Introduction

Screencasting refers to the process of recording whatever is happening on a coumputer screen.

They are excellent for creating a wide variety of tutorials for elearning. Whether it is showing student how to use a piece of software, creating a lesson with an animated powerpoint and (your) voice overlay, capturing a lesson as you are teaching it on something like an interactive whiteboard ... the list is endless.

The recommended software for creating a basic screencast:

• Smart Recorder (part of the free Smartboard suite) - but other recorders (like Mimio) will do the job, but Smart Recorder produces a small, high quality video with very little fuss. (WeLCom teachers can let Anton know if you need this software - he has all the installation files if you can't be bothered hunting them down on the internet)
  
• Windows Movie Maker (Free Windows application) - for editing the screencast removing the bloopers and other unwanted bits.
  
• Youtube - create an account so that you can upload your .wmv file (created by Windows Movie Maker) and the download as an .flv file - the format needed for embedding on you Moodle course.

Details of Screencasts in this Book:
Screencasting 1 : Recording your screencast
Screencasting 2 : Editing your screencast
Screencasting 3 : Converting your wmv file.

If there is any interest in creating screencasting, we could create a course on the WeLCom site and go through the A to Z of creating a highly polished final product. Let Anton know if you are interested.