Create Your Own Screen-capture

There are many different ways that screen recordings can be used in your course.

  • Deliver a SHORT lesson
  • Demonstrate how to navigate a website or piece of software
  • Introduce a course or instructor
  • Share a weekly overview or recap
  • Explain an assignment, course outline, etc.
  • Provide assignment feedback
  • Review a frequently asked questions

Before creating your video, consider the following:

What is the purpose of the video?

Think about the goal you would like to achieve, and if a screen recording is the best way to do this.

It doesn’t have to be perfect.

Not every video needs to be perfectly polished, with hours of work behind it. Sometimes a quick impromptu recording is just as effective. If you stumble over your words, it’s all right to correct yourself and continue on - the same way you would if you were speaking in front of your students in class. Being flexible with this can save a lot of time when creating your video!

Short attention spans

To keep the attention of your audience, try making your videos as concise and to the point as possible. When a long video cannot be avoided, think about breaking it up into smaller sections and have students complete an activity or discussion in between clips. Having a script or point form notes can be helpful to ensure the main goals of the video are covered, while keeping the length as short as possible.

Student Perspective

When creating any educational resource, it’s always a good idea to look at it from a student's perspective. For videos specifically, considering the following might be beneficial:

  • What content would be most useful to students in the form of a video?
  • What can be done to make your videos interesting to the students? (Tone, humour, variety, etc.)

QUICK TIPS

Although videos do not always need to be polished, there are a couple of quick and easy things that you can do when recording to improve the overall quality.

  1. AUDIO – audio is often overlooked, but it is a very important part of the video. Using a mic when possible is a great idea. Headphones that come with a mobile device often have a built-in mic, which usually work great.

    No mic? In a controlled environment, using your devices built-in mic should still be all right - just make sure you are in a quiet space and that your device is close to the subject speaking. This option will not work well in a noisy environment.

    Need better audio? If the above options aren’t working well for your videos, consider using something like this mic with your device.

  2. TEST RECORDING - always do a short test recording to ensure everything looks and sounds all right. This can save you a lot of time and frustration if something isn’t being captured properly.

If you are ready to create your own screen recordings, check out the information in this section available for recording, editing and sharing to learn more.