Screencasts
Best Practices
- Minimize distractions (hide bookmarks, record in full screen mode)
- Avoid recording screenshots that will date the video
- Avoid the split-attention effect (when the text on the screen doesn't match the voiceover or action)
There are a range of programs one can use to create a screencast. Here are just a few with links to tutorials.
- Tech Tuesday session on Screen Recording Software
| Program | Tutorials |
| PowerPoint | |
| Zoom | |
| Loom | Getting started |
| FlashBack recorder | |
| Screencast-o-matic | Recording |
| Camtasia | Video Tutorials |
Animation
While our Adobe Creative Cloud subscription does provide access to animation programs, most of those programs require expertise to create animated videos. There are other programs available that are designed for educators and provide easy-to-use templates. PowToons, Animaker, and Vyond are a few well-known programs. Most of these programs are subscription based, with the free versions offering fewer features than the paid versions. Here's a chart with links to more information about what's included in the free version of two popular ones.
| Program | Included in Free Version | Tutorials |
| PowToons |
Max length of video is 3 minutes Free version has PowToons branding Limited to a total of 100 recordings Storage up to 100 MB is available |
QuickStart Guide |
| Animaker |
5 video downloads per month with watermark 10 gif downloads per month 10 free music tracks per month HD quality |
How to make animated videos: tutorial for beginners |
Simple animated videos can also be created using the animation effects in MS PowerPoint. You can find many tutorials online, like this "How to Create Animated Videos with PowerPoint," showing how to do this.