Videos with Screencast-O-Matic

Despite my recent post about making instructional videos in which I teach on screen, I decided recently to make a set of videos using Screencast-O-Matic. Why? Two reasons. First, the practical reason is that I haven't gathered the tools and created a space for recording myself. Second, I've never used Screencast-O-Matic, and I know that it's been a popular tool for other instructors. In the interest of exploring options, I decided to give it a go.

For this project, I created a series of videos about place value, expanded notation, and writing numbers. I chose this topic because it's one that I used to cover in Math 10 but currently do not cover in my ABSE Math 3 or 4 classes. I've found that my students could often use a review of these concepts, however (especially if they are preparing to take the math placement exam). You can find the videos on my YouTube channel.

I created these videos on my laptop, using a Logitech microphone headset and my Wacom Bamboo tablet. Fortunately, I already owned the Bamboo tablet - I use it for editing digital photos - so I didn't need to buy or borrow one for this project. I love my Bamboo tablet, but as you'll see if you watch the videos, I did discover that I really need to practice handwriting with the tablet. Because of the small size of the tablet and the friction between the tablet and the pen nib, I found handwriting to be less than natural. I find writing on my iPad to be easier, and I think that most iPad apps also give you more pen/ink options. I used Powerpoint slides for my "background," and the pen options on Powerpoint are limited.

I generally liked using Screencast-O-Matic. I found the controls intuitive, and I liked that I didn't have to create an account or download any software to create videos. I might go ahead and sign up for the pro account, though, because I would like to be able to use some of the pro features, such as the greater variety of publishing options, editting tools, and the ability to publish screen shots.

I also recently downloaded another screencasting app for the iPad, called Playback. Stay tuned for a review!

More on Instructor Made Videos

Since my first experiment in creating videos for my class, I found a journal article that addressed a few issues I'd been thinking about around course videos. Merlot, the OER repository, has an online, peer-reviewed journal focusing on the use of web-based resources in higher education. The Journal of Online Teaching and Learning (JOLT), is open-access and published quarterly. The article, "Instructor-Made Videos as a Learner Scaffolding Tool," can be found in the December 2012 issue (Vol. 8, No. 4).

For this article, the authors specifically focus on the use of instructor-made videos for online courses, but I believe their findings can be applied to hybrid and traditional courses as well. As a basis for their research, they cite several benefits and disadvantages of the use of videos as an online learning tool. On the positive side, they note that 38%  of adult internet users report watching educational videos online, and that number is expected to rise over the next few years. In addition, many learners can attend to video for longer than other resources, and instructional videos allow users to control the learning environment - pausing, rewinding, and replaying content as much or as little as they wish. Also, the visual and auditory nature of video leads to more effective encoding of information. Finally, videos can now be accessed on a wide range of devices, which is especially convenient for students who squeeze studying into work breaks, bus rides, etc.

On the negative side, many instructor-produced videos are of poor quality because they are produced with low-end equipment. Students may experience connection or playback issues. Recordings of classroom lectures and demonstrations may include class business, downtime, etc. that viewers either need to sit through or try to fast-forward through. Many professionally produced videos are long, don't align with course objectives or content standards, or may spend too much time on basic concepts rather than more problematic concepts. 

For this study, instructors of three online college courses - a business course, a chemistry course, and a math course - created a series of short (10 minutes or less) videos on topics that the instructors knew to be commonly problematic for students. Instructors used the videos to model decision-making and thinking patterns, recommend tools and resources for students, and demonstrate procedures. At the end of the term students were asked to complete an online survey about the helpfulness of the videos.

About a third of the students registered in the courses eventually completed the online survey, and of the 32 who responded, 30 students rated the videos as a "favorable" or "very favorable" resource. (Two students chose "neutral.") Students reported liking that the videos were tailored to their specific needs. Many commented that seeing the instructor in the video was important for several reasons - first, it helped them feel connected to the instructor and the class, and second, they felt that being able to see the instructor's facial expressions and gestures helped them process the information and made the videos more like a one-on-one discussion. Surprisingly, students were split on the importance of video length. While the authors had predicted that students would prefer short videos, about half of the respondents stated that they were open to longer videos (up to 30-40 minutes) as long as the concepts were clearly presented. Finally, a few students did state that while the videos were helpful, they were not those students' preferred learning media.

Instructors involved in the study felt that they had greater involvement with students when they used the videos - one instructor reported receiving more emails from students in sections that watched the videos. Instructors also felt that the videos made their classes more interesting and helped hold students' attention. Instructors appreciated having a forum in which they could express their own opinions and thoughts on the other resources used in the class. Lastly, instructors did agree that creating a script or story-board for their videos was essential.

What interested me most about this article was the point about being able to see the instructor in the video. I've thought about this quite a bit since making my first videos. I had heard that it was a good idea to include a picture of yourself in your videos so that students can put a face to your voice, so I did include a little video clip of myself introducing the video, but as I was working on my second or third video, I began to feel disconnected from the material I was explaining. I worried that if I felt disconnected, students would also feel like they were learning from a disembodied voice. Also, I realized how often I use pointing and other gestures in my teaching - especially with math - and while the screencast software does have a pointing tool, this doesn't always translate perfectly. I began to think that when I make my next set of videos, I should tape myself in front of a white board, explaining as I would in front of a classroom. Even though this is a little out of my comfort zone (I don't care for being video-recorded), I think it would better replicate the classroom experience and connect with students. The students responses quoted in this article really confirmed my belief, so I guess that's where I'm headed with my next videos. 

Creating Tutorial Videos with Explain Everything

I've used a number of different math tutorial videos with my students over the years - mainly from Khan Academy, but from a few other sources as well, but though I've been meaning to create some of my own, I just hadn't got around to it until recently. Several factors inspired the set of videos I just created. First, while teaching graphing Spring term, there were some consistent issues that I thought videos could help address if students could access them while working on homework outside of class. Second, I've been interested in iPad screencasting and wanted to try out the Explain Everything app. Finally, while I find videos made by others to be helpful, I think that my students would really benefit most from being able to watch / listen to me explain concepts the same way I explained them in class. With those things in mind, I set to creating a series of videos on graphing equations in slope-intercept form.

Explain Everything is available through the Apple App Store for $2.99. There are some things that I really like about this app. The interface is generally pretty intuitive, though there were a couple of menu buttons that I had to play with a bit before really figuring out what they could do. You can create files with multiple pages so that when you do your screencast, you can record each page separately (and go back to edit single pages) but create one seamless video in a single step. Photos and videos can be imported onto slides; you can add text and drawings to slides; and you can minimize/expand and move around elements on a slide. In addition, you can open a video recording screen on a slide and record video right into the app. Finally, you can open a live web page on a slide. Recording quality is good and I found the audio to be satisfactory, even when using only the iPad's built in microphone. Uploading to YouTube was a little slow but not at all difficult.

There are a few things that I don't like about the app. Editing videos seemed a little glitchy - when I would pause and try to re-record a section of video, the active tools would switch on me, and a couple of times changes that I made to elements on the screen didn't "stick" as I started recording again. I believe that you're supposed to be able to edit video and audio separately, but I had a little trouble with this. When you open a live web page, the page loads quickly and page elements are functional, but web page text and graphics (and especially video) are lower resolution than in a browser. Finally, while there is a tool for inserting elements like arrows and lines on slides, it's really limited in the shapes it can create; I'd like a more robust shape tool.

I plan to play around with this app a bit more, but based on my initial impressions, I would recommend this app to anyone who really wanted to screencast from an iPad, with the caveat that this is not the best screencasting tool out there. For my next video project, I intend to use a web based tool (like Screencastomatic) on my PC. 

As for the videos themselves, I don't think they're too bad for a first try. I did realize after completing my fourth video that I did not use a single example with a negative y-intercept, so I might go back and either change one of the videos or add another to the set. I had been told by a number of people to write a script before recording, and that was good advice. I did find that I needed to revise and adjust my scripts as I went along, but they were good guidelines. The biggest challenge I had was making sure that there was nearly always something going on onscreen - I tried to avoid having too many segments with more voiceover than visual. 

Thinking ahead to making future videos, I'm toying with the idea of recording myself at a whiteboard or chalkboard, rather than screencasting. I did start each video with a little clip of myself - another great piece of advice I'd been given was that students like to see a picture of the person behind the voice on the video. I think for a lot of students there is something to watching a teacher explain something - the gestures, body language, and other visual cues add something important to the instruction, and I always feel like that's missing from screencasts. So stay tuned for future videos - maybe you'll see more of me in front of the camera!

The set of five videos on graphing slope-intercept equations is available on my YouTube page: http://m.youtube.com/channel/UCjU1lK3l5Vi0uz7dnvMypeQ?feature=guide.