Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Screencasts

I decided that I want to start getting more on my class blogs - especially now that we have access to Youtube at school and can access different videos.

So yesterday in Algebra 2, after covering Completing the Square, I decided to try and find a video to back me up.  I posted this one, which is probably the most boring thing ever... but I honestly couldn't find one I liked any better.

In Precalc today we were graphing transformations of sine and cosine graphs.  Again, I wanted the kids to have an opportunity to see it explained again.  I checked YouTube and this time found nothing I liked.  Zilch.  I had a little bit of free time when no one showed up for tutoring (surprise!) so I made a screencast.  I had some issues with Jing on my computer and couldn't get Screentoaster to work, so I ended up using screencast-o-matic.



Aside from hating hearing my own voice talking to me (how do the kids put up with it every day?!) I think it turned out ok.  And it only took one take!

6 comments:

Steve Phelps said...

Screencast-o-matic is fantastic, and so easy to use. I have my students use it, too.

http://madeiramath2.wikispaces.com/Screencast+for+Week+6

KFouss said...

Steve, I've thought about having the kids write up problems using it. But it's so awkward to use the mouse and write. Do you all have tablets or do you just suffer through the ugliness?

Steve Phelps said...

The screencasts I had had my kids do have have been while they use GeoGebra. They will talk over their constructions, describing what they do. This week, they are asked to perform a construction, and to "prove" the result is a parallelogram by measuring using the GeoGebra tools.

If there is something I want them to write and talk, I will have them use one of my Livescribe pens.

I have not tried to have them create a screencast while they write on the smart board, but I imaging it would work.

What did you use to create your screencast? That did not look like smartboard software.

Steve Phelps said...

Here's is a screencast idea for your sine function.

http://www.screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cXVYbKlqV

KFouss said...

Ooh, I really like that sine curve idea using geogebra. I've been trying to think of a project for the kids to do - maybe I'll do something like that!

We have tablets and I was using Windows Journal to write - it's the program that I use in class the most. We have the smartboard software so I could use it too.

I like the idea of the livescribe pen, too - it might be worth applying for a PTA mini-grant at my school!

Steve Phelps said...

Here are two examples of what my students did with GeoGebra and Screencast-o-matic this week (Kids taking advantage of their snow day!)

Their screencasts are at the top of the page...the first thing you see when you go to their pages. It is cool that even though they were given the same assignment, their product is SO different!

http://madeiramath2.wikispaces.com/Maddie+C

http://madeiramath2.wikispaces.com/Matthew+S