, it’s all about choice, and he uses Symbaloo on his class blog to facilitate a “choice-based student portfolio”. Every day students come in and head to the blog to start working on the next addition to their portfolio. How awesome is that! Students have a huge variety of tools to choose from as they work including Canva, Co-Spaces, TinkerCad, FlowLab and more. Chris also gave us a short demonstration of how students can use the Polyline tool in Drawings or Slides to create Vector Art. It’s the perfect way to get your students into a productive struggle.

We want to thank all of our panelists and our wonderful moderator Lisa Thumann for another great resource.

Speaking of resources, did you know EdTechTeam has several online courses that would help further your learning from this webinar? Check out these two courses; Slides and Drawings and Chromebooks in the Classroom to level up your own skills.

Please take a look at the archive for all the amazing information shared this month with links to everything our panelists spoke about.

And, as always, remember you can bring any and all of this to your school or district by filling out our request form at https://www.edtechteam.com/request/.

To see the archive of all our Teaching & Learning monthly webinars visit our Youtube playlist. Also, don’t forget to register for June’s webinar with @Elizann819, @ericcurts @LATOY2018 as we talk about Improving Student Writing.

Amanda Taylor
Director of Professional Development
EdTechTeam
@TeacherAndGeek

Join us next month for

Improving Student Writing!

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