FTT - ScreenCastify

 

Save Video Calls For Interaction! Screencastify Yourself For Instruction

@LisaBerghoff/@MrKimDHS

I first posted about Screencastify in May of 2016 and most recently in November of 2019.  More and more staff members have been looking for ways to record what is on their screens. Teachers running review sessions, counselors giving presentations, club sponsors sharing information, and students going beyond powerpoint presentations, have all been looking for the "best" solution for screen recording (also referred to as screen casting).  Who knew that just 9 months later creating videos would be so critical to our teaching toolbox? 

Video call fatigue is a real thing. It is unnatural to stare at someone's face the entire time you are having a conversation. Picking up social cues takes extra energy. And, let's be honest, we're all trying to do too many things at once. In order to minimize the fatigue that comes with video call interaction, screencasting is a fantastic way to provide your students with information in a manner that lets them be in charge. Did they miss what you said? No problem! They can replay the recording as many times as they want. 

However, just having the information on video does NOT make it amazing. Here, check out Principles To Improve The Effectiveness Of Instructional Videos. 

There are several fantastic tools out there that will enable you to record what is on your screen, or record from your webcam, or both. 

We actually have a district premium license for Screencastify and I believe it is the simplest to use. 

First of all, it is a Chrome extension. That means there is nothing to download and it will automatically save your recordings to your Google drive.  Showing a demonstration of how to navigate your Schoology page? Screencastify will highlight your mouse clicks and there is also a pen drawing tool to point out important information on a doc or slides. The value of video is indisputable. We are learning more and more from videos. Plus, there are times when students are absent, or just need a chance to hear and see the information again.

The biggest question is always, How do I share it? The good news is that Screencastify autosaves to your Google drive. All you need to do is share the link. You can also upload to YouTube or download as an MP4, Gif, or MP3.

Here's how it works:

1. You already have the screencastify chrome extension! No need to download, upload, or go to any websites.

2. Ready to record? I suggest writing a script and practicing a few times but if you say you're ready I will believe you. Just click on the Screencastify extension icon in the upper right corner to start using Screencastify.

3. Choose : Browser Tab, Desktop, or Webcam Only to determine what will actually record. 

Make sure your microphone has access (you will need to click allow the first time through) and choose Embed Webcam if you want your face to show in a little box on the screen. Sometimes it's nice to see your face when you are talking:)

4. Click the Blue Record button. It will give you a three second countdown. Need more time? You can adjust to a five or ten second countdown by clicking on the 3 lines. Your drawing tools will automatically appear while you are recording. 

5. Click again to stop recording and wait for your video to automatically load and the Google drive link to appear. If you don't love your recording you can delete it and rerecord OR you can edit it in the Screencastify editor.

That's it! You can do this! 

As always, let us know if you want some help with your videos or navigating Screencastify.

FTT - Distributing and Collecting work on Schoology

Distributing and collecting work in the era of Remote Learning 

@LisaBerghoff/@MrKimDHS

A well-meaning friend of mine recently told me, "wow it must be really nice being able to work from home and teach remotely!" And to a degree he was absolutely right. How fortunate are we that we can continue to educate our students while keeping ourselves, and by extension our loved ones, safe from this pandemic? That's what I try and tell myself anyways, as I fight to stay well-adjusted in the face of all of the petty frustrations that come from teaching remotely. The once simple educational maneuvers like handing out instructions, or projecting your screen are now weighed down by uncooperative laptops and temperamental WiFi signals. 

What can we do to simplify things for you? At the very least, let's examine how Schoology offers two ways for staff to distribute and collect digital work: Google Docs, and Hand-written work 

Option 1: Schoology Google Drive Submissions:

This option is for work that can be done completely on a Google Doc (meaning typed). With the Schoology-Google Drive Assignment feature you can choose a Google Doc assignment, the program will make individual copies of the Google Doc for each student, and submissions will be gathered in one easy place to grade. Here's how and what it'll look like:

1. The first step is to create an assignment. You can do this on the "Materials page" of your Schoology course.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. This next step is a crucial one that marks this assignment a Google Drive assignment. After naming your assignment, click on the "Google Drive Assignments" button below the description.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Now if this is your first time using the "Google Drive Assignments" feature, you won't be able to access your documents until you log in. To do so:
1. Click "Options" and then "Account Settings"
2. Click "Log in" and then log in using your district Google Account
   
   
4. Now you should see some of your Google Drive files. Unfortunately you won't see them nicely organized into the folders you're probably used to seeing. Instead you'll see a list of your most recent files. THIS IS IMPORTANT: Always know the name of the assignment because the best way to find and choose your document is to type in it's name in the search bar at the top right
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Once you find and click on your file, you can click on "view" to double-check that you're choosing the correct file. (You must choose a Google Doc)
   
   
5. Once you attach your document, build the rest of your assignment like usual by adding due dates, total points, and category.
   
   
6. Now once created, you'll see a new user interface with three options: Assignment, In Progress, and Submissions. 
1. The Assignment Tab will show you what student see with regards to the description and the Google Doc. 
2. The In Progress Tab shows you which students opened the file, and what their progress has been so far in real time.
3. The Submissions Tab shows off some of the true benefits of this option as all of their submissions are neatly ordered and ready for your grading touch. All grades and comments done here are automatically pushed into the gradebook.

Option 2: Hand-Written Work

This option is for collecting work that needs to be hand-written. It relies on students using their cell-phone cameras and the Google Drive app to take pictures of work and converting those images into PDFs.

1. Just like the first option, we'll be operating out the "Add Assignments" feature on the "Materials Page."
2. This time we'll put all of our information into the description box. My suggestion is to hyperlink the assignment in whatever form it exists, whether it's a PDF, Google Doc, or Word Document. You can hyperlink by highlighting the text, and clicking the LINK button which looks like two links of a chain.
   
   
   
   
   
3. The next step would be to provide the student instructions for taking a picture of their work and converting to Google Drive. 
1. Using the Google Drive App Scanner Function
   
   
4. I would highly suggest your description box to look something like this:
   
5. Much like option 1, you will see all of your student submissions gathered in one spot for easy access and grading:
   
   

I hope that you find these options helpful and efficient as we fight our way through remote learning together with our students. Need any assistance in creating either option above? PLEASE feel free to contact us for assistance!