What is screencasting?

A screencast is merely capturing what is on your computer screen while recording a narrative at the same time. It is a simple process that can be used in a multitude of realms, with differing purposes.

Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Everything is an amazing resource for well…Everything! She has compiled a very good list of platforms for screencasting. What I found, I have a platform for screencasting right on my MacBook, in QuickTime Player.

This is one of my first screencasts; I was tasked with creating a digital story. I created the presentation using Prezi (which I will address in another post/page, later), and recorded the screencast using QuickTime Player.

Here, I used it to tell a story for summer grad school class, but I can see it being using in several different areas of interpretation.

• Creating “behind the scene” tours of places/items not seen when visiting in person
• School outreach
• Build excitement prior to outreaches or field trips
• Informing visitors prior to their arrival

I can also see it being using within the workplace, especially when working at sites that are separated by location or work schedules.   Geography and scheduling can make collaborations or meetings nearly impossible.

– Reviewing a document on your screen while discussing possible changes/additions                                                                                                               – Creating a series of training sessions for new employees. I could see this being particularly useful for NPS sites that are regularly hiring seasonal positions. This frees up the trainer, while giving the trainee the ability to stop and review, at will.

It is a tool with untapped potential!