Introduction to Screencasting for Online Tutorials and Reference

Sponsored By MARS-RUSAEmerging Technologies in Reference SectionAmerican Library Association

Maribeth SlebodnikPurdue University Librariesslebodnik@purdue.edu

William BreitbachCalifornia State University-Fullertonwbreitbach@exchange.fullerton.edu

Van HoulsonUniversity of Minnesota Librarieshouls001@umn.edu

1. Identify ways to use screencasting in your library

2. Name some leading screencasting software

3. Know some best practices for creating screencasts

4. Understand the advantage and disadvantages of this technology

5. Have enough practical tips to get started

By the end of this session, you will be able to …

What Is

Screencasting?

 

 

“A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a videoscreen capture, often containing audio narration

…essentially a movie of the changes over time that a user sees on a computer screen, enhanced with audio narration”                        

Definition attributed to Jon Udell, InfoWorld blogger 2004 (Wikipedia)

• Short instructional streaming videos —less than 5 minutes

• Usually includes audio narration

• May include highlighting, text and other graphics

• May include other media (images, music, animation)

What screencasting is today…

How Libraries Use

Screencasting

 

 Software tasks  

Orientations to websites or services

Tutorials on using catalogs or databases 

Responding to reference questions 

Capturing presentations

 Training public service staff

  Any kind of informal communication 

 Online tutorials for instruction

Software

For Creating Screencasts

 See “Screen Capturing Tools”

http://www.library.illinois.edu/diglit/faculty/teaching/tools/screencast.html 

 

Jing Free and easy to use. Captures audio and screen capture (including screenshots) that can be hosted on Screencast.Com Limited to 5 minute streaming, lacks editing.

Adobe Captivate Versatile for capturing screens or full motion recording with audio narration and text captioning. Offers many editing features for customizing each screen. Powerful software for developing online tutorials. $$$

Camtasia Studio Advanced recording tool for creating videos for almost any project setting, including YouTube, iPods, and blogs. Narrate powerpoints, include text captioning, audio narration, closed captioning, full motion recording, and assessment options. $$

ScreenFlow Best software for Apple with many editing effects (zoon, pan, trim, shadows, etc.) Good for mulitmedia production. $$

Output Files

Jing Free Version: SWF (Flash)Pro Version: H.264/MPEG-4 AVC (standard high quality format)

Mac/Pc

Camtasia Studio MultiFormat (MPEG-4, MOV Quicktime, DV, MP3 audio, Flash)

Mac/Pc

Adobe Captivate MultiFormat (AVI, MOV, MPEG, and FLV)

Mac/Pc

Screenflow MultiFormat Full Range of Quicktime settings, plus Flash and WMV)

Mac/PC

Where to Archive

Your Screencasts?

Hosting sites:   YouTubeScreencast.Com (Jing)Vimeo 

Other:       Your local serverAuthoring tools (Libguides, Drupel)

How to Share

Your Screencasts

Embed them in blogs or websites 

Link to them to descriptions of resources Feature them on your library guides Place them on YouTube

Distribute via discussion lists or email

Repurpose Your Screencasts